Hi everyone,
Seeking advice for a Windsor-Detroit cross-border couple (both 27, working as RNs). My girlfriend is a US Citizen (Detroit), and I am a Canadian Citizen (Windsor). We are trying to navigate a "catch-22" with our families and IRCC.
The Situation:
My girlfriend's family looks down on us getting engaged or married until we have lived together for a significant period, and she would prefer to actually live together first. However, we obviously can’t legally live together in Canada without PR or work status. We both want to keep our current jobs in our respective countries.
Option 1: Is a Conjugal Application Feasible?
Because of the immigration barriers to legally living together, we want to know if a Conjugal Partner application is realistic for a US-Canada couple.
If Conjugal isn't feasible, our backup is for her to live in Windsor as a Visitor for 12 months to establish common-law status, while commuting to Detroit 3x a week for her nursing shifts.
If all else fails, I'm sure I can convince her to get legally married to streamline the process, but I'm trying my best to make her as comfortable as possible.
We’re trying to respect our families' wishes while following the law. If any cross-border healthcare workers have dealt with this religious/family dynamic, we’d love to hear how you handled it.
Seeking advice for a Windsor-Detroit cross-border couple (both 27, working as RNs). My girlfriend is a US Citizen (Detroit), and I am a Canadian Citizen (Windsor). We are trying to navigate a "catch-22" with our families and IRCC.
The Situation:
My girlfriend's family looks down on us getting engaged or married until we have lived together for a significant period, and she would prefer to actually live together first. However, we obviously can’t legally live together in Canada without PR or work status. We both want to keep our current jobs in our respective countries.
Option 1: Is a Conjugal Application Feasible?
Because of the immigration barriers to legally living together, we want to know if a Conjugal Partner application is realistic for a US-Canada couple.
- Has anyone at our age (27) successfully used this argument for a US partner, or will IRCC just tell us to get a civil marriage regardless of the family consequences?
If Conjugal isn't feasible, our backup is for her to live in Windsor as a Visitor for 12 months to establish common-law status, while commuting to Detroit 3x a week for her nursing shifts.
- The 12-Month Rule: If she sleeps in Windsor but crosses to Detroit 3x a week for work, does IRCC accept this as "continuous cohabitation"?
- The OWP Strategy: Under the current policy (extended to Dec 2026), she can apply for an Open Work Permit once we hit the 12-month mark and get the Acknowledgment of Receipt (AOR) for the PR file.
- The Commute: Has any nurse had issues with CBSA when crossing 3+ times a week while technically "living" in Windsor as a visitor? We want to be honest about "Dual Intent" (visiting to establish common-law), but we're worried about being turned away at the tunnel.
If all else fails, I'm sure I can convince her to get legally married to streamline the process, but I'm trying my best to make her as comfortable as possible.
We’re trying to respect our families' wishes while following the law. If any cross-border healthcare workers have dealt with this religious/family dynamic, we’d love to hear how you handled it.
