U.S Citizen Moving to Canada to be with Fiancé

[RoPa]

I am a US citizen with a MA in Counseling Psychology and am engaged to a Canadian Citizen. We plan to get married and I would like to know what would be the best way to immigrate to Canada so that I can get a job as fast as possible.

 

[Kedeisha]

well you can possobly apply for an OWP to start working and apply either inland or outland its recommended spouses from USA apply outland as its generally faster than the 10-11 months stage 1 processing for inland

You can get married and start the process right away

 

[scylla]

Start by reading the first post in the following thread. It provides an excellent overview of your options:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/spousal-sponsorship-t46995.0.html

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

I am a US citizen with a MA in Counseling Psychology and am engaged to a Canadian Citizen. We plan to get married and I would like to know what would be the best way to immigrate to Canada so that I can get a job as fast as possible.

Don't move yet. I hate to say it, but I did what you're planning on doing and I don't recommend it. I had on rose-colored glasses that I'd find an employer willing to hire me and sponsor a work visa (and I did, twice! Each time the visa was denied for weird reasons. I have a masters, speak French, etc but still can't get a work visa for a professional position) or that the immigration process wouldn't be too long or stressful. My husband I will have been married 1 yr next month, and I will have been waiting 10 mths for my permanent residency (I applied out of country as I'm also an American and cross the border frequently, plus it's supposed to be faster). You cannot imagine how much stress it has added to our lives that I cannot work.

I know it's not an ideal situation, but if you have a job in the U.S. I really recommend keeping it until you have your permanent residency or an approved work visa in hand. That would mean getting married now, doing your application and living apart while you wait. Sounds terrible, but I really think if I could do it over then that is what I would do.

That said, if your fiancé makes enough money to cover your combined expenses, and won't feel overly stressed doing so, then completely ignore my advice. I've had no trouble getting my visitor entry renewed every few months, and have been living legally in Canada for the past year. Don't expect anything to happen overnight though. The Canadian government really lives up to the stereotype of the slow bureacracy.

 

[QCSunshine]

Re: U.S Citizen Moving to Canada to be with Fiancé

I was here not working for about a year, and it was okay. It was hard to not be able to start really integrating in society (because that is hard to do when you can't work). We were fortunate in that we could live of my husband's income and a little of our savings during that time. For us, it was worth the challenges, so that we could be together through the hard waiting time. But each couple's situation is different...some people might have more hesitancy to go through a time of not working (whether for financial reasons or other reasons...), so each couple has to decide what makes most sense for them.

(And if you apply outland, you can't apply for an OWP. That is only for inland. But outland apps are usually completely processed before inland apps reach the point of AIP anyways.)

 

[Leon]

I would recommend applying outland because it is faster. You could see your PR in average 8-9 months. If you apply outland, you have the same opportunities to visit your spouse as any other US citizen so it is up to you if you go to Canada for a while or stay in the US and work. You can not officially move to Canada on visitor status. If you show up with a U-haul at the border, you are asking for trouble. If you want to stay in Canada longer than 6 months, you can ask for a visitor record when you enter. The immigration officer could give you up to a year if they feel like it or at least you have your date of entry registered in case you would like to apply to extend your visitor status.

Applying inland means you would have to stay in Canada. If you left Canada and were for any reason denied entry, you would lose your application. If you applied for an open work permit along with your sponsorship package, you would get it at your first stage approval which is generally after 10-11 months these days but in case it would take longer, you would basically be stuck in Canada without being able to work until you get it. PR with inland usually comes around 9 months after first stage approval so you see, with outland, you have PR even faster than you'd have first stage approval with inland.