U.S. citizen wanting to move to Canada to live with spouse. Help needed!

[GioUSCAN]

Hello everyone! I'm having some trouble figuring out what needs to be done so I can live with my girl friend and start a life with her in Canada.

I'm 22 and a U.S. citizen with a clean record, she's 19 and a Canadian citizen. We met online about 6 months ago and have been in love with each other ever since. We're are looking to get married as well. But after doing some research this entire process is starting to become pretty intimidating and I have no idea what direction I should be taking.

I wish it was as easy as packing up my stuff and moving to where she lives and look for a new job so we can rent out or own place and live happily ever after but there seems to be a lot hoops I must jump through in order to make all this happen.

I have a highschool diploma with no college experience and I'm not interested in going to school right now. So a student visa probably isn't the best thing for me right now. Also with that being said since I'm not a skilled in a profession needed in Canada it seems like work permits won't be a thing for me either.

So this is where I'm lost. How do I as a U.S. citizen move to canada and become eligible for normal Canadian jobs that don't require any college degrees. So I don't have to rely on my 19 lover having to support us both. I'm aware once I become a permanent resident I can apply for most jobs but that is a lengthy process. So while waiting for PR status. How can I support myself in canada?

Thank you to anyone who takes the time to read this and help! I'm sure I left some useful information out some where so please feel free to ask if needed!

 

[scylla]

If you want to work in Canada before becoming a PR you will need to apply for a work permit. Before you can do that, you will need to find an employer in Canada willing to give you a full time job. That employer will then need to obtain an approved LMIA (permission to hire you). If you had more experience or education then it might be possible for you to get a job that qualifies under NAFTA where the LMIA is not needed. But based on the information you have provided, it sounds likely you would qualify for a NAFTA job - which means your employer will have to go through the LMIA process.

To get an approved LMIA, your employer will have to advertise the job for at least a month to prove no Canadian can be found for the role. The employer will then have to submit the LMIA for approval along with a $1,000 processing fee. Processing can take as along as four months or more. If the LMIA is approved (not all are), you would then qualify for a work permit.

So your first step is to find an employer in Canada who is willing to offer you a full time job and who is also willing to go through the LMIA process. Be aware that it tends to be difficult to find employers willing to do this since the process is so long and expensive - and there's no guarantee of approval.

 

[ayrazar]

We were in the same boat, and found the work permit thing was not gonna be an option. Any job my now-husband qualified for, a Canadian somewhere probably would apply for. We wound up just visiting lots and then getting married, and doing spousal.

If you want more info on the work permit stuff, try their forum. I'm just indicating that for us, we decided to do spousal.

 

[Aquakitty]

Permanent residence is a big commitment. Since you've only known each other for 6 months, and given your ages, I suggest keeping a job in the US and visiting back and forth for a few months at a time.

If you do decide to go back to school (could even be online from a community college) you can look into the student exchange program. Through that you can get a 1 year open work permit and work wherever you want in Canada. You must be under 30 and have registered in school full time in the last year to qualify. You only have to be registered in school full-time, not graduated.

https://www.interexchange.org/travel-abroad/work-travel-canada/

 

[ayrazar]

Permanent residence is a big commitment. Since you've only known each other for 6 months, and given your ages, I suggest keeping a job in the US and visiting back and forth for a few months at a time.

If you do decide to go back to school (could even be online from a community college) you can look into the student exchange program. Through that you can get a 1 year open work permit and work wherever you want in Canada. You must be under 30 and have registered in school full time in the last year to qualify. You only have to be registered in school full-time, not graduated.

https://www.interexchange.org/travel-abroad/work-travel-canada/

I personally think this would be a great idea.