Uniting me and my American fiance of 9 years! Can he work in Canada?

[AimiArts]

I'm from and currently reside in Canada and I've been with my American boyfriend for 9 years! We are 23 years old and visit each other as often as possible.
Now that he has graduated college we are ready to take the next step of getting married and moving in together.
We would like to build our lives together in Canada but we have NO clue on how to go about doing this!

How can I have my Fiance move to Canada and also be able to work?
I live close to the border, so is it also possible for him to reside in Canada (With the proper paperwork and such) and work in the USA?

 

[Ponga]

Your boyfriend cannot `move' to Canada until he has permission to do so...either by Spousal Sponsorhip, or some other means, to obtain his Permanent Resident status. He can `visit' you in Canada, for up to 6 months, but that is always determined by the CBSA officer's discretion when he presents himself at primary inspection (airport, or POE/land border). Six months is the maximum and is often the automatic authorization for those from the U.S. (as well as other foreign nationals that are visa exempt), but is not guaranteed.

CIC has recently changed the way they process applications, but I suspect that most Americans are still processed pretty quick (~ 4-6 months, perhaps). Him crossing back into the U.S. daily for work could be a problem, but if he has an application for sponsorship submitted when he's `discovered' by CBSA, it may work in his favor. The first step, obviously, is for you to get married so that you can submit the sponsorship application package.

I suggest checking the U.S. Outland thread here for more information on how the new process is working for U.S. applicants.

Good luck!

 

[Aquakitty]

What Ponga said, plus it depends on when you plan to get married. If you do that soon, you can apply right away. Then, if you choose, he can visit you in Canada during the processing.

Alternatively, he could work in the US until the processing is complete. I don't suggest commuting over the border for work, it's probably not worth the stress.

As for a work permit in Canada, he could qualify for SWAP if he's just out of school, or you could apply inland and get the inland OWP, but applying inland is still dumb for Americans to do, in my opinion. It seems to only be taking 4-6 months for Americans at the moment, and it takes that long just to get the work permit. It's a lot easier and cheaper just to wait it out in the US or as a visitor in Canada.