US Citizen seeking Permanent Residency - Inland vs. Outland

[jpena]

Here's my situation:
-I'm a US Citizen
-My girlfriend is Canadian
-We've lived together for over 3 years
-We are both currently living in Bermuda and will be leaving sometime in May-July
-We want to move to Canada
-There is the possibility that I will be able to work for my current employer under their Canadian set-up or there is the option for me to work for them as a consultant as opposed to an employee
-My work requires me to travel quite a bit outside Canada

Inland or Outland?
I want to apply for permanent residency and I'm looking for advice as to whether I'd be better off applying outside or inside Canada, based on my situation. Please can you provide any advice you have on this?

If we decide to apply from outside Canada, we can move to Puerto Rico for some time while waiting for the application to be approved.

A few other questions
-Is it true that you can't look for work in Canada while applying for residency?
-Is it true that if applying inland you cannot travel outside Canada during the application process, which I understand takes about a year?
-We are planning to get married in the next year or so. Will getting married sooner help with the application process or give us more options? For example, I've heard that if we're married there is more leniency in terms of travelling while applying for residency. Is this true?

Thank you for your help!

 

[amikety]

Inland is for people inside Canada. If you're going to be traveling frequently, it's not a good option. If you're denied re-entry for any reason, your application is considered abandoned.

If you're apart for a week or so on business, being common-law v. married makes no difference. If you're planning on being gone for months at a time, you might be considered common-law anymore. In that case, married may be a better option.

As far as working, being a consultant probably won't work. You would be 'self employed' and almost impossible to get a work permit that way. You and your current employer would need to determine the best way to go about getting a work permit. You can check to see if you would qualify for Nafta. That would be easier than trying to get a LMO in many cases. Either way, if you're working for a Canadian company or subsidary in Canada, you will definitely need authorization from the government to work.

 

[mic8400]

I'm wondering the same thing. Does in vs out have any specific benefits?

 

[amikety]

I'm wondering the same thing. Does in vs out have any specific benefits?

If you`re from a country that takes a long time to process applications, such as Islamabad, Pretoria, etc, Inland is much faster. (They average 28 and 26 months completion for 80% of applications.)

Also, if you`re under subject to deportation, Inland may help protect you from being deported - but not always. Also, if you`re from a country that is unlikely to be approved for an extended visitor status, Inland can help you remain in Canada with your loved one. It`s something anyone from a country that requires a visa would consider.

For an American, unless you`ve overstayed your status and CIC knows & plans to issue a departure or deportation request, there really aren`t a lot of benefits for Inland. Well, the only other case would be if you know your application has huge red flags and you expect it to take longer to process than normal and you want a work permit. (But even if you think it will take long, it might not. Sometimes `simple`applications take much longer.... it`s a game of roulette!)

Sorry about my quotation marks. My cat stepped on my keyboard...