US To Canada. First Step?

[BalletFanatic]

Sorry if this has been asked 400 million times, I tried to scroll through and I'm overwhelmed. So just figured I would start my own topic.

I'm a US citizen and my husband is from Canada (has dual citizenship USA/Canada).

He was recently offered a job back in Canada in his hometown. I know that eventually we can do spousal sponsorship, but I read that can take over 1+ year/s. His new job would start around September.

I'm soooo overwhelmed in trying to look up information. What is my first step in getting there with him in the next month or so? (FYI, we've been married almost 10 years, I'm expecting first baby in winter). Is there something temporary I do to be able to move with him soon and stay there? (I realize I likely can't work, this is fine right now) and then file for the spousal in the meantime? I certainly can't live in the USA for 1+ years while he's in Canada, so if there's no in between thing... he won't take job.

I'm just not sure what step to take first. And there's so much info, my head hurts. Thought this would be a good place to ask.
Thanks!

 

[Rob_TO]

You can enter Canada as a visitor, usually for 6 months upfront. Then when that time is almost up, you can just apply to extend status for another 6 or 12 months. It might be better to submit PR app before you go to Canada, as having an app in progress can make entering Canada a bit easier for you.

More worrying part for you is having a baby. Unless you are moving to one of the more generous provinces like Alberta, most likely you won't have any healthcare and will have to pay for all pregnancy and delivery costs in Canada out-of-pocket. No private insurance will cover you if you're already pregnant.

You can apply for PR anytime. Outland apps for US citizens are recommended and are processed at CPC-Ottawa office. Approx time for processing is around 10 months.

 

[rhcohen2014]

i also suggest hanging out on the family sponsorship board on this forum. there are a lot of threads with information for us applicants and pregnant applicants. current OUTLAND processing time for US applicants is taking anywhere from 6-10 months, according to the spreadsheets on this forum that tracks progress.

You can stay in canada as a visitor while having an outland application in process. If work isn't an issue, it's the best option.