US to canada - what do i do while i wait?

[elle22]

My fiance and I are getting married in september when he returns from his navy deployment. i am currently living in california so i cant just drive over to see him whenever. i'm curious as to how soon after we get married i would be able to stay with him? I'm self employed and do all of my work online but unfortunately I cant move any closer to the border than where im at now. i'm wondering what exactly are my options for visiting or whatever while we are waiting on the application stuff. can anyone offer advice or direct me somewhere that i could read more about it? Ive tried reading a bunch of the legal stuff but it gives me a headache and im not sure i really understand most of it. s:
is there anything i can do on my end before he gets back to help speed up the process? unfortunately hes out in the middle of the ocean and cant help me with getting paperwork together until he gets back.

my other question is if im staying with him temporarily (ive seen something about being able to visit for up to 6 months or something?) would I be able to continue doing my freelance work online even if i am able to stay with him in bc?

 

[Ponga]

My fiance and I are getting married in september when he returns from his navy deployment. i am currently living in california so i cant just drive over to see him whenever. i'm curious as to how soon after we get married i would be able to stay with him? I'm self employed and do all of my work online but unfortunately I cant move any closer to the border than where im at now. i'm wondering what exactly are my options for visiting or whatever while we are waiting on the application stuff. can anyone offer advice or direct me somewhere that i could read more about it? Ive tried reading a bunch of the legal stuff but it gives me a headache and im not sure i really understand most of it. s:
is there anything i can do on my end before he gets back to help speed up the process? unfortunately hes out in the middle of the ocean and cant help me with getting paperwork together until he gets back.

my other question is if im staying with him temporarily (ive seen something about being able to visit for up to 6 months or something?) would I be able to continue doing my freelance work online even if i am able to stay with him in bc?

I would suggest that you download all of the required forms now, print them out and complete them by hand. This will give you the time to go through all of the questions and have plenty of time to get through everything, but...DO NOT mail those forms!

CIC (Citizenship and Immigration Canada) updates the forms on a fairly regular basis, so there's a very good chance that at least one of the forms that you download today, will be outdated in September, when you actually put your application in the mail!

You state that you are currently living in California, but where are you from? Are you an American citizen? If you are (or are a citizen of another visa exempt country), visiting for 6 months is usually no problem, but it is always the discretion of the particular border officer that you see when you enter Canada. Make sure have proof of your marriage and that you have already submitted your PR application before arriving at the border.

You can continue to work online, as long as you are not paid in Canada, or by a company or individual that is in Canada.

Start by reading the very first thread in this forum (sticky) that will give you more information on the Spousal Sponsorship program.

Good luck!