Bringing son and American gf to live with me in Canada

[hipster]

Hello,

I am a Canadian about to begin a PhD. I want to bring my gf and son to live with me in Canada while I study. My gf is American but my son (1 year old) has both American and Canadian citizenships; his Canadian citizenship status has already been verified. Is this possible? How would I go about it.

Just to add: I am a born and raised Canadian. I have been with my gf for 6 years now in this long distance relationship.

thanks

 

[scylla]

In order for your girlfriend to actually live with you in Canada, you will have to sponsor her for permanent residency. In order to sponsor her for permanent residency, you must either be married or common law (common law means you have lived together at the same physical address for a minimum of one full year). For more information and discussions about the spousal / common law sponsorship process I would recommend that you join the Family Sponsorship sectio of the forum.

Alternatively, your girlfriend could look into securing a temporary visa on her own that would allow her to live in Canada. A student visa would be one option (she would need to be attending school full time and wouldalso be required to pay international student fees). If she can secure a full time job offer in Canada, a work permit might be another option.