Canadian Citizen and American born girlfriend

[lenny_pitts]

Hi all!
To begin I have read many of the threads on this page and have found a lot of good information. So thank you for that.
I am Canadian born and raised and live in Winnipeg MB. My girlfriend is American born and raised and live in Ohio. We want to marry one day and want her to move to Canada to live with me. We want to take our time and plan it the best we can.
After a lot of reading and research it seems clear that Outland Sponsorship makes the most sense for us. She (the American) loves her family and wants to be able to travel back and forth during the application process. Possibly staying with me for a month then staying with her family for a month and so on. I want her to be free to come and go as she pleases. I know she cannot exceed 6months in Canada at a time without a vistor visa extension
My questions are:
-Does this make sense? Will she be able to travel back and forth from Canada to America without affecting the Outland application process?
-is there any other information i can get from other peoples experiences?
-Do you guys think this is the best path to take? Any other suggestions?

We want to plan this accordingly and not jump into something without all the best information. Thank you and have a great day!

 

[CDNPR2014]

1. yes, this is a doable option. after we got married and during my process i traveled back and forth frequently. i would stay in canada 1-2 months, then the us 1-3 months. note this is easier to accomplish when you are married. CBSA officers (in my experience) are more suspcious of those cross-border dating. If you decide to do this, it is always best for her to carry proof of ties to the us. Paystubs and a lease agreement are the ties they care most about (again, in my experience). Having a remote job will be tremendously helpful if it's an option. After you applied for PR, it is also good practice for her to carry a copy of her pr application, application receipts and any correspondence from CIC about her application. if she does this, understands she can't "move to" or "live in" canada and is only "visiting" until she receives her pr, she more than likely will not have issues at the border. she needs to be prepared that she may have to go into secondary inspection until she is a pr. this is not an issue if she is prepared.

3. yes, apply outland. first you have to get married.

 

[lenny_pitts]

1. yes, this is a doable option. after we got married and during my process i traveled back and forth frequently. i would stay in canada 1-2 months, then the us 1-3 months. note this is easier to accomplish when you are married. CBSA officers (in my experience) are more suspcious of those cross-border dating. If you decide to do this, it is always best for her to carry proof of ties to the us. Paystubs and a lease agreement are the ties they care most about (again, in my experience). Having a remote job will be tremendously helpful if it's an option. After you applied for PR, it is also good practice for her to carry a copy of her pr application, application receipts and any correspondence from CIC about her application. if she does this, understands she can't "move to" or "live in" canada and is only "visiting" until she receives her pr, she more than likely will not have issues at the border. she needs to be prepared that she may have to go into secondary inspection until she is a pr. this is not an issue if she is prepared.

3. yes, apply outland. first you have to get married.

Another question.... After reading the applicant guide it states:

You must list all family members in your application for permanent residence, whether they are accompanying you to Canada or not. You must also provide details on family members whose location is unknown (including those missing or presumed dead). If you don’t, you will not be able to sponsor family members at a later date if they are not listed on your application

My eventual spouse is American and her family are never going to be interested in immigrating to Canada. Is it necessary to list them?? Her dad, mom, and sisters all have their own successfull lives in the US. How important is it for her to list them in the application?

Thank you

 

[Ponga]

That form (IMM 5406) is mandatory for all applicants. You'll see it on the Document Checklist as a required form.

She needs to include step-siblings as well, if applicable.

It not a big deal, but CIC just wants this information as part of her application.

 

[canadianwoman]

For the application in general, 'family member' means the spouse or common-law or conjugal partner, and any dependent children. It does not mean siblings, parents, grandparents, etc. So these other people do not need to have medicals done or submit immigration photos.

However, for form IMM 5406, the Additional Family Information form, the applicant does have to list his or her parents, all children, and all siblings. Think of it as CIC asking about your additional family. All these people have to be listed, even though they are not immigrating to Canada, and even if in fact they could not be sponsored. If the applicant does not know some details about anyone, he or she should put all the information they have, then attach a separate sheet of paper where they explain why they don't know something. For example, if you have lost contact with a step-sibling and cannot get the information needed, just list the person's name, and then explain that you have lost contact with them.