To make a long story shorter, my girlfriend and I would like to live together in Canada, but we're not sure what the best route to that is.
I am a Canadian citizen, living in Canada. She is a US citizen, living in the US. We have not cohabited in the past for any meaningful length of time, and there are not any children in the picture. As near as I've been able to determine, there's three reasonable paths to PR/citizenship:
Is there any clear way to choose between the three options, or is there a better option we've overlooked? Another wrinkle is that she is keen to be a productive member of Canadian society (and would rather not have to explain employment gaps!) - if we applied under a family class application in some form, would that prevent her from continuing to job hunt and possibly immigrating as a skilled worker while that was being processed? Having gainful employment and the shorter timeline would both be appealing.
I am a Canadian citizen, living in Canada. She is a US citizen, living in the US. We have not cohabited in the past for any meaningful length of time, and there are not any children in the picture. As near as I've been able to determine, there's three reasonable paths to PR/citizenship:
- Sponsor her as a conjugal partner under a family class application. Talking to local American expats, this is what they recommended. I'm not concerned about proving the legitimacy of the relationship, but it sounds like there may be issues regarding existing barriers to immigration?
- Get married, and sponsor her as a spouse under a family class application. Neither of us are hugely invested in either the religious or social aspects of actually being married as such and, under other circumstances, would likely be in a long term common law relationship. Logistically it would be a bit of a pain, and in some regards a marriage for immigration purposes, but it's an option we have on the table.
- Immigrate as a skilled worker. She has a M. Sc. in Library and Information Sciences and is employed in insurance regulation, both of which appear to be in demand in parts or all of Canada, so this also seems feasible. Living in a western province wouldn't be a substantial issue - as I'm already in Saskatchewan, it may even be preferable.
Is there any clear way to choose between the three options, or is there a better option we've overlooked? Another wrinkle is that she is keen to be a productive member of Canadian society (and would rather not have to explain employment gaps!) - if we applied under a family class application in some form, would that prevent her from continuing to job hunt and possibly immigrating as a skilled worker while that was being processed? Having gainful employment and the shorter timeline would both be appealing.