Entering to Marry

[fighterf]

Hello Everyone,

I've read quote a few threads in this forum, and I found it extremely useful in answering my questions that not even a trip to the Buffalo consulate answered. They were actually quite rude and kept referring me to parts of the website that had to do with skilled worker immigration when I was asking about family-class.

My question:

I am a US Citizen looking to enter Canada to marry my finance. The goal is to marry there, and then she will sponsor me as a spouse. I visit all the time, living in Michigan the drive is only 2 hours. My question is, when I cross the border to marry her, with that intention, is there some form of visa that I need?

I ask because I'm not really entering to just visit, but to marry. Do I just tell the border guard that I'm marrying my fiance?

Thanks!

 

[Leon]

There is no fiancee visa. If you tell the border guard you are getting married, it's possible that they will think you are not planning to go back so I would just say that you are going to visit. If you happen to get married while you visit, so what.

Are you planning to apply outland and go back to the US to work until your PR comes through? Since you live so close, that would not be a bad idea but up to you of course how you apply.

 

[fighterf]

Thanks!

I'm going to apply whatever is faster and still lets me cross the border. What that is, I do not know.

I've been trying to 4 years to immigrate as a skilled worker, and for 4 years, the HRSDC confirmation has always come back negative. I'm a skilled project manager, with a lot of experience in search engine optimization, so you'd figure it would be easy, but no. I've read some things about open work permits, but haven't been able to find any solid information on it.

 

[Leon]

So I will include some info on inland vs. outland application. Inland means that you have basically moved to Canada unofficially on a visitor visa and are staying there while your application is going through. Your file stays in Canada the whole time. You should get first stage approval after 6 months along with an open work permit if you applied for one but there are no appeal rights if you are denied for some reason and also it is not advised that you leave Canada while you are in process so basically you would be stuck in Canada for something like 6 months without being able to work or having any income.

Outland is when you are officially still living in the US. You can go stay in Canada as a visitor and you can go back to the US. The time that takes is 7 weeks for sponsorship approval and then average 5 months processing in Buffalo, actually 3 to 9 months and then you get permanent residency, no interrim work permit.

 

[neville]

There is no fiancee visa. If you tell the border guard you are getting married, it's possible that they will think you are not planning to go back so I would just say that you are going to visit. If you happen to get married while you visit, so what.

Are you planning to apply outland and go back to the US to work until your PR comes through? Since you live so close, that would not be a bad idea but up to you of course how you apply.