Inland Processing for PRs

[lawrence99]

I am American marrying a Canadian woman, and I will be joining her in Canada.

The plan is to:
(a)Come to Canada in 2016 and request an entry period of six months at the border
(b)While in Canada during this time, have my spouse submit inland a sponsorship application for permanent residency status.

I understand that processing time is up to 26 months, and then if approved, it may take an additional 42 days to receive a PR card.

My question is, once I enter Canada and start this process, can I stay there the entire time, or do I have to leave before the original six month period is over and then try to enter the country again as the processing time continues?

Thanks!

 

[krishnalynn]

You can apply for a visitor extension before the 6 months expires.

What made you choose Inland? Most Americans do outland even while living in Canada.

 

[scylla]

Don't apply inland unless you want to hate your life for the next two plus years.

Apply outland as soon as you are married.

 

[lawrence99]

You can apply for a visitor extension before the 6 months expires.

What made you choose Inland? Most Americans do outland even while living in Canada.

Thanks! Yeah, I received the suggestion to try for inland from someone.

So, the plan now is:

1. Get married (most likely in US, don't think this matters if its US or Canada)
2. Immediately submit outland sponsorship application for permanent residency status
3. Come to Canada, request an entry period of six months
4. While in Canada, and while application is processing, apply for visitor extension before 6 month expires.

Question: How often can I apply for a visitor extension while I'm waiting for the PR process to advance?

Question: Is it possible to maintain employment with an American organization during this time period?

 

[krishnalynn]

Thanks! Yeah, I received the suggestion to try for inland from someone.

So, the plan now is:

1. Get married (most likely in US, don't think this matters if its US or Canada)
2. Immediately submit outland sponsorship application for permanent residency status
3. Come to Canada, request an entry period of six months
4. While in Canada, and while application is processing, apply for visitor extension before 6 month expires.

Question: How often can I apply for a visitor extension while I'm waiting for the PR process to advance?

Question: Is it possible to maintain employment with an American organization during this time period?

You can apply for your visitor extension when it's about to expire and keep doing that until you get your PR. The current processing times for a visitor extension are here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/temp.asp

I didn't do this though, so I can't be completely certain on your likelihood of being approved. You may get some trouble at the border when you enter and it's up to the border officer to decide if he/she will let you in and for how long. Make sure you have a lot of money saved up as proof you won't be working illegally in Canada.

As for your job, would you be working remotely/online? Or working for an American company with an office in Canada?

 

[lawrence99]

You can apply for your visitor extension when it's about to expire and keep doing that until you get your PR. The current processing times for a visitor extension are here:

I didn't do this though, so I can't be completely certain on your likelihood of being approved. You may get some trouble at the border when you enter and it's up to the border officer to decide if he/she will let you in and for how long. Make sure you have a lot of money saved up as proof you won't be working illegally in Canada.

As for your job, would you be working remotely/online? Or working for an American company with an office in Canada?

This is really helpful, thank you.

As for the job, I'd like to see what would be required to work online/remotely for an American non-profit based in Chicago. Thoughts?

 

[Ponga]

This is really helpful, thank you.

As for the job, I'd like to see what would be required to work online/remotely for an American non-profit based in Chicago. Thoughts?

Working remotely, via the internet or phone, does not require a work permit, so long as you are remunerated from outside Canada.