Marriage and PR

[Calgary59]

Hello,

My girlfriend (who is a Canadian citizen) and I are going to get married, and then she is going to sponsor me for a PR. My question, is what are all the form am I going to have to prepare...and specifically any fbi or medical records. I am a U.S. citizen living in Canada on a visitor visa currently.

Thank you.

 

[steaky]

You can decide whether to do the immigration "outland" or "inland". You can use the search about the differences.

 

[Leon]

You can check the information here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse.asp

Generally it's recommended that you apply outland if you are from the US because the processing time is shorter. To apply outland, you pick the application forms for the spouse not living in Canada. You can still be visiting Canada during the processing as long as you make sure you don't go out of status.

You can have your medicals in Canada, I've heard it's cheaper. Just make sure they know if you are doing outland or inland so they'll use the correct forms. You can order your FBI clearance through the mail.

 

[Calgary59]

Thank you. So essentially I can apply for outland PR even if I am living in Canada on a visitor visa?

Also, once applied for PR I can I leave the country to visit family in the U.S.? I have heard mixed feelings on this issue.

 

[Leon]

Yes, you can apply for outland PR even if you are in Canada on a visitor visa.

Once you apply for PR, you can leave the country and visit family in the US. If you apply inland, you would not be advised to travel because inland requires you to be living in Canada so if you had left Canada and for some reason are denied entry to get back, your application is gone. With outland, if you had left Canada and can't get back, your application just continues to get processed.