Marrying a Canadian AFTER getting a work visa?

[qwerty99]

First post here and kindly looking for some guidance from you!

Situation is as follows...

Up until last year I was on a work visa (skilled worker) in Canada. A few months from expiry, I accepted a job in the US and have been working here since last summer (US citizen). As fate would have it, I met my Canuck months before leaving and we've been in a long distance relationship since (I'm in the US, he's in Canada). Through the months of us dating, we've decided that Canada is where we would like to live and settle together. We're not looking to get married before we've had the opportunity to live together.

My question(s) is what course of action would make most sense?
- Do I apply to jobs in Canada and get sponsored by an employer, thus being on a work visa?
- If I am on a work visa and a year down the road we decide that we'd like to get married, will this cause any issues with my work visa? Or would I simply apply for change of status from "work visa" to "permanent resident"?
- Also, should we get married a few years down the road, would it make sense for me to start compiling an album of air tickets, pictures, etc. (anything else they like to see) for the interview down the road?

I'm fortunate on the work visa standpoint that I am in a managerial position, speak three languages fluently and have higher education underneath my belt, as well as sufficient funds to support myself financially in Canada.

Please advise - all help welcome

 

[Leon]

Spousal sponsorship becomes an option after you have either lived together for 12 months (common law) or gotten married. Being in Canada on a work permit when that happens will really not change anything in the process. Not make it harder or easier. It is not possible just to change your status from work permit to PR. You must be sponsored by your spouse for PR and go through the process like everybody else.

If you are in Canada at the time you apply for sponsorship, you would have a choice of inland (my spouse is living in Canada) or outland (my spouse isn't living in Canada) application. For US citizens, it is usually better to do outland. It is a lot faster anyway. So it may seem strange to say that you are not living in Canada when you are but when you start filling out the forms, you realize it is not really about where you live, it is about different type of processing. You can apply outland and still say that you are living in Canada but just opting to have your application processed by Mississauga and Buffalo instead of Vegreville.

 

[qwerty99]

Thank you Leon! Sounds like a work visa is a viable option for me to work/live with significant other. If we decide to get married when I'm in Canada on a work visa, making the change from work visa to PR, I'd be in the same boat as other spousal sponsorship applicants. Your advice would be to choose to file for the PR outland (while still living in Canada) versus filing inland, as the processing times are slower in the latter.

Sounds like I have my course of action Thanks for your help!

 

[kelKel]

Another idea! How long were in Canada on your skilled worker visa? If you have already worked the amount of hours required in a skilled position you may be elgible to apply for the Canadian Experience Class.