Moving my husband and his belongings to Canada from US

[LisaDJ]

Hello everyone. I am so confused on parts of the immigration process I need help!
I am a Canadian citizen and I married my husband in July of this year.(he is American and he came to visit and we were married here) I currently live in NS and him down south. We want to apply for an in-canada permant resident visa. My question is which is the best way to do this? My husband wants to come here and then we can submit the proper papers (in canada pr application and my sponsor application) We want to do this properly. Can my husband drive here with some household furnishings (properly declared and on a manifest) and just state the truth at the border....saying he intends to come here to settle and immediately submit his pr papers and provide a copy of our marriage license? Or does he just have to visit and leave all of his belongings behind and act like he is visiting and we just then submit the papers? I am so confused by all of this and we just want to be together and start our life. He doesn't want to leave his stuff behind as we have the understanding that he can't leave and come back for two years once we submit the papers. He would like to work legally in Canada as soon as he receives his work visa and he has many tools. We just want to be together and to do this properly. Please help!!!!

 

[Aquakitty]

Hello everyone. I am so confused on parts of the immigration process I need help!
I am a Canadian citizen and I married my husband in July of this year.(he is American and he came to visit and we were married here) I currently live in NS and him down south. We want to apply for an in-canada permant resident visa. My question is which is the best way to do this? My husband wants to come here and then we can submit the proper papers (in canada pr application and my sponsor application) We want to do this properly. Can my husband drive here with some household furnishings (properly declared and on a manifest) and just state the truth at the border....saying he intends to come here to settle and immediately submit his pr papers and provide a copy of our marriage license? Or does he just have to visit and leave all of his belongings behind and act like he is visiting and we just then submit the papers? I am so confused by all of this and we just want to be together and start our life. He doesn't want to leave his stuff behind as we have the understanding that he can't leave and come back for two years once we submit the papers. He would like to work legally in Canada as soon as he receives his work visa and he has many tools. We just want to be together and to do this properly. Please help!!!!

Unfortunately you can't go bringing all his stuff to the border before he gets his COPR. There is a good chance they will turn him back. I would suggest selling what you don't want and storing the rest until his PR is obtained if you want to live in Canada.

Bringing a bunch of tools into Canada is also not a good idea. If they have any inkling he intends to work illegally (which I realise is not the case, but they don't know that) he could be questioned.

Make sure you consider carefully your decision to apply inland rather than outland. Many Americans have quite fast processing times applying outland. If the work permit is that important to you, then yes just bring him as a visitor to Canada and submit the paperwork with the OWP application before his 6 months are up.

He can live with you in Canada if you apply outland as well, but of course then he can't work. He can just apply inside Canada for an extension of his visitor status though (do this around the 5 month mark).

 

[LisaDJ]

Honestly, I just want him here. I miss him so much and my understanding it that he can obtain a work visa within 3 months of them receiving our application (for inland) as its a spousal sponsorship. Is there any legal way we can have some of his belongings before that two year waiting period? For instance, me being a Canadian citizen since he can't go retrieve it while his application is processed can I go to retrieve it? Can I ship the furniture up in my name? Is the only option to put it in storage and ship it up 2 years later once he has his permanent resident card? It is household items like furniture, clothes and tools. It's frustrating that we want to do this right and legal and it seems that no matter what option it is jumping through flaming hoops. . It would suck to have to wait two years to have clothes and our furniture.

Thank you so much for your advice and information. I'm so new to this and just want my family together.

 

[screamingmoon]

Unfortunately you can't go bringing all his stuff to the border before he gets his COPR. There is a good chance they will turn him back. I would suggest selling what you don't want and storing the rest until his PR is obtained if you want to live in Canada.

Bringing a bunch of tools into Canada is also not a good idea. If they have any inkling he intends to work illegally (which I realise is not the case, but they don't know that) he could be questioned.

Make sure you consider carefully your decision to apply inland rather than outland. Many Americans have quite fast processing times applying outland. If the work permit is that important to you, then yes just bring him as a visitor to Canada and submit the paperwork with the OWP application before his 6 months are up.

He can live with you in Canada if you apply outland as well, but of course then he can't work. He can just apply inside Canada for an extension of his visitor status though (do this around the 5 month mark).

How fast are these processing times? Do we know why the CIC website says 39 months? My wife and I are trying to figure out if we should do inland or outland as well.

 

[Aquakitty]

How fast are these processing times? Do we know why the CIC website says 39 months? My wife and I are trying to figure out if we should do inland or outland as well.

You won't be processed in LA unless you need an interview, and for an American that is very rare. It would require a lot of red flags. You will likely be processed in Ottawa which last time I looked was about 17 months, but even that is not accurate for most people. Allow for about 9 months, though some are processed much faster, some slower. My husbands took under 4 months. It depends on the visa officer you get, and your application.


As for OP's husband's furniture, I'm not sure of a way you could bring it up, perhaps if you picked a few items and had receipts and were willing to pay duty/tax on it all, or brought some up saying you got it second hand or something, but the border patrol is not dumb, if you suddenly brought a household of stuff to the border there would be questions galore.

I could be missing some loophole though, so I might be wrong but that is my current understanding.