Permanent residency application, and marriage?

[girl188]

My boyfriend is skilled worker, with 2+ years work experience
He is now preparing to apply for permanent residency

I am US citizen and plan to move to Canada too.

I am not qualified to be a skilled worker (and will not be a care taker, farmer... either)
Although I'm trying hard to land a job, it seems very unlikely that I will find a company who will sponsor me.

My next thought is, maybe we should get married--if we do, will I still be able to work under his skilled work permit?

Should we get married before or during the application? (Since it takes 12+ months for the PR to be processed, I am not sure if "after" is a choice!)
Would having me on his application make the processing time longer?


Any advice will be appreciated.

Thank you,

 

[wilson]

Your boy friend can add you as his spouse in his PR application only after marriage. If you have already a plan in such kind, then why should you delay for marriage?

 

[girl188]

although I see ourselves together, we want to let things happen naturally.
so getting married is in the plan, but preferably not immediately...

my biggest concern is that somehow adding me on the application before or during his application would delay or complicate the process, even though i have no criminal record or anything like that-!

 

[zardoz]

Be careful that you don't shoot yourselves in the foot. If you are already in a relationship that could be considered as common-law, he MUST add you to the application or he will never be able to sponsor you in the future.

 

[Leon]

If you want to be with him, get married now and apply for an open permit based on his skilled permit. He can then include you in his PR application.

If he applies for PR before you get married, he can not include you but if you get married during the processing time, he will have to add you to his application.

If you wait for him to get his PR before you get married, you can not get an open work permit based on his permit because he will not be on a work permit anymore, instead he would have to sponsor you for PR and that would take months too.

 

[girl188]

If you want to be with him, get married now and apply for an open permit based on his skilled permit. He can then include you in his PR application.

If he applies for PR before you get married, he can not include you but if you get married during the processing time, he will have to add you to his application.

If you wait for him to get his PR before you get married, you can not get an open work permit based on his permit because he will not be on a work permit anymore, instead he would have to sponsor you for PR and that would take months too.

Thank you, it looks like marriage is the only option that will take a reasonable amount of time :-X

@zardoz we do not live together, so I don't think we are considered as common law.

 

[zardoz]

Thank you, it looks like marriage is the only option that will take a reasonable amount of time :-X

@ zardoz we do not live together, so I don't think we are considered as common law.

Great. Just didn't want you to accidentally fall into that particular minefield. It takes no prisoners...