Settled in quebec, want to move to ontario - unique situation, please help!

[Mayflower12]

Hi all,

I immigrated to Canada as a QSW and landed in Montreal in October 2008. Received my PR, got my SIN and Health cards. However i had a lot of trouble finding a decent full time job. In Jan 2009, I got married to my US citizen fiance, we were married in Montreal. However, because i could not find a decent job and my financial resources were dwindling, i ended up moving to the US to be with my husband, this was in April 2010. Thus, i had lived in Montreal for 1.5 years, and i can prove my intent to settle there.

Immediately after moving to the US, i found a great job here, and later became pregnant and had a baby. This is why i couldnt move back to canada easily, although i did visit Montreal once in the interim. I know that by October 2013, i have to have completed 2 years of residency in Canada, in order to renew my PR.

1) Since i lived in Montreal for 1.5 yrs, i have 6 months stay left which i need to complete before October 2013. Is my understanding correct?

2) i would like to move to the GTA/Ontario to complete my PR requirements, how can i do this? Can i just move there, or do i need to notify any govt office in Quebec?

3) what paperwork will i need to complete to do this? How can i apply for an ontario health card? What are the residency requirements in order to get an ontario health card?

4) i plan to relocate to canada/ontario in March 2013, or possibly sooner. However, I would like to initiate the process next month, in order to apply for jobs, get an apartment, etc. What can i expect at the border crossing?

5) how would i renew my PR if i successfully complete my residency requirements by oct 2013?

6) how soon would i be eligible to apply for canadian citizenship if i become a canadian resident again?

I would appreciate any and all advice i can get.... And i hope that Leon will weigh in with his advice too.

Thank you!

 

[scylla]

1) Yes - that's correct. You must live in Canada 2 out of every five rolling years to maintain your PR status.
2) Yes - you can just move to Ontario.
3) Once you move to Ontario, you will need to live there for three months before you can qualify for OHIP.
4) I'm not sure I understand this question.
5) You would apply to renew your card using the regular process.
6) To qualify to apply for citizenship, you must have lived in Canada three out of the last four years before applying.

 

[Mayflower12]

Scylla, thanks for the fast reply.

I expect that at the border crossing at niagara falls, i may be questioned by canadian officials about my Quebec issued PR, my long hiatus in the US, and my wanting to now settle in ontario. I guess i was wondering if someone had been in this situation and if they could advise me about what to expect at the border.

 

[londongurl]

hey mayflower,i just returned from london staying with my husband for 7 monthsi dnt know if my situation may help but im please to share my experience with you .I was also living in quebec for the past 2 years got married in montreal and was not able to get a full time job so my husband asked to visit him as i was so depressed of not getting a full time job and was so tired with working and studies at the same time,when i finally recover from everything i decided to return back to canada but to toronto.i returned on 17th oct .i had quite a bad time with the immigration people.they asked how long i was out of canada and if i have a return ticket to london and i was asked to pay 300 cad dolard for my clothes . i only replied to their question honestly but sometime i think honesty doesnt bring you anywhere .during my 2 years in quebec i struggle and always tried to be dependent and not to being on benefit but i was s hocked how rude the people was at the immigration no smile on their face or anything just that blank look as if im a culprit of a thief .gd luck and im sharing only my experience doesnt mean you have to go through same things ,now im trying to concentrate on my sponsor application which i need to send by monday.mayflower if you have any question you can pm me.

 

[Mayflower12]

Thanks so much for sharing... It sucks that you had to go through that.

Im an IT professional, i was earning quite well in the US where i lived prior to moving to canada. Although i speak french, i had a hard time finding a decent job coz i wasnt fluent in the language. I ended up taking jobs like telemarketing for 8 bucks an hour. I was always tired and depressed, and when i started to run out of money, my husband urged me to move to the US for a while. Once i started working, it was hard to leave.

So i totally understand what you must have gone through...and i appreciate you sharing ur experience. I will definitely send you a pm in a little while.

 

[Mayflower12]

Folks,

If i wanted to sponsor my husband for a canadian PR, do i need to be working, or will our savings suffice for showing sufficient funds/financial stability?

 

[scylla]

Folks,

If i wanted to sponsor my husband for a canadian PR, do i need to be working, or will our savings suffice for showing sufficient funds/financial stability?

You don't need to be working. However you cannot be on welfare/social assistance. You also cannot be bankrupt. Last but not least, you must be living in Canada to qualify to submit the sponsorship application and must continue living in Canada while the application is processed.

 

[Mayflower12]

Thanks again, scylla!

 

[Leon]

1) Yes, you need roughly 6 more months but keep track of the days as well. You are allowed to be outside Canada for up to 1095 days since you landed as a PR. Travel days to and from Canada count as days spent within Canada.

2) You can move to Ontario now, you do not have to inform anybody in Quebec.

3) You just go to OHIP, tell them you are in Ontario to stay and you want to apply for OHIP. Ontario has a 3 month wait for new residents so you will not get covered until after 3 months.

4) They may warn you about having been outside Canada for a long time. Depending on the immigration officers mood, they may try to be tough on you. Just be calm and polite. Tell them that you realize you have been outside Canada for a long time but you are still not in breach of the residency obligation and you know you need to stay 6 more months in order to meet it.

5) When the time comes to renew your PR card, you apply using the forms here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/prcard.asp

6) Because you need to have 3 years in Canada in a 4 year period to apply for citizenship, and you have been gone for more than a year, you will have to stay for 3 years (1095 days) before you are eligible to apply.

Regarding sponsorship, you realize you must sponsor your husband and baby for PR in order for them to live in Canada legally. As a PR, you must be residing in Canada in order to sponsor them. Your baby and husband can stay with you as visitors while you apply to sponsor them. They will however not be eligible for OHIP and your husband is not allowed to work. Depending on what he does for a living, he may fall under NAFTA which might make it a bit easier for him to get a work permit if he can get a job offer. You do not have to show any minimum income to sponsor a spouse and child but they want to know you will not end up on welfare so if you were working in the US, show proof of income from there or show your husbands and write that he is the breadwinner because you just had a baby if that is so. If they want to stay with you for the duration, you can sponsor them inland. The sponsorship for inland was taking very long in the past and seems to have gotten faster. Currently 5-6 months for first stage approval which means open work permit for your husband and OHIP for the both of them after the 3 month wait of course. After that, another 8 months to get the PR. However, they must be living in Canada with you for the duration to be eligible. If you sponsor them outland, currently it is 2 months to approve you as a sponsor and after that it is maybe 8-9 months the average processing time in the US and then they'd get PR.

 

[Mayflower12]

Thank you so much, Leon, for your comprehensive and timely reply!

Thanks again everyone.

 

[Mayflower12]

Paging londongurl.... I am unable to send you a pm, not sure why. If you would, please pm me with your email address so i can reply via email. I plan to go to toronto this week, and i have some questions about your experience with immigration. Thank you in advance!

 

[londongurl]

Paging londongurl.... I am unable to send you a pm, not sure why. If you would, please pm me with your email address so i can reply via email. I plan to go to toronto this week, and i have some questions about your experience with immigration. Thank you in advance!

Already Pm you dear .Any question where I can help would be my pleasure.

 

[Mayflower12]

Londongurl, thank you so much for the PM. I sent you a reply. If you didn't get it, please send me another PM with your email address so I can contact you via email.

Folks, in light of my situation as described in my initial post, please advise whether its better for me to enter Canada from Quebec or from Ontario. I intend to travel to Canada next week after an absence of 2.5 years. My last visit to Montreal was in April 2011. I was there for a week. This time around, my wish is to settle in Ontario. Which border crossing is likely to be easier for me?

Thank you!