Sponsoring GF to move to US?

[Gauging]

So me and my gf wanna get married in Alberta whenever i can come visit again after COVID. The original plan was to marry in alberta and then do spousal sponsorship for me to move to canada with her (I am US she is CAD citizen) And i basically knew the step by step process of the application process for moving there. However now we might decide to move her to the states with me. I can’t find the process for moving her here though is it the same? Is it harder to move a CAD to US than it is US to CAD? Someone told me that you HAVE to get married in US to move your spouse here is that true? Sorry for all the dumb questions it’s just trying to learn a whole new process after having one in mind is confusing

 

[k.h.p.]

You may find more resources about immigrating to the US at a forum that specializes in US immigration, like https://www.reddit.com/r/immigration/

The systems are substantially different (US have fiancee visas, for example) and unless someone here is an expert in it, you won't get a lot of advice.

 

[goldfinger]

So me and my gf wanna get married in Alberta whenever i can come visit again after COVID. The original plan was to marry in alberta and then do spousal sponsorship for me to move to canada with her (I am US she is CAD citizen) And i basically knew the step by step process of the application process for moving there. However now we might decide to move her to the states with me. I can’t find the process for moving her here though is it the same? Is it harder to move a CAD to US than it is US to CAD? Someone told me that you HAVE to get married in US to move your spouse here is that true? Sorry for all the dumb questions it’s just trying to learn a whole new process after having one in mind is confusing

I've immigrated to the United States, and my wife is American. We are very close to sending our application off to have her immigrate to Canada.

I immigrated here quite a few years ago on the K-1 visa (the same one from 90 day fiance.) As far as immigrating is concerned, the K-1 is pretty nice, because it allows you to basically wait out the processing period in the United States while they scrutinize you for a green card. That being said, my understanding is that processing times under the new administration are *way* longer, but I don't know that much about it.

If nothing has changed, I would probably go the K-1 route if you were to bring her to the United States. I wouldn't get married first, because I believe that exposes you to a significantly longer wait (because you don't have the option of applying through the fiance visa.) That being said, a K-1 visa requires that you get married in the States.

Based on what I'm seeing, the effort to get to Canada is front-loaded. You seem to have to do it all at once, and there is less follow-up later on. If you go the K-1 route, you basically have to submit three different applications - the first to get the fiance visa, the second to "adjust your status" and get a conditional green card, and then the last to have the conditions lifted from your green card so that it's good for 10 years at a time. All of that happens over the span of 2 or 3 years.

Moving to the U.S.A. was a big adjustment for me. I found a good career and everything, but there is a lot to get used to (health care and so on.)

Alberta is probably the closest province that you can get to the U.S.A., so that works in your favor I suppose.

Make the decision very carefully. This is a process that you only want to do once (speaking as someone who has gone through it once and is going through it again.)

 

[Gauging]

I've immigrated to the United States, and my wife is American. We are very close to sending our application off to have her immigrate to Canada.

I immigrated here quite a few years ago on the K-1 visa (the same one from 90 day fiance.) As far as immigrating is concerned, the K-1 is pretty nice, because it allows you to basically wait out the processing period in the United States while they scrutinize you for a green card. That being said, my understanding is that processing times under the new administration are *way* longer, but I don't know that much about it.

If nothing has changed, I would probably go the K-1 route if you were to bring her to the United States. I wouldn't get married first, because I believe that exposes you to a significantly longer wait (because you don't have the option of applying through the fiance visa.) That being said, a K-1 visa requires that you get married in the States.

Based on what I'm seeing, the effort to get to Canada is front-loaded. You seem to have to do it all at once, and there is less follow-up later on. If you go the K-1 route, you basically have to submit three different applications - the first to get the fiance visa, the second to "adjust your status" and get a conditional green card, and then the last to have the conditions lifted from your green card so that it's good for 10 years at a time. All of that happens over the span of 2 or 3 years.

Moving to the U.S.A. was a big adjustment for me. I found a good career and everything, but there is a lot to get used to (health care and so on.)

Alberta is probably the closest province that you can get to the U.S.A., so that works in your favor I suppose.

Make the decision very carefully. This is a process that you only want to do once (speaking as someone who has gone through it once and is going through it again.)

At what point during the three steps were you allowed to start staying together in the US and how long of a wait was it?

 

[goldfinger]

At what point during the three steps were you allowed to start staying together in the US and how long of a wait was it?

I was allowed after recieving approval for the fiance visa. After that, I had to submit another application to be able to work.

It was about 5-7 months ish before I received approval. I did this a while ago though, so the processing times may have changed significantly.

there is a website called www.visajourney.com which was my guiding light throughout the process. It would be a great resource and would probably give you a better idea of processing times and overall experiences nowadays.

 

[PrincessButtercup]

Just butting in here...As an American, I would venture that you'd probably need an immigration lawyer/counselor down there for their process (the 3 steps probably each require a ton of paperwork) . Applying for Permanent Residency in Canada, unless your case is very complicated, is totally do-able without outside help. Not really a reason to base such a major life choice off of, but something to be aware of.

I wish you the best of luck whichever route you decide to take!

 

[goldfinger]

Just butting in here...As an American, I would venture that you'd probably need an immigration lawyer/counselor down there for their process (the 3 steps probably each require a ton of paperwork) . Applying for Permanent Residency in Canada, unless your case is very complicated, is totally do-able without outside help. Not really a reason to base such a major life choice off of, but something to be aware of.

I wish you the best of luck whichever route you decide to take!

I didn’t. I made it through each step without a lawyer, and my permanent residence interview was waived (still had to do an initial visa interview, but that wasn’t nearly as stressful).

Just be wise about it and really collect your evidence. After you get married and live together, keep joint EVERYTHING(bank accts, leases, bills, taxes). Submit that when you have to lift your conditions.

My bigger concern would be picking the right country. I would think in the long term if I were you. If you both want to be in the U.S.A., then great! If not, and you’re going with one country over another because you can be together sooner, I’d HIGHLY reconsider. You. Don’t. Want. To. Do. This. More. Than. Once. I’m trying to get my wife and I to Canada after immigrating to the States, and it stinks to have to do this again. (I mean, the states is where we initially thought we wanted to be, and we’ve enjoyed our time here, but yeah!)

 

[PrincessButtercup]

Just be wise about it and really collect your evidence. After you get married and live together, keep joint EVERYTHING(bank accts, leases, bills, taxes). Submit that when you have to lift your conditions.

100 times YES to this for either country's application process. SAVE EVERYTHING that can link to two together.

And if you have a previous marriage and/or name change in your past, make sure you have the paperwork that shows when it was resolved legally. Original copies if at all possible. I've had to show evidence and provide my ex-husband's name and contact information on every application for Canadian Permanent Residency. Sorry if I'm getting off track but it's a detail I never thought of.