Starting the PROCESS

[BlueTurtle]

Hello,
To Start. I am american and My girlfriend/ Fiancé is a Canadian born Citizen. We met in College and we have been living together in the states for the past two years. She has been offered a job in Calgary and we both want to move. We decided to take the Common-law she sponsor me approach. All the paper work is filled out and we are waiting on the FBI background check. I understand the application takes months but her job starts in one month.

What are my options for joining her and working?

Should I get a visitor's visa even though I am american?

If she moves up will I be able to visit while my application is being processed?

If I am self employed by designing homes/ floor plan renovations can I live in Canada if my work is based in the states?

thank you for reading any and all help is appreciated.

-J

 

[RobsLuv]

US citizens cannot get visitor visas because we are visa-exempt. You have to go to a Canadian port of entry and have an entrance interview there. If she accompanies you and you're able to prove that you are common-law qualified and that she is applying to sponsor you for permanent residence, you should be issued permission to stay in Canada for up to six months as a visitor. They will document you on a Visitor Record that permits you to apply to extend it from within Canada if you don't have PR by the time it's due to expire. You are still able to conduct your US based business while in Canada - even without a work permit. The restrictions on working are that you cannot be "renumerated" by a Canadian interest and you cannot do any job that would take employment opportunity away from a Canadian - but your own business, based in the States, that you facilitate online, etc., is permissible.

There's information at us2canada.com, on the Visiting tab, about how to come to Canada to visit while you have a PR ap in process.

Also, another thing US citizens don't always realize is that just because you're in Canada during processing, you do not have to apply via the inland PR process. You can apply outland, where your part of the ap would be finalized through Buffalo, and still be in Canada. It's a lot faster, and you just have to make sure that you keep your temporary status in Canada valid by applying to extend when it's due to expire. Chances are that a straight-forward outland ap through Buffalo would be finalized before you'd even have to extend - but at the most you'd only have to extend one time. As a visitor, you only pay $75 for the extension.

 

[Lois Lane]

BlueTurtle.....Robsluv is an expert....follow her advise

best of luck!

 

[BlueTurtle]

thank you both I feel a little more at ease
8)