Slick said:
I am a US citizen, and applied for PR under the FSW program. While I am waiting for the PR, can I stay in Canada as a visitor? (for up to 6 months)
I will be meeting with my husband who is currently on a work visa AND also co-applicant on my PR application (Note - he is not a USC). We both will basically be waiting for the PR while already in Canada.
This will also mean that I will have to quit my current job and obviously be jobless and unable to work while living in Canada.
I don't believe that quiting my job will affect my PR application, but just want to make sure that actions do not interfere with the PR application.
BTW, I am an accountant and received my AOR in FEB of 2009.
Your case is a little complicated - so I'm not sure what to tell you. I'm guessing you're thinking you'll wait in Canada with your husband, who is in Canada on a work permit, and he will support you. But you're the PR applicant, with him as an accompanying family member, right? That's not normally how things go
so it's a little hard to tell you how to handle it.
I would say the problem you might encounter would be getting into Canada in the first place because you have a PR ap in process - and then you're looking at at least a year, and possibly two years'
timeline, for finalization of your FSW application, and you're going to be entering Canada under the premise of being a genuine tourist - authorized to stay only for 6 months if you're admitted. But it sounds like you really intend to stay until your PR is approved - because you're quitting your job. How are you going to keep your temporary status in Canada valid? How are you going to get correspondence from CIC?
I don't know - you might be able to manage it, but whether it's "legal" - I have serious doubts. The risk you take is that you're either forced to leave Canada and keep trying to re-enter every six months in order to stay with your hubby - and if they catch you doing that you can be excluded from Canada . . . which would screw your PR ap. Your only other option is to "overstay" your initial 6 months and pretty much stay under the radar - illegally - until you get PR approval. Neither option is desireable. But coming in strictly as a tourist, without documentation, will not give you an option to apply to extend your legal status from within Canada (plus, I doubt you'd be eligible to have that approved anyway, so it's a risk to do that, too because they'll tell you to go to the border to get new status and that could get you excluded also). So - I don't know. Wish I could be more positive - but your situation really puts you in the position of bending the rules and so, at least IMHO, there is no "right" way to do this.
Maybe someone else will have a different perspective. This inquiry might be better posted in the FSW forum, since yours is not really a family class situation.
