US CITIZEN WANTS TO ESTABLISH COMMONLAW W BOYFRIEND FROM QUEBEC

[travlgrl]

Since i am a US citizen and my boyfriend Canadian how do I establish common law since I do not need a visitor visa to stay for 6months or less but obviously cannot work since I have no work visa? How can we prove we will live together for 6months then I come home for a few days and go back , is this the best way and as asked how would I have record of our spending a year living together ? What will we need for proof And is this (staying for 6 months and coming home for a couple days and going back) the way to do it or should I apply for visitor visa anyway

 

[Rob_TO]

Since i am a US citizen and my boyfriend Canadian how do I establish common law since I do not need a visitor visa to stay for 6months or less but obviously cannot work since I have no work visa? How can we prove we will live together for 6months then I come home for a few days and go back , is this the best way and as asked how would I have record of our spending a year living together ? What will we need for proof And is this (staying for 6 months and coming home for a couple days and going back) the way to do it or should I apply for visitor visa anyway

If you enter as visa-exempt, you will usually get 6-months status. When theh 6 months is almost up, you can just apply for a renewal, and will probably get another 6 or even 12 months extension. You will most likely not be able to work during the entire 1 year, unless you can find some other way to get a work permit.

To establish common-law you need to live together 12 consecutive months, with no long breaks during this time. You will need to show things like:
- a shared lease/rental agreement, and/or testimony from landlord saying you live together
- mail delivered to both of you, showing same address
- show joint bank account, or get supplemental credit card
- show sharing of household expenses
etc etc

 

[travlgrl]

Rob, thanks for the reply . what do you mean as visa exempt {If you enter as visa-exempt) and how do i go about doing this. if i DONT need a visa how do i apply for an extension i am confused totally at this point . sorry! Juli

 

[scylla]

The process of applying for an extension to your visit is the same regardless of whether you are visa exempt or not.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp