Dear Friends;
Perhaps someone can help me with a few questions. I recently married a lovely lady from Canada. I am a U.S. citizen. We’ve decided we would like to live in this beutififul
land for a while. I would like to find out how to apply for whatever
documents I need to live/work here. I’ve tried looking at the official website for Canadian immigration, and I’ve tried calling them. All I get is the computerized “Help” system. The website is
as clear as mud and as simple to understand as Stereo instructions:eek: Did I mention, I’m NOT a millionaire, and don’t want to open a company here which employees MANY CANADIANS.(It seems to be MUCH easier if you are) If any of you yanks (and I’m sure there are)have had the occasion to be in the same, or similar circumstances, please let me know.
What do I need to live “Legally”, in Canada.?
What do I need to Work “legally” in Canada?
Any other helpful things that might help…
I don’t wish to become a citizen of Canada (unless that helps)
I keep hearing the word “landed” (resident, imigrant), is that what I want to be?
Thanks in advance, and I hope I wasn’t Too mundane for the room.
You want to become a Landed Immigrant (more-or-less equivalent to US green card), which allows you to come into Canada as a permanent resident as opposed to being a tourist or some other type of temporary visitor.
Go to the main Government of Canada site for non-Canadians, and follow the link for Going to Canada. You can also check out the Citizenship and Immigration Canada info on Family Class Immigrants, which would include your situation as a spouse of a Canadain citizen.
To work here without being a citizen or a landed immigrant, you need a work permit, which would be valid for a limited period and would require that you have a valid job already lined up (your prospective employer is the one who applies for the permit IIRC) for which there is no available and qualified resident worker that can be hired.
I am not involved in immigration matters, and this post is based on general public info and what I picked up working on the department’s finances many years ago. For current, accurate info, you should contact Citizenship and Immigration Canada or the closest Canadian Consulate.
Be aware, however, that Canadian government departments usually officially refuse to take any responsibility for inaccurate information that their employees may provide, so you may also want to talk to a reliable immigration advisor.
Assuming you live in a Metro area, there are organizations for immigrant services available, some free of charge. They will be able to help. Even my small city of 50K in Northern Alberta has a couple of these associations/organizations.
As well, there are many lawyers that specialize in immigration that certainly can help you can give you advice, for a fee of course
