American married (in US) to a Canadian. Permenant Canadian Residency

[deterministic]

My wife (Canadian) and I (American) have been married (we were married in the US) for 4 1/2 years and are considering relocating to Vancouver. How long is the process to get permanent residency in Canada? Are there any risks? How soon can expect to assure potential employers that I won't have a problem? What roadblocks could we run into?

 

[Leon]

Your wife would have to sponsor you for permanent residency. As a Canadian citizen, she can sponsor you for PR in Canada while you are both living in the US but you would have to prove intent to reside in Canada when you get it with a job offer, real estate or something of that sort. It would be easier if she is living in Canada when starting that application. Then you have a choice of inland or outland which is whether you want to move with her to Canada and sit there and not work for several months while you wait for work permit (inland) of if you wait in the US, able to work there and you can visit back and forth (outland). The outland application is faster.

For more info go to immigration canada at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp pick immigrate and sponsoring your family.

 

[deterministic]

Thanks for the info and the link.

There's no kind of temporary work permit for me? Could a Canadian company sponsor me?

We are living in Brazil now, will that affect things in any way? Outbound would take how long approx.?

 

[Leon]

If you apply through Sao Paulo, it is slightly slower than applying through the US, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/international/05-fc-spouses.asp#west

I don't really have the knowledge of temporary work permit when you are a spouse who stands to be sponsored, if that affects anything, but you can try it. You would need a job offer and then you and the employer apply for a work permit for you. How long it takes depends on if the type of work you do is considered occupation under pressure. To find out about that go to http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/workplaceskills/foreign_workers/occunderpres.shtml

 

[Nicholas]

What matters most is is your work in Brazil. Are you both working there? You have to prove that you will move to Canada and that your job in Brazil will end.

It will take about 6 to 8 months as you are considered fast tracked.

You will have some problems if applying from Brazil as you need to gather some documents in the U.S. I would suggest that your wife return to canada, then sponsor you and that you return to the U.S. and then apply for immigration. She can move to Vancouver and maybe you can live near Seattle.

Best of luck to you and welcome to canada.