Moving to Canada to live with my girlfriend

[Spyda3]

Hello good day. I'm inquiring about my options to move to Canada to start my life with my girlfriend. She's a medical lab assistant and wants me to move up to live with her I'm a college grad from the Caribbean and don't currently have a job also I have. I family in Canada what would be my options or what can I do to go about starting my life with her and also work?

 

[scylla]

Your options are as follows:

1) Obtain a full time job offer in Canada. Once you have the job offer and the employer has an approved LMIA (approval to hire you), you can apply for a work permit.
2) Obtain a study permit to continue your studies in Canada. You'll need to be accepted by a school first. Note this is an expensive option since foreigners pay very high tuition rates.
3) Marry your girlfriend or live together for a year to become common law. She can then sponsor you for permanent residency. Once you are approved, you will be able to move to Canada.

Coming on a tourist visa will allow you to visit Canada - but not live here or work.

 

[Spyda3]

Thank you so much for the information. We knew about the marriage route but we both believe there's a right time for everything so we don't want to go down that route. But the common law situation if I have my visitor visa which lasts 6 months how would we be able to stay together for a year before going through the common law process?

 

[scylla]

Thank you so much for the information. We knew about the marriage route but we both believe there's a right time for everything so we don't want to go down that route. But the common law situation if I have my visitor visa which lasts 6 months how would we be able to stay together for a year before going through the common law process?

It's impossible to say. If you are able to enter Canada for 6 month you can certainly apply for an extension to your vision. However it's impossible for any of us to say if that extension will be approved. Also, when you originally enter Canada, if the immigration officer suspects you have plans to remain in Canada long term, you may be allowed in for far less than 6 months or refused entry entirely.

 

[Spyda3]

Well of course coming on a visit with a two way ticket is what I would do. But just wondering how would that go about with the living together one year before being eligible for that route

 

[Rob_TO]

Well of course coming on a visit with a two way ticket is what I would do. But just wondering how would that go about with the living together one year before being eligible for that route

Only 2 possible options:
1. As was mentioned, if you are let in for 6 months initially, then when that is almost expired you can apply for a 6 month extension to complete 12 months of cohabitation to qualify for common-law
2. If extension is rejected, then you would need to return to home country, and your gf could return with you to complete the 12 months of living together there. 12 months time just needs to be continuous, it doesn't need to be all in 1 country.