Non-citizen Moving to CA with Citizen Spouse

[kjdnns]

My spouse and I want to move to Canada. My spouse is a Canadian citizen who has gotten a job in Canada. I am a US citizen. We currently live in the US. (Don't know if this is relevant but our kids are dual citizens Canada and US). I don't have a job in Canada but would like to move there when he goes for the new job and once there apply for permanent residency. Processing times for spousal sponsorship outside of Canada are about 15 months and we can't put off the start date of his job and would prefer not to be apart for more than a year.

Can I enter Canada on a 6 month visitors visa and apply for permanent residency once in Canada?

 

[CDNPR2014]

The posted processing time on the CIC website for outland sponsorship are not averages. It does not take an average of 15 mo. for us citizens to be approved for pr. Currently, based on the experience of members on this forum, US citizens are being approved in 3-5 months. The sooner you get your application in, the higher of a chance you'll see a similar timeline.

The first rule you need to remember is that YOU can not "move to" or "live in" until you are approved for PR. Until that happens, you are only allowed to "visit". it is very important to use the right language to avoid issues at the border. Yes, generally, US citizens can enter canada as a visitor for 6 mo. You can then apply to extend your stay as a visitor until your pr application is approved (if necessary). this is done online on the CIC website. It is also possible for CBSA to limit your initial stay and give you a visitor's record (or stamp in your passport) upon entry. if this happens, you can still apply through CIC to extend your stay as a visitor.

Your wife and children have the right to move back anytime they want. you can only enter as a visitor right now. your wife will be able to move all her posessions back, you can not yet (so she needs to be the one to declare large quantities of belongings). if you submit your application and pay fees before you head up to canada with your family, CBSA will probably be lenient with you. As long as you understand the rules, they are less likely to get grumpy. Many PR applicants accompany their spouses who are moving back to canada without issue.

 

[kjdnns]

Thanks for your help.