How easy is it to move from Canada to the USA?

How easy is it to move from the USA to Canada?

• I live in Canada and my boyfriend lives in the USA and i may be pregnant. We want the baby. But we want to raise it together as a family. Is there an easy way to get him into Canada? aside from the fiancee visa? we're thinking about it.

• Answer:

  There is no easy way to get him into Canada. There is no fiancee visa in Canada. You may sponsor him for permanent residency if you are either married or if you have been living in common-law relationship. Getting married is obviously easier... it takes less than an hour to get a marriage license in Canada. Common-law normally requires that you have been living together for around six months and Citizenship and Immigration Canada will want proof. Being pregnant likely won't be enough. In order to sponsor him, you'll first need to prove that you can support him in Canada and agree to do so for a minimum of ten years. That means having a stable job, work history, savings, etc. CIC will check all this. You'll typically need financial statements for six months living costs -- normally around $13,000. However, CIC can assess a higher (or lower amount) based on your husbands profession, children, living arrangements, etc. With a baby on the way (i.e. you can't work and child care costs coming up) you can expect that to take much longer. They will then run him through a background check in the United States. The entire process can take well over a year. Alternately, he can try to apply for a work permit (quicker) or attempt to apply for permanent residency on his own merits. However, unless he has a rather specific profession (such as a doctor) the chances that he can get a skilled job offer in Canada is fairly remote... and of course he'll likely have little say in what city he is working in. This is probably a good time to go speak with an immigration lawyer. Getting married is a start as is getting your financial house in order.