Do I need a visa to Canada?

Do I need a visa for Canada?

• I have been told by many people that since I am an American, I do not need to apply for any visa's unless I want to study or work in Canada. My boyfriend lives in Canada and I want to be able to live with him, but you need to be there for 3 years before you can apply for permanent residency or citizenship. So I figured, I would stay for 6 months (the max time, if I am right, that you are allowed to stay in Canada) Leave for a week to visit my family or something Get a work Visa Go back for another 6 months (or however long work visa lasts for) Reapply for visa if needed stay another 6 months and what not Then after the 3 years, apply for PR and citizenship? Am I correct in the steps or am I missing a lot?

• Answer:

  As an American, you are free to visit Canada for up to 6 months without a visa. You may not attend school, work, or look for work will there as a visitor. And... you may not apply for health insurance, open a bank account, get a driver's license, register a vehicle, etc. so living there becomes rather difficult. After the six months, you need to leave the country for at least six months. Except for some special cases, obtaining a work visa normally requires a qualifying job offer from a Canadian company (i.e. doctor, nurse, engineer, highly skilled trades person, etc.) Most people can spend year looking for qualifying job offers and many never get one. Even if you have a skilled degree, lots of work experience, etc. limiting your job search to the city your boyfriend is in usually makes it next to impossible to actually get one. In order to apply for permanent residency you need either a highly skilled profession and a job offer (plus enough points based on eduction, age, language tests, work experience, etc.), $1.6M to qualify as an investor, a provincial nominee, recent graduate of a Canadian university (having found work in Canada), refugee claim, or an immediate family member to sponsor you. Most likely your boyfriend will have to sponsor you (either as a common-law partner or just get married). He'll need a stable job and significant savings (around $13,000 minimum). You'll need to pass a background check, medical exams, and various interviews. The process can take over a year even for family sponsorships. In general, sitting around in Canada (unemployed) for six months doesn't look good on a permanent residency application and it will quickly dry up his saving. Far better to get married and file before coming to Canada or stay in the US working to help him out financially. After having permanent residency (and having been in Canada for three out of the last four years) you may then apply for citizenship. Not much difference, except you can now vote, hold certain jobs, join the military, etc.