US to Canada Immigration (yes, one of those threads)

[folclor]

oh wow! $275 for the guy in Dallas?! luckily I can just drive there in 2.5 hours or so.. but holy cow!

[Benni]

I haven't looked at the fees, but I know his wife was sponsoring him and their daughter. Maybe that adds additional fees?

They applied from the States and she had to prove that once they were approved for PR, she was moving back to Canada.

Yes, that is correct.

oh wow! $275 for the guy in Dallas?! luckily I can just drive there in 2.5 hours or so.. but holy cow!

Yep! I had the choice of one in Dallas or one in Houston which costs $350! Dallas is closer and cheaper so the choice was easy.

[folclor]

well, I hope everything turns out well for you! I'm betting it will, though ^^

Now my guy and I just have to get married ^^;

[Benni]

Good luck yourself! I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Going through the application process is very stressful so it helps to know someone who can help.

[BabyGund]

Right...that getting married part...Benni, are you getting married in Canada on a visit? Is that easier than applying for the K-1 Visa for him to come get married here?

Our original thought was to get married in Vegas, but since he'd be going right back to Canada, I wonder why we would need the K-1 visa...except for the government to make more money off us...

[Benni]

Yes, We're getting married Easter week. We'll send in our application after that. I will visit for 90 days, back here for 2 weeks, then back to him for 6 months -- hopefully the PR will have come through then. If not, I'll have to leave again for a bit then go back and, hopefully, all should be done by then.

I don't see any reason why he can't just come here to marry you without a visa of any kind. I don't need one to marry my guy in Canada!

[dizzyupthemeg]

Benni, I LOVE how much information you have on this. I hope that when I start going through this process I can be half as organized/prepared as you are.

[Benni]

Dizzy..... I learned a lot through the research and the CIC forum but I don't know everything!

Keep in mind that the info I've gathered is for marriage and applying for Permanent Residency NOT citizenship.

[BabyGund]

Well, you have to be a PR for 3 years before applying for citzenship. That was the easiest part I got!

Benni, I went ahead and asked my visa question on that forum. In most information on the web, they are lumping the K-1 visa in with applying for US PR and we're not doing that.

[Benni]

Baby.... , Is he wanting to move here to live with you OR do you plan to move there?

All info I've been giving pertains to an American marrying and moving to Canada.

Permanent Residency is best for me as I will still get my Social Security payments from the US yet receive healthcare, etc. in Canada. If I apply for Canadian citizenship, that will stop.

[BabyGund]

No. I am moving to live with him. But we both really wanted a Vegas wedding. Over the top Elvis or maybe the drive thru. The shows and such for the honeymoon. It's not a deal breaker. But I don't think I should have to wait 9 months for a US K-1 Visa, especially if we are not establishing PR for him.

[Benni]

No. I am moving to live with him.

I read your thread on the CIC forum. You do not have to have that visa. You will be applying for PR, he will be your sponsor and apply for sponsorship. You will send in all of your documents together in one package -- there are a lot of documents so be prepared for lots of paperwork.

You can find the Outland app info here:

Outland Application

And here is the Guide you'll be using:

Guide 3910E

This is the Guide he will use:

Guide 3900

(I added links before checking they were correct --- the correct ones are there now, sorry!)

[BabyGund]

Thanks, Benni. We still have a ways to go...but we're both planners. We want to start documenting and everything now, so when we're ready we have all our ducks in a row.

[Benni]

That's what I did, way before I was even sure we were going to marry -- kept a file on all that we did. All kinds of records such as Skype logs, emails, chat sessions on Yahoo. I kept a sort of diary from the beginning of our meeting online, too, so that helps a lot when I have to do our relationship essay.