# How does an American married to a Canadian retire in Canada and become a PR?



## J&S (Aug 25, 2010)

Hi there - I'm actually writing on behalf of my husband - here is our situation:

We currently live and work in the US. I am a Canadian and have a green card and my husband is American. In 9 months (June 2011) we plan to leave the US and move permanently to Nova Scotia to basically homestead and live a simpler life with our 2 young children. We do not plan to work immediately - but may start our own business in maybe 5 years. We will live off of investment income until then and perhaps indefinitely.

Here are my questions:
Can I sponsor him as my spouse to become a PR if I am not working? What if I prove we jointly have adequate assets to live off of (and not become a burden to Canada's social system)?
Can we start this process while still living in the US and how long will it take (for him to become a PR)?
Will we have issues when crossing the border if we simply say we are moving to Canada to retire (which is the truth - any business would be post retirement and is still up in the air)?

I understand that our children and myself will have no issues receiving healthcare, etc. (I am getting them their canadian citizenship certificates now). But we'd like to get the same benefits for my husband as quickly as possible and just would like to know the best way to go about doing this.

Any help would be appreciated! It seems like our situation is a little unique and I'm not getting clear answers by reading Immigration Canada's literature. I am unable to make phone calls during business hours but am thinking of just calling an immigration officer at a border crossing some evening to pick their brains. I want to do this by the book without any shenanigans.


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## Big Dan (Dec 30, 2009)

J&S said:


> Hi there - I'm actually writing on behalf of my husband - here is our situation:
> 
> We currently live and work in the US. I am a Canadian and have a green card and my husband is American. In 9 months (June 2011) we plan to leave the US and move permanently to Nova Scotia to basically homestead and live a simpler life with our 2 young children. We do not plan to work immediately - but may start our own business in maybe 5 years. We will live off of investment income until then and perhaps indefinitely.
> 
> ...


You can apply for Permenant residence for your husband now. It's actually quicker to apply outside Canada.

You need to complete these forms cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/fc.asp]Application to Sponsor a Member of the Family Class 

You will need to get him police background check and a medical from an approved doctor also.

If your kids aren't Canadaian citizens you will have to put them and their details on the forms as well (including medicals etc) so it might be worth waiting until their citizenship comes through before applying as long as it's not too long.

The processing times for the application should be around six months.

Hope that helps.


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## J&S (Aug 25, 2010)

Thanks Big Dan for the info - it is very useful! A few followup questions, if you don't mind:

Will it complicate things to apply for my kids Citizenship certs at the same time as I sponsor PR applications for my husband and my kids? We are moving to Canada in June 2011 and I am not optimistic that I will get their citizenship certs in time to apply for my husbands PR, and get his PR in time for June. Will Canadian customs give us a hard time if the applications are in progress when we move? Will applying for PR for my kids slow down (or jeopardize) their citizenship cert applications?

I basically want to get my 2 children and my husband to be either Canadian Citizens or PR as soon as I can. We are moving in June 2011 firm. What would you recommend as a course of action to achieve this?

Thanks so much again! It's been nearly impossible getting to speak to someone at Canadian immigration (though the Canadian consulate in Boston has been great, but they cannot answer immigration questions and it seems like those consulates that do deal with immigration don't want to actually talk to you).

J&S


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