How long can I stay in the US on Maternity Leave (canada)?

[wishiwasthere23 0]

Good Morning all!

Just wondering how long can I stay in the USA while on maternity leave, I would like to go visit my babies dad while collecting my benenfits.

Thanks for your replies

[Flames9_RN 358]

probably no different than any other Cdn citizen,up to 6 months at the discretion of the POE officer

[wishiwasthere23 0]

probably no different than any other Cdn citizen,up to 6 months at the discretion of the POE officer

Thank you

[Flames9_RN 358]

When one is on maternity leave, ur not having to look for work,lol But thats just my 2 cents, and not to be taken as a hard fact,lol Ensure u have strong ties to canada when u cross to prove you are coming back

[wishiwasthere23 0]

When one is on maternity leave, ur not having to look for work,lol But thats just my 2 cents, and not to be taken as a hard fact,lol Ensure u have strong ties to canada when u cross to prove you are coming back

ok...on the flip side,

He is coming here when the baby is born, as you can see from my signature, we applied for the K1 visa.

What if we stayed in Canada, and got married, would I have to start new paperwork all over again if we wanted to go to the USA? We are not sure now what we want to do, It would be great if he could come here and we could get married, and just stay in Canada...I would continue working and he could watch the baby, I don't know how long it would take for him to get a SIN number, or where to even begin here, everything is so complicated...Can you tell I am confused?? LOL...must be the hormones too.

[Flames9_RN 358]

k1 is a fiance visa, so if he came to Canada and u got married, ur no longer a "fiance" so yes u would have to start with a k3 or cr-1!!

With the k1, once u get approved and do the interview, move to the USA, you have to get married in the USA(within 90days of activating the visa).

I'm sure others will chime in about him moving to Canada, there is another website similar to VJ that has info on Canada immigration http://www.roadtocanada.com/forums/

[trailmix 77]

What if we stayed in Canada, and got married, would I have to start new paperwork all over again if we wanted to go to the USA?

Yes - you would need to apply for a K3 or CR1 visa instead.

We are not sure now what we want to do, It would be great if he could come here and we could get married, and just stay in Canada...I would continue working and he could watch the baby, I don't know how long it would take for him to get a SIN number, or where to even begin here, everything is so complicated

You could apply for his Canadian permanent residency while he is there (in Canada). It's not really complicated, you just fill in the forms, get all your documents together and send them in.

Unlike U.S. immigration, when you leave Canada he will not lose his Canadian PR when he leaves Canada - as long as he is living with the Canadian citizen (you )

Edited January 26, 2009 by trailmix

[wishiwasthere23 0]

What if we stayed in Canada, and got married, would I have to start new paperwork all over again if we wanted to go to the USA?

Yes - you would need to apply for a K3 or CR1 visa instead.

We are not sure now what we want to do, It would be great if he could come here and we could get married, and just stay in Canada...I would continue working and he could watch the baby, I don't know how long it would take for him to get a SIN number, or where to even begin here, everything is so complicated

You could apply for his Canadian permanent residency while he is there (in Canada). It's not really complicated, you just fill in the forms, get all your documents together and send them in.

Unlike U.S. immigration, when you leave Canada he will not lose his Canadian PR when he leaves Canada - as long as he is living with the Canadian citizen (you )

Not as complicated and long as the K1 visa processes?? I am hoping he would get a SIN card to work asap....We'll see...

He is also a skilled trade worker, he wants to bring his tools over when he comes along with a few other belongings....I am wondering if they will let him over the border with those? He can not work without his tools...but he obviously can not work until he gets his SIN card....

[MrsCat 6]

He is also a skilled trade worker, he wants to bring his tools over when he comes along with a few other belongings....I am wondering if they will let him over the border with those? He can not work without his tools...but he obviously can not work until he gets his SIN card....

I am not sure what province you are living in but if he is a skilled worker, have you looked into any of the Provincial Nominee Programs. If he found an employer to sponsor him, he would be able to move and work right away once approved. Just a thought. I guess it depends on the economy where you are too, if they are still sponsoring workers. And not sure of the processing time once he finds an employer willing to hire.

Just like visiting the US, Canadian POE officers can scrutinize the same way about the purpose of a trip. If they believe that the person will stay longer than their visa or status allows they can refuse them entry from the border. IMO, bringing tools with him, may raise red flags to the officer. But who knows, maybe bringing tools into Canada is much more common than I am thinking.

[trailmix 77]

What if we stayed in Canada, and got married, would I have to start new paperwork all over again if we wanted to go to the USA?

Yes - you would need to apply for a K3 or CR1 visa instead.

We are not sure now what we want to do, It would be great if he could come here and we could get married, and just stay in Canada...I would continue working and he could watch the baby, I don't know how long it would take for him to get a SIN number, or where to even begin here, everything is so complicated

You could apply for his Canadian permanent residency while he is there (in Canada). It's not really complicated, you just fill in the forms, get all your documents together and send them in.

Unlike U.S. immigration, when you leave Canada he will not lose his Canadian PR when he leaves Canada - as long as he is living with the Canadian citizen (you )

Not as complicated and long as the K1 visa processes?? I am hoping he would get a SIN card to work asap....We'll see...

He is also a skilled trade worker, he wants to bring his tools over when he comes along with a few other belongings....I am wondering if they will let him over the border with those? He can not work without his tools...but he obviously can not work until he gets his SIN card....

MrsCat brings up what may be a viable option, for Canadian PR, it will take around 6-8 months for him to get his Permanent Residency.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Just realize he is not allowed to work in Canada without a work visa - and that needs to be applied for by the employer. While some of the Provincial nominee programs may not have all the same critera, generally the employer needs to prove that there is no Canadian currently available to do the work. That might be difficult in the skilled trades field. You should read over the sections on the Canadian immigration website about work visas and obtaining permanent residency in Canada: http://www.cic.gc.ca . While you would like for him to get a S.I.N. and work, it may not be practical in the time frame you are considering. You might also want to consider that he needs to have US based income to file the necessary paperwork to sponsor you financially to the US whether you are getting married first and applying for the CR-1 or coming to the US on a K-1 or K-3 and adjusting status to permanent resident from within the US. It is necessary to 'look ahead' in the process to determine what your best options are for the present. You may prefer short term pain for long term gain rather than short term gain for long term pain.

Edited January 26, 2009 by Kathryn41

[Reba 2]

If you get married, you can sponsor your husband to move to Canada, as a spousal sponsor, you do not have to have a particular level of income to show, you just need to show them that you have a job and a home basically.

If you file "out-land" application, they're currently taking anywhere from 3 to 9 months to complete. DO NOT file "in-land" they take 3 times as long, and your husband will not be able to work at all during that time.

Someone already posted the link to Road to Canada. ALL the info you will need is there for Canadian immigration, and the forms are available to download from the CIC website.