Canada has two types of residents - permanent residents and temporary residents. Citizens and/or Permanent Residents of Canada are permanent residents. Anyone else, including temporary workers or students who hold a permit to work or study in Canada, diplomats, tourists, and/or Permanent Resident applicants staying with sponsoring partners are considered temporary residents.
Temporary residents can be from countries that require Visitor Visas to enter Canada, where the terms and conditions of their stay are well defined. Foreign nationals from these non-visa-exempt countries are required to apply for permission to enter Canada prior to boarding transport to Canada. Many of these applicants are refused visitor visas when they apply if their intention is to join a spouse or partner in Canada who has sponsored them for Permanent Residence. Immigration Officers assessing these applications need to be convinced that the applicant has the intention and means to leave Canada at the end of their authorized stay, and in many cases this is difficult to do after filing a Permanent Resident application.
Temporary residents can also be citizens of visa-exempt countries who are allowed to apply for admission to Canada at a Canadian port of entry - without prior approval. US citizens are among these temporary residents, who are commonly ushered across the border without being made aware of the conditions of their stay. It's understood that the maximum time a temporary resident from a visa-exempt country is allowed to remain in Canada is six months, and someone requesting a stay of that length may be required to show proof of sufficient funds to support themselves in Canada during that stay. (This is because "foreign nationals" are not allowed to work or study in Canada without a special permit.)
There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a life in Canada with your partner, but it all begins with understanding and following proper procedure. You need to know what's expected of you as a "visitor", and how to officially extend your temporary status if you intend to stay in Canada for longer than six months while awaiting permanent status. If you want to make a life in Canada with your partner, there is no way around the requirement of applying for Permanent Residence status. In the meantime, negotiating the border between the time that we find ourselves in a relationship with a Canadian, and when we are finally in a relationship that "qualifies" us to apply for permanent status can be difficult. Each person involved in a relationship with a Canadian and hoping to come to Canada to be with that person, should know what a qualifying relationship is and should review the Regulations involved in allowing entry to foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries so that they can properly represent themselves at the port of entry. If you are in a qualifying relationship with a Canadian partner and hope to remain in Canada while awaiting assessment of your Permanent Residence application, you and your Canadian partner should submit yourselves to an Immigration Officer at a Canadian port of entry and apply for extended status when you first enter Canada. There are important and specific guidelines to follow in order to accomplish this and receive a Visitor Record. Searches of the Immigration Processing and Enforcement manuals do not give a clear indication of how an Immigration Officer makes a determination regarding the entry of a foreign national, only saying that each Officer has complete discretion in each case. The guidelines proposed here have helped many in qualifying relationships enter Canada for extended stays to await finalization of their applications. Once a temporary resident has official documentation of their temporary status in Canada, they can apply from within Canada to extend that status.
Temporary residents can also be citizens of visa-exempt countries who are allowed to apply for admission to Canada at a Canadian port of entry - without prior approval. US citizens are among these temporary residents, who are commonly ushered across the border without being made aware of the conditions of their stay. It's understood that the maximum time a temporary resident from a visa-exempt country is allowed to remain in Canada is six months, and someone requesting a stay of that length may be required to show proof of sufficient funds to support themselves in Canada during that stay. (This is because "foreign nationals" are not allowed to work or study in Canada without a special permit.)
There is nothing wrong with wanting to have a life in Canada with your partner, but it all begins with understanding and following proper procedure. You need to know what's expected of you as a "visitor", and how to officially extend your temporary status if you intend to stay in Canada for longer than six months while awaiting permanent status. If you want to make a life in Canada with your partner, there is no way around the requirement of applying for Permanent Residence status. In the meantime, negotiating the border between the time that we find ourselves in a relationship with a Canadian, and when we are finally in a relationship that "qualifies" us to apply for permanent status can be difficult. Each person involved in a relationship with a Canadian and hoping to come to Canada to be with that person, should know what a qualifying relationship is and should review the Regulations involved in allowing entry to foreign nationals from visa-exempt countries so that they can properly represent themselves at the port of entry. If you are in a qualifying relationship with a Canadian partner and hope to remain in Canada while awaiting assessment of your Permanent Residence application, you and your Canadian partner should submit yourselves to an Immigration Officer at a Canadian port of entry and apply for extended status when you first enter Canada. There are important and specific guidelines to follow in order to accomplish this and receive a Visitor Record. Searches of the Immigration Processing and Enforcement manuals do not give a clear indication of how an Immigration Officer makes a determination regarding the entry of a foreign national, only saying that each Officer has complete discretion in each case. The guidelines proposed here have helped many in qualifying relationships enter Canada for extended stays to await finalization of their applications. Once a temporary resident has official documentation of their temporary status in Canada, they can apply from within Canada to extend that status.
