Wanting to live in Canada

Hello, I am a natural born citizen of the USA and have been living
here for my entire life. I wish to move to Kamloops, BC, Canada
(permanently.) My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years
(long distance) and she lives there. I have several questions about
this move, and have found many conflicting answers, so I'd like to ask
them all here.

1. I would be bringing a PC tower and flatscreen monitor with me.
Would they let me take this? Or do I have to mail it beforehand?

2. I do not have a passport, would I need one?

3. Will I be allowed to stay permanently? I believe this is becoming a
permanent resident, but the sources I have read this from are all
quite contradictory.

4. I will be attending college there in a year or two from now, I've
read this can be one way to "immigrate" to BC, but again, the sources
are shoddy at best.

5. What would I have to do to be allowed to stay, if #3 were false?

Answers to these questions would be immensely appreciated. I've read
several sources saying I can immigrate or become a permanent resident
through college, work, or a loved one, but they all had different
requirements, instructions, and information. This has made it
seemingly impossible for me to find the information I need to make
this move happen, please help if you can, or help me find someone who
can!

On Sat, 20 Dec 2008 01:39:11 -0800 (PST), wrote:

Hello, I am a natural born citizen of the USA and have been living
here for my entire life. I wish to move to Kamloops, BC, Canada
(permanently.) My girlfriend and I have been together for 3 years
(long distance) and she lives there. I have several questions about
this move, and have found many conflicting answers, so I'd like to ask
them all here.

1. I would be bringing a PC tower and flatscreen monitor with me.
Would they let me take this? Or do I have to mail it beforehand?

You are able to bring any goods you have owned and used for 6 months
with you when you immigrate to Canada.

2. I do not have a passport, would I need one?

You probably don't need one but you probably should get your US
passport. You will not be eligible to obtain a Canadian passport until
you become a Canadian citizen which will take several years.

3. Will I be allowed to stay permanently? I believe this is becoming a
permanent resident, but the sources I have read this from are all
quite contradictory.

If you enter as a visitor from the US, you will only be able to stay a
certain length of time and you will NOT be able to work or attend
school. If you become a permanent resident of Canada, you will be able
to work, go to school, etc.

4. I will be attending college there in a year or two from now, I've
read this can be one way to "immigrate" to BC, but again, the sources
are shoddy at best.

A visitor to Canada is NOT allowed to attend school. If you intend to
student in Canada, you must apply for a student visa through the
college or university you plan to attend.

5. What would I have to do to be allowed to stay, if #3 were false?

You must apply to become a permanent resident in order to be able to
stay and work or attend school in Canada. There is a system of points
that determine whether or not you can get permanent resident status.
If you were to marry your girlfriend, she can apply to sponsor you.
This would make it much easier to qualify.

Answers to these questions would be immensely appreciated. I've read
several sources saying I can immigrate or become a permanent resident
through college, work, or a loved one, but they all had different
requirements, instructions, and information. This has made it
seemingly impossible for me to find the information I need to make
this move happen, please help if you can, or help me find someone who
can!

The definitive answers to your questions are really obtainable only
from a Canadian immigration officer. The official web site for
Citizenship and Immigration Canada is:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/index.asp

There are numerous immigration lawyers and consultants that provide
assistance for a fee. Here are a few. Note that I have no experience
with any of them and can not recommend any or all of them.

http://www.accurateimmigration.com/canada/faq.html
http://www.immigration1services.com/.../permanent.htm
http://www.canadavisaimmigration.com/FAQ.html
http://www.akcanada.com/immigrate.cfm

Note that I am NOT a lawyer and that the answers to your questions do
not constitute legal advise. However, my wife is a citizen of the US
who is a permanent resident of Canada, my four sons are all dual
Canadian-US citizens, and my niece (a US citizen) stayed with us for a
year and attended high school (she didn't have a student visa and that
required applying for and obtaining a ministerial permit so she was
not deported).

Best of luck.
Gerry

Best of luck.
Gerry

Thank you SO much for this info. I know you don't count as legal
advise, but would you mind if I occasionally emailed you with a few
simple questions you might know from experience?

Thanks in advance.
Craig