Canadian citizenship for an American

Question

Hi,

My husband and I just got married (he's Torontonian - Canadian) and I am American.

How long would you say it would take for me to obtain a Canadian citizenship as an American?

We would like to start a family soon but are worried that if we do we would be left with an enormous health bill.

I have health care back home tho and I'm aware that Canada has free health care but, for citizens.

Thanks in advance!!

Answer 1

congrats on the nuptials.  you dont need to be a Canadian citizen to get healthcare .. you only need to be a resident.  If you are permanent resident or on visa you can also register. Most provinces have a 3 month waiting period but that is about the only restriction.    Also, your husbands health care plan will cover the kids until they are 18.

Details for Ontario at  http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/publ...

Answer 2

Having a baby without health care costs about 1G in appointments/ultrasounds followed by about 5G in actual hospital/drug/etc. fees to get the baby out of the hospital. My friend learned that the hard way here in FL because him and his wife had a baby when he was an independent consultant with no health care :)

If your hub in T.O. gets started with the paperwork right now, your probably looking in the magnitude of 2-3 years. Don't let that stop you from starting a family though, just make sure you have the baby wherever you have health care (US or Canada) to avoid the medical bills. If you do want to have the baby in Canada, you can probably take out some kind of travel insurance from your healthcare provider in USA, some PPO plans have it already.

Toronto is a great place to live by the way, im glad your supporting him in that. I couldn't get my last girlfriend north of the Tennessee Valley for a visit let alone to live. Canada is a beautiful country and you will enjoy it, great place to raise a family.

Answer 3

you dont need to be a citizen to get health care,when you are granted permanent residency you get it

your husband needs to sponsor you on a spouse visa

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/s...

Answer 4

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/s...

Answer 5

Congrats! Your husband can sponsor you to be a permament resident, which could take a year to process. I recommend sending the application to the Canadian visa office in the USA instead of doing it in Canada. You won't have to leave Canada just to do that. You can stay in Canada  with your husband as long as you are allowed according to Canadian laws.

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

Good luck!

You can start a family. Your children will be automatically Canadian and American citizens due to your citizenship and their birth on Canadian soil. It's you that your husband and you will have to worry about during the application to reside permamently in Canada. After four years of residency in Canada, you'll be eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship. Remember, you have to be PRESENT in Canada for three out of four years. If you travel abroad, bring your husband with you because being with a Canadian citizen will fulfill the requirement of being present in Canada and will cause no interruption.

As for healthcare, it depends on a province. Contact the health department in Ontario for more information on your plans to give birth in Canada. It is possible they can cover you because your husband has a healthcare with Ontario. Once you become a permament resident, you can apply for the provincial healthcare.

Ontario Ministry of Health: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/

Read the site! It has all of the answers!