How do I properly obtain Canadian citizenship through marriage?

Question

I'm marrying a Canadian girl who I met while she was going to school here in the US, and I've tried finding information on the Canadian Immigration website in regards to becoming a citizen of Canada, but I'm still not too clear on how the process works. We figured I would go out there using my passport and all to do the ceremony at the court house (we're both still in college and pretty broke, so the traditional wedding has to wait) but we want to make sure I'd not hit some sort of law that would require me to leave after a certain time period or anything else that would cause problems. We're also not too sure which visa or permanent resident status to apply for since sponsorship seems to require that she support me for at least 3 years and we can't do that due to our fiscal situation. In case you need to know which province, she's originally from Quebec and I'm hoping to move to Montreal since that's where she currently is.

Answer 1

Hi, I would love to point you in the right direction with my experience but Quebec has a different set of rules than the other Canadian provinces.

Based on what I do know, Canadian citizenship will not be eligible to you until 3-5 years of legal permanent residence.  Also, unless you can get a work visa on your own---you will need your partner to sponsor you.  You need to be sponsored in Canada either by an employer, family member or university.

If you go for a visa isnstead of a PR status you need to know that your status will only be temporary and you will not be eligible to work.