I am recently a naturalized us citizen working in canada with a work permit. Can I become a canadian resident?

Question

I have been working in canada for three months with a work permit. I recently became a naturalized us citizen. I want to become a canadian resident because my girlfriend is canadian and we want to live together in canada. Can I apply for a green card in canada and will this affect my us citizenship..? Thank you.

Answer 1

You can become a permanent resident in Canada (not called a green card, that is purely a US term) without it affecting your US citizenship.  You would need to follow the rules re work and residency.  Just remember to file, and pay if necessary, your US taxes.

Answer 2

Yes, you can become a Canadian permanent resident.  Depending on what kind of work permit you have, you may or may not qualify to get provincial nominee and get permanent residency.  You can find out if you google provincial nominee program plus the name of the province you live in.  If not, you can apply as a skilled worker if you qualify under the points system.  If not, you have the option of marrying your girlfriend and she can sponsor you.

Both US and Canada allow dual citizenship so you can even become a citizen of Canada too eventually without it affecting your US citizenship.  As a Canada permanent resident, you can do almost everything that a citizen can do but if you are ever gone from Canada for more than 3 out of 5 years, you can lose your PR status.