American moving to Canada - Gay Marriage/Work Permit

[br.avery]

Hey everyone!

I just had a few questions that I'm not sure of and wanted to see if anyone could answer them..

I'm from Dallas, Texas and Dallas is where I met my boyfriend. He left for school in Canada and we've had our discussions and thought it'd be best for us to take the next step and live together. That being said, we want to get married as well since gay marriage is legal in Canada. I'm going to finish my education here and after I'm done, probably around next summer, I would move over there. My only concern is not being able to find a job to support myself. I know that since I'm an American citizen who is marrying another American citizen who is on a school permit, the spouse who isn't on the school permit can apply for a work permit and start working. It's really confusing, but correct me if I'm wrong. I just wanted to know how long it would take for the work permit to be effective so I could start working as soon as I could once I moved over to Canada. And are there any complications with gay marriage and then applying for a work permit right after?

 

[Surely]

Call an immigration lawyer. Seriously.

Even if it's just to sit down with that lawyer for an hour to get proper information, and he/she charges you a few hundred bucks for the meeting, it's worth it. Even if it's over the phone with a Canadian immigration law firm, it's worth it.

Having the wrong information and then getting screwed when it's too late would totally suck.

That's the best piece of advice that you'll find on an internet forum.

 

[Abstract]

^^^What he said.

Asking for immigration advice from two nerds from Toronto, neither of whom have ever had to apply for a Canadian visa, isn't smart. You'd feel really screwed if you waited until you submitted your visa application to find out that your little plan won't work. You and him, married, and yet you may not be able to go over there and work.

Find out for sure whether your plan is going to work. Don't wait until you submit the application, or just before you get married.

The best option is to call an immigration lawyer.

The second best option is to call the migration office in Canada and talk to someone. Get their name. Then call them up again and talk to someone else. You'll want to make sure you're getting the same information.

 

[CalBoy]

In addition to the advice that Abstract and Surely gave, I would also suggest checking to see if your boyfriend's university has a law school attached to it. Often times they have free clinics for exactly these types of concerns and they can help you get started (and often refer you to a pro bono lawyer if you don't have the money).