biggish data

that sounds plausible, but if you have no intention of staying in Canada why get Canadian PR? You can be on a student visa for the entire lenght of grad school.

Well, the only reason I'd get Canadian PR is because I thought that in order to file for DCF, I needed to be a permanent resident of Canada. If this is incorrect, and I can file for DCF while on a student permit in Canada, then that works out even better.

We'd like to DCF and only do the IR1/CR1 if we absolutely have to do so.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-23 18:46:00

Okay, it's good to know that PR status won't get me kicked out of the university or give me any problems with my PhD program. It's too bad the U.S. isn't as lenient when it comes to student visas and permanent residents...

Okay, here's the plan we have set out for the future. If this can't be done, then someone, please say so. As it stands right now, this is what we're thinking about doing:

For me to to arrive in Canada on a student permit, and attend a university in order to receive my PhD.
For us to get married.
For me to file for Canadian PR (she'll probably have to sponsor me, as I think that's how it's done).
Then we file for DCF.
After the DCF goes through and is processed, we move back down to the U.S.

So we aren't intending on living in Canada any longer than the full term of my PhD. As I wrote before, two of the states we're particularly interested in are California and Oregon (although we're not absolutely ruling out other states), as those two states would allow us to be somewhere in between both of our families in terms of distance.

So do we have a good plan and is everything possible to do, or should we re-evaluate and come up with something else?

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-23 14:27:00

Ah...okay.

Thanks. We might go that way then.

So let me get something straight: We CAN apply for DCF while I'm on a student permit in Canada; in addition, once PR status goes through, my student status is revoked....or I can still attend my university? I ask, because I'm unsure.

I'm pretty sure that in the U.S., if you become a permanent resident while a student, your student visa is cancelled. I seem to recall reading somewhere that this isn't the case in Canada, but I'd like to be sure. I'd really rather not be taken by surprise.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-23 08:22:00

So being in Canada on a student permit (aka student visa) wouldn't fit the criteria for "residency within Canada for a certain period of time?" :huh:

I can't imagine you'd actually have to be a full-blown PR in order to achieve DCF. That seems really sillly. That's telling a USC to jump through several hoops just so s/he and his/her partner can leave the country entirely and move back to the United States. Makes getting PR status sort of a formality, doesn't it? I mean, aren't people who get PR status supposed to want to stay within Canada and live there? Instead, the Canadian government is telling USC's that they have to become a PR for a period of time and then they can completely forsake Canada and move elsewhere. It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense, if you really think about it. :no:

I guess I need to check...to make sure and all, like you said.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-21 20:59:00

Okay, thanks.

I most likely won't be a professor. I really don't have a whole lot of interest in teaching or performing research. What I'd like to do is treat patients who are psychologically ill. Of course, with a PhD, all of those venues would be open to me, but I know what I want to do and what I'd be best at, regardless of what I possibly could do.

The two states we're looking at living in are either California or Oregon. This doesn't mean we'd necessarily exclude other states, but when we move down here, my fiancee wants to be relatively close to her family back in Canada, and so being on the west coast is of some importance to us. Visiting my family back in Texas would be fairly easy, as it doesn't cost a whole lot to fly within the country--unlike flying to and from Canada when based in the United States.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-21 18:44:00

Well, I'd be getting my PhD in psychology. I'm not sure what emphasis (possibly clinical, forensic, or neuro), but I'm definitely getting my PhD, and I figure it'll be worthwhile to do it in Canada since I'd probably get a great education and be with my fiancee at the same time.

I know the APA (American Psychological Association) accredits many Canadian universities, including the ones I am looking at applying to in the future. So I figure so long as the APA accredits these universities, I should be able to practice as a psychologist, performing psychotherapy and applying tests (in addition to perhaps doing a little bit of research, although that's not my favorite thing--I'd much rather treat patients than be a researcher) in either Canada or the United States.

What worried me though, were the many stories I've read about Canadians with degrees coming down to the U.S. and having great difficulty finding work in their field. Granted, I'll be a USC returning from Canada, but my degree will have been gained in a foreign country.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-21 17:13:00

Okay, let me lay out some framework for my question:

I'm a U.S. citizen, and my fiancee is a Canadian citizen. Because we'd like to be together for as long as possible (before getting married), we were thinking about me getting my PhD in Canada. After I've been there for a number of years, attending classes and whatnot, we'd get married and eventually apply for DCF. I know for DCF to work in Canada, the USC needs to be living in Canada for a period of time, and I think it's okay (but I'm not sure; if anyone knows for sure, please tell me!) to be living in Canada on a student permit, and have that count, and then apply for DCF.

Anyway, my main question (in addition to the question about whether or not we can DCF on a student permit) is, if I received my PhD in Canada, and then my fiancee and I moved back down to the United States, would my degree be viewed as something less than appreciable?

I ask because I've read various threads about people from different countries with different degrees having difficultly finding work here in the United States. So I was wondering if I'd be shooting myself in the foot by getting a PhD in Canada and looking to work in the U.S. later on.

Help would be appreciated. Thanks a lot.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-21 11:16:00

credit

The only "problem" with getting an MBNA credit card nowadays is that MBNA and Bank of America merged, or rather, Bank of America took over MBNA. I had an MBNA Platinum Plus World Points Visa, and got issued a new Bank of America Platinum Plus World Points Visa recently and was told to destroy the old card.

In fact, starting October 23rd, 2006...you'll have to log into Bank of America's website in order to see your online statement and pay your bill online, as well as redeem points and do other stuff.

So if you're looking to get an MBNA credit card, you might want to rethink that plan of action. I don't know how Bank of America works for Canadians, but that's pretty much what all MBNA cards have turned into or will turn into eventually.

If I'm wrong about this, well...then that's great, but I don't think I am.

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-20 11:58:00

Thanks, Kathryn. That's the info I was looking for! :thumbs:

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-31 08:31:00

I was at the passport office last week and spoke to the supervisor about the "In Lieu of Guarantor" and the timeline for such applications and was told that if you have no guarantor, they cannot guarantee that you will even get a passport, which I think will not be the case here, but she explained that they have to check every reference (4) and do extended security checks. Because of this all bets are off regarding timeframe for getting your passport back and you cannot have it expedited.

I don't think Passport Canada can ever "guarantee" that ANYONE will get a passport. I mean, you have to pass through several security checks and all, so it's quite possible that even with an official guarantor (as opposed to the "In Lieu of Guarantor" form), you may not get a Canadian passport.

I have a question: Does that mean you need to write down two NEW references on the "In Lieu of Guarantor" application, in ADDITION to the two references you wrote down on the original passport application, or can you use the same references?

I've heard that -- if you turn in your application to a Passport Canada office in person -- you should receive your passport in about 10 business days. If you use the "In Lieu of Guarantor" form, does that mean that the processing time takes significantly longer? If it does, any idea how much longer?

I'm interested in knowing because my fiancee may or may not have to use that form. She has a few possible guarantors, but none of them are certain by any means. They could refuse or they may not even remember her.

She's supposed to come down to the U.S. on December 30, 2006. Is that enough time for her to receive her passport, if she has to make use of the "In Lieu of Guarantor" application? If that isn't enough time, I've read that technically, Canadians won't be required to have passports to come into the United States until January 8, 2007 (she leaves to return home to Canada on January 7, 2007), but I've also heard -- and I don't know how reliable this is -- that the airlines won't let someone board an international flight without a passport. Is that true as well?

Help would be appreciated. Thanks ahead of time. :help:

So as far as I can see, our best option will be going with the 10 months remaining passport and hoping for the best-as if the interview isn't nerve wracking enough!!

I hope everything goes smoothly for you!

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-31 01:37:00

Okay, you're right. I didn't read the entire passage on Passport Canada. :blush:

It says the following: "Retired guarantors are not eligible unless the guarantor's name still appears on the listing provided to Passport Canada by the relevant association."

DeadPoolX

Male

Canada

2006-10-30 14:59:00