Moving American to Canada and Dual for both?

[RebeccaSmith 0]

Hi there! Eventually my American boyfriend and I will get married, and we will apply for him to move here (have done research on this and think we got that covered)

His question was one that I can't find an online answer to; so we know what is necessary for him to get dual (well, add canadian) citizenship; is it possible for me to also get dual?

We are planning to live in Canada. We will be buying a house together in the USA, if that makes a difference. He was born and always lived in the USA.

Is it possible without us living in the USA for me to get my American citizenship? What if we waited a certain amount of time after being married to apply? Later on down the road we would like to split our time between Canada and the USA, and if we have children together, I would probably give birth in the USA and then bring the child to Canada to live with us there.

Is the dual citizenship for me possible? Thanks guys If this question is answered in another post please link me there. I look forward to talking with you all

[Colleens 40]

Hi there! Eventually my American boyfriend and I will get married, and we will apply for him to move here (have done research on this and think we got that covered)

His question was one that I can't find an online answer to; so we know what is necessary for him to get dual (well, add canadian) citizenship; is it possible for me to also get dual?

We are planning to live in Canada. We will be buying a house together in the USA, if that makes a difference. He was born and always lived in the USA.

Is it possible without us living in the USA for me to get my American citizenship? What if we waited a certain amount of time after being married to apply? Later on down the road we would like to split our time between Canada and the USA, and if we have children together, I would probably give birth in the USA and then bring the child to Canada to live with us there.

Is the dual citizenship for me possible? Thanks guys If this question is answered in another post please link me there. I look forward to talking with you all

In order to get US citizenship through marriage you would have to file for a CR1 or IR1 visa and move to the US. You would have to live in the US for 3 years from the time your green card is issued in order to apply for naturalization.

Can I ask why you would want to give birth in the US when you would have free health care in Canada? I had my baby in the US and despite having good insurance and a non-complicated birth it still ended up costing us about $2000 out of pocket. Your child would have US citizenship through your husband if you choose to have the baby in Canada. You would just have to file for a CRBA (consular report of birth abroad).

[hikergirl 277]

It is possible for you to get dual citizenship but you have to reside in the US for 3 years as a Legal Permanent Resident first.

I'm not sure why you are thinking of having your children in the US but you should look into CRBA. This is a simple birth certificate like document that you get at a US Consulate in Canada that passes on your husband's citizenship to his children. Being born in Canada and having a CRBA gives them dual citizenship and you can apply for a US passport for the children with it.

Having children in the US costs a lot of money and I don't think travel insurance would cover it.

Best of luck.

[RebeccaSmith 0]

I thought it would be different for a child to be born in the USA versus born to a parent who is American while in Canada; guessing maybe it isn't (?). Well, don't have to worry about that now; who knows when (or if) that part will come lol.

Thanks for answering my question. Would we have to live straight for 3 years? Guessing doing the 6 months in Canada/6 months in USA wouldn't count

[pocheros 101]

I thought it would be different for a child to be born in the USA versus born to a parent who is American while in Canada; guessing maybe it isn't (?). Well, don't have to worry about that now; who knows when (or if) that part will come lol.

Thanks for answering my question. Would we have to live straight for 3 years? Guessing doing the 6 months in Canada/6 months in USA wouldn't count

Your child can be a dual if they're born in Canada, as previous posters said. It just requires a little paperwork, and it's A LOT cheaper!

I'm not completely sure about your second question but be aware that you cannot maintain residency in two countries at once and spending 6 months in each is toeing the line. If you got a spousal (IR1/CR1) visa you cease to be a resident of Canada which also means that you are not able to receive free health care or any of the other benefits that residents have in Canada. However you are certainly welcome to move back to Canada and re-establish residency, but in doing so you give up residency in the US. If you want to become an American citizen you would first obtain a spousal visa (which takes about 1 year) and then live in the US for 3 years. You are allowed to travel of course but you want to spend most of your time in the US when you're here on an immigrant visa. Then once you're a citizen you can establish residency in either country, but to live in the US you won't have to go through a long process of obtaining a visa first. Note that this does not mean you can live in both countries at the same time, merely that you can chose which country you want to live in.