I've been here asking questions about the opposite.. but things have changed so I'm trying to re-work my options.

If anyone recalls from before, I am from Ontario (Canada) and my S/O is from Arizona (USA). The plan eventually is to live in Canada together. I've sort of learned that the only real easy(?) way to sponsor him as a PR is for us to get married, and while that may be in our future, we aren't ready quite yet.

And then his school got in the way. He decided to go back and finish his Masters, so he won't be done for two years.

So I came up with a crazy plan of me going to the States for the 2 years while he finishes up his schooling. By the time he is done, we would be considered common law, then we could move back to Canada and I could sponsor him as such.

Is this viable in any sense? If I were to go to the USA, what VISA could I use (if any)? How long does a fiancée visa last?
I work as a Registered Vet Tech so I thought maybe I could get in as a skilled worker, but I doubt that would work considering the recession.

Any thoughts?

I did some research myself and found my idea seems to be pretty hard to make a reality.

So we've spoken, and decided on the next best thing - since we haven't technically lived together for an extended period, it may be best for me to travel to the USA and visit him for a while, then we can choose our options from there.

So my question is - how long legally can a Canadian visit the USA? And how do I go about doing this?

Thanks!

Review the USCIS website for rules on visiting the US from Canada:

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1260.html

Visa Requirements - Citizens of Canada, and Permanent Residents

Citizens of Canada traveling to the U.S. do not require a nonimmigrant visa, except for the travel purposes as described below. The below listed travel purposes require a visa. Additionally, Canadian citizens who have an ineligibility for a visa under immigration law, or have previously violated the terms of their immigration status in the United States, can Learn More about ineligibilities related to Canadians on the DHS Customs and Border Protection Website. Canadian citizens with ineligibilities also have the option of applying for a visa and a waiver at the nearest U.S. consulate if it is more convenient for them.

Canadians require nonimmigrant visas for temporary travel to the U.S. for these purposes:

* Foreign government officials (A), officials and employees of international organizations (G) and NATO officials, representatives and employees assigned to the U.S. as needed to facilitate their travel
* Treaty traders (E-1)
* Treaty investors (E-2)
* Fiance/es (K-1)
* Children of fiancées (K-2)
* U.S. citizen's foreign citizen spouse, who is traveling to the U.S. to complete the process of immigration (K-3).
* Children of a foreign citizen spouse (K-4) described above
* Spouses of lawful permanent residents (V-1) traveling to the U.S. to reside here while they wait for the final completion of their immigration process
* Children of spouses of lawful permanent residents (V-2) described above

Permanent residents (aka landed immigrants) of Canada must have a nonimmigrant visa unless the permanent resident is a national of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), meets the VWP requirements, and is seeking to enter the U.S. for 90 days or less under that program.