O Canada.. Immigration..I don't advise it unless you are in the same situation as myself - desperately in love with your boy/girlfriend, husband/wife, significant other of your choice.  It's no fun at all, at all.  It takes time, money, tears, sheer persistence.  AND you have to deal with government employees!! If you haven't already, read my pages on Chat and Love - in that order.  That'll give you some background. It sounds simple.  All you need to do is fill out some forms, send away for a couple reports and voila!  Uh uh, it ain't that simple. Number one - you can apply from inside Canada.  Don't let them tell you different.  It might be easier to do it from outside, so you take your chances. Number two - unless you are employed in a high demand job, get married.  That sounds harsh but your chances are pretty much nil unless you are legally attached. Number three - all this costs money.  Above and beyond the regular application fee and landing fee (approx $1,500 Canadian per adult), there's the fingerprints, police reports, doctor(s).  All of that is out of your pocket expense. Forms: You can get them from Immigration at border crossings.  You can download them from the net.  You can call for them to be mailed to you.  (888) 242-2100, it's even toll free.  For the applicant - it ain't so bad to fill them out - seven pages or so.  Just be prepared to go back ten years for stuff - employment, places of residence, etc.  Your poor sponsor has the burden of documentation.  S/he has to submit proof of income - after all, they are SWEARING that they will take care of you for ten years.  So, you better really love each other!  They also have many more pages to fill out. Fingerprints: You need these for the government reports you need (ie:  FBI, state police, etc.).  You can go to your local police station or the RCMP to get them done.  Make sure you get enough sets for however many reports you are going to order. Reports: Assuming you're American - you have to send for a FBI report and a police report from the state you lived in.  You have to get fingerprinted for that (see above).  Note - it takes time for reports to get sent back to you.  You can call the U.S. embassy in Vancouver  - (604) 685-4311 - for the FBI address.  Call your state police for their address.  For people of other countries - sorry, I can't help you. Physical: You have to have a physical from an immigration doctor.  There are doctors in the states that are approved, you'll have to check locally.  I'm in Canada and used an approved immigration doc in Vancouver.  That's how I found about having diabetes.  If you are generally healthy you shouldn't have a problem.  I'm not going to be denied due to diabetes.  If I am denied, it'll be for another reason.  The bottom line is that the government must doesn't want you to be a burden to the system. The fine print: This site is in no way endorsed or approved by Canadian Immigration.  All the info on this site is based on MY experience with immigrating to Canada as an U.S. citizen.  Your experience may vary.  I do hope it's useful. Please, feel free to email me with questions, comments and corrections.