I first came to Canada in February 2002, at the end of a three-month-long backpacking trip from Mexico to Brazil (yes, by bus).

Why Canada?

A stop in Canada was not part of my original travel plan, it was a last-minute decision because I found a cheap Rio-Toronto ticket. So instead of flying back to France, I followed Feng, my Canadian travel partner-turned-partner-turned-spouse, to Ottawa.

I caught a glimpse of the country before eventually flying back home to France a few weeks later.

I stopped over again in 2003, before heading to Central America for another backpacking trip with Feng.

In February 2004, we flew broke and tired from Guatemala City to Toronto. I got a six-month “tourist” stamp upon landing in Canada, so I decided to stay in Ottawa for a bit to see if I actually wanted to move there. I spent the next few months working on my English skills (believe it or not, I didn’t speak English!), scouting the job market, and learning how to shovel the driveway.

It turned out that I liked Canada (and Feng!) enough to stay. I started researching how to obtain a work visa and the famous “permanent resident” status.

In September 2004, I travelled to France and applied for a Working Holiday Visa (WHV). Canada was not yet a popular destination—the WHV was free (!) and the yearly quota was not even close to being filled. I showed up at the Canadian embassy in Paris and left a couple of hours later with the precious WHV stapled in my passport.

I flew back to Canada in November 2004 and started working right away while completing my university degree in France. By mid-2005, I was ready to apply for permanent residence.

I was lucky, I was granted permanent residence status a few months later and I became a Canadian citizen in 2009.

How Long Did it Take to Get Permanent Residence and Citizenship?

This is my immigration timeline for both the permanent residence and the citizenship process.

Note that I was very lucky, my application was processed extremely fast, which is unusual.

CIC publishes current application processing times on its website.

• March to April 2005: Prepared the application, filled out the forms and gathered all the documents.
• April 19, 2005: Took the medical exam in Ottawa at the CIC-approved University of Ottawa Health Services (with Dr. Vincent F.G. Nadon).
• May 19, 2005: Sent the application to Mississauga, Ontario.
• June 13, 2005: The application was sent back because it was not clear whether I was living in Canada or in France. Just a small bump on the road…
• June 18, 2005: Amended my application and sent it back.
• July 7, 2005: Sent our marriage certificate that was originally missing (getting it from Thunder Bay took months!).
• June 30, 2005: Received the first acknowledgement letter: Feng is eligible to sponsor me.
• August 5, 2005: My application is forwarded to the Canadian embassy in Paris.
• September 27, 2005: The Canadian embassy in Paris acknowledges receipt of my application.
• October 20, 2005: “Decision made”, my application is approved, and I am granted permanent resident status.
• November 17, 2005: Five days before the expiration of my one-year Working Holiday Visa, I became a landed immigrant. I had to travel to Prescott, U.S.A. in order to become a landed immigrant.
• August 5, 2008: I am eligible to apply for citizenship. I sent my application.
• November 12, 2008: I receive the acknowledgement letter.
• June 11, 2009: I took the citizenship test in Ottawa.
• July 3, 2009: I took the oath of citizenship and became Canadian around 12:30 p.m.