I’ve been reading the postings on this site for several weeks now… and I’ve gotten many answers, but still have questions… Here’s my situation…

My boyfriend (a Canadian citizen) and I (US Citizen) would like to be married and live in Canada… I know that given only that part of the story – the simplest solution would be to apply for a fiancée visa/permanent residency…

However, my prior spouse is dragging our divorce out as long as he possibly can, so we do not know how long it will take until I am legally able to qualify as a “fiancée� for the Canadian visa/permanent residency process…

We have considered living together until my divorce is final… And from the information I’ve read, I believe I could stay in Canada up to 6 months as a temporary visitor… but I would not be able to work during that time – without some type of employment authorization…

I don’t have certified IT skills – so I don’t think I could qualify for skilled worker employment authorization… I know that I could take my chances after I got to Canada, and hope I can get a job offer from a company willing to go through the whole employment authorization application process – but what are the odds of that?

I have considered going back to school, for some type of IT certification… Could I do that schooling while staying as a temporary visitor in Canada? If I need a Student Visa – how difficult is that to get – and how long does that process normally take?

If I’m able to get employment authorization and/or student visa I assume then that the 6-month time limit is null/void… But if I can’t get those items – how long would I have to go back to the US before being able to come back to Canada for another 6 month stay?

Any suggestions or guidance you could give would be greatly appreciated.