Say i visited Canada and got in fine but decided i like it so much i just get an apartment and stay, legal?

[capitalgentleman]

It is illegal, and also very difficult.

You need a bank account, and to get one, you need a SIN number. This is a bit like the US SSN. Because banks pay interest on accounts, which is taxable, the bank informs the Feds that you exist. No bank account, means it would be very hard to rent a place.

Same for a job. No SIN means no job - period. Canadians do not hire illegals as many companies in the US do.

You can stay in Canada for 6 months, but, that's it. The ONLY way to stay longer, legally, is to go through the same, long, and expensive process that everyone else does. And, they are so backlogged at the moment, they stopped taking applications last July, and won't begin again utnil at least May this year.