How difficult is it for a U.S. citizen to get a visitor's extension?

[rachel85704]

I plan on going to Canada at the end of Feb. to visit my fiancee, we're getting married this month when I visit and we'll be submitting a PR application pretty much right after we get married... We're also planning on having an actual wedding in September, right around the time that my 6 month visit limit will be up.

So, I'm wondering how hard it will be for me to get an extension to visit longer, since I'll have an application in progress and a pending wedding?


And at the same time, my mother plans on coming with me next month and we plan on applying for the super-visa for her once my PR application is approved. How hard will it be for her to get an extension as well?

[Leon]

In order to get a visitor visa extension, you must have a record of the date you arrived so you should either ask for a passport stamp or a visitor record.  If you are in the process of being sponsored, they will most likely approve your extension.

Your mother will also need to prove the date when she arrived in order to apply for an extension.  She needs to show that she has funds to support herself, health insurance etc.  I do not know what the odds are of getting it.

Another option for her would be to hop over to the US for a bit and come back for a new 6 months but if immigration figures she is living in Canada too much on visitor status, they also might not let her in.

[rachel85704]

Okay, so, the 6 month limit isn't 6 months in a year? It's just 6 months at a time? So, she could leave Canada for a short period after 6 months and return to, say, help plan my wedding, get to know her son-in-law better, and enjoy a Canadian vacation? She's retired, so taking an extended vacation wouldn't be an issue... As for financial stability and all that, would it help if, say, my husband wrote a letter of invite and in it included a promise of financial support?

And I know that you said that in order to get an extension, I'd need a record of when I arrived... But would it be easier for her to re-cross the border if she didn't get one?

[Leon]

Yes, it would probably be easier for her to re-cross the border if she doesn't have a stamp or a record of when she entered.  The rule of thumb is that one should not be visiting more than half the year but people often seem to get away with leaving and coming back soon after because there are no exit checks and as a US citizen, the US will also not stamp her passport when she comes back there.

[Baloo]

No stamp, but the US do scan the passport.

[rachel85704]

Okay, so, if there are no exit checks and a passport doesn't get stamped... What, exactly, stops someone from staying for over 6 months without leaving?

[Baloo]

Okay, so, if there are no exit checks and a passport doesn't get stamped... What, exactly, stops someone from staying for over 6 months without leaving?

The consequences

[rachel85704]

The consequences

Yes, but my question, I guess... Is how would they know that the person was in Canada for longer than they were supposed to be?

I'm not asking because I'm considering this... I'm really just curious.

[AAL1984]

Yes, but my question, I guess... Is how would they know that the person was in Canada for longer than they were supposed to be?

I'm not asking because I'm considering this... I'm really just curious.

Well to be honest with you they don't, Canada doesn't really have any exit controls.  Canada will not be able to find out when that person left Canada and entered the U.S, as the U.S doesn't stamp passports of returning citizens. Even if they scan it as Baloo said, I doubt Canada has access to that information. I don't think the U.S would give Canadians information on when every specific American citizen enters the U.S from Canada, unless it was specifically requested as part of some high profile case. I don't even think the U.S keeps detailed records of when it's citizens enter from Canada, crossing the border with my sister (U.S citizen) when we entered the U.S, the border guard simply looked at her passport and gave it back to her, no stamp or scan.


So to answer you question, I guess nothing really stops them except for the fact that most Canadians and Americans are good honest people.