In two weeks time I'm heading down to get my girlfriend and bring her up here to visit for a 6 month period and within that period to apply for PR status and an extension of stay. I understand that you don't want to tell the boarder this particular information just mostly coming off that you're visiting and that's it. But she will have her FBI prints and basically all her information prepared to apply for the status on her, and I'm extremely concerned about her entering the boarder this time. What if they search her bag and find all this information? I can only assume it would be held against her? If this is the case would it be preferable to mail this information to my address instead or carry it on my luggage?
I would say she is just coming to visit. If they ask directly if she will be applying for PR, of course tell the truth, but I doubt they will. Have they searched her before? IF they find the fingerprints, you can just say she will be applying for PR. You could mail them up too.
Also I'm not sure if this does help her case but she was allowed entry for 6 months a year ago with minimal ties (now that I look in retrospect), and did leave before the date her paper said she had to return home on. Would they take this into account when processing her? For funding she recently was laid off her job, so would it be acceptable for me to possibly write up a letter stating that I will be supporting her for her stay and providing pay stubs that prove I could easily support someone on my cheques?
Have the proof you can support her with you.
Also would it be held against us if we're only married for a short period of time? We're planning on getting married a few weeks after she comes up here so it won't be that long that we've been married of course.
It is fine to apply right after getting married. That is only a problem if you have not known each other very long. You've been going out for 3 years, so applying right away is fine.
For proof of ties I'm a bit worried about this when it comes to accumulating chat logs, as we've mostly only spoken over Skype through voice. We have occasional text chats logged over the years, but at most I only have logs showing when we've called one another and the duration of each call. I don't know if this is acceptable to show? We do have pictures of various visits, plane tickets, easily can get friends and family to vouch, and we're joining ownership of accounts, etc. Would this be sufficient enough?
The logs that show just how long each call was are good enough. Your other evidence sounds fine.
Regarding potential interviews when applying out of country. What would we do in this situation aside from having to go to it? How common does this occur?
An interview is common, but if you have a lot of proof that your relationship is genuine, and there is nothing unusual about your relationship, such as a big age gap, then the interview is often waived. For Americans, the interview is usually in Buffalo, which is the visa office her application will be processed at.
My last question on mind is when applying for extension of visiting, is it acceptable to say we're staying together while waiting for her approval of PR status? So long as I prove that she's being taken care of and send any information proving we applied for this? Or does stating this actually hurt your chances for extensions. When we do send in this I've heard that you gain a status that allows you to stay until a decision is met, even if it is over the original leaving date?
She can apply for an extension, stating the reason she is waiting for her PR. If it is denied, there's no point appealing. She could just go back to the States and wait - PRs from the States normally don't take long to process, so she might have it before the 6 months are up.
As for getting a status that allows her to stay, that is when you have an inland application. An inland application means the applicant has to be in Canada, and has to stay in Canada the whole time the visa is being processed. There is no reason for the average American applicant to have an inland application. She should apply outland: that means sher application will be processed in Buffalo, but she can stay in Canada as a visitor while waiting for it to be processed, or she can go back to the States. Outland apps are typically much faster than inland.
She has her FBI clearance already, so you must apply before three months are up for them to be valid.
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