Length of stays on 10 year visa

[jorgenmunk1983]

Hi there,

We will be immigrating to Canada this year, and hope to have my mother in law spend an extended period with us as we have a baby girl.

My question is, with a 10 year visa (Chinese citizen) where she is allowed to stay max 6 months at a time, is she allowed to stay for 6 months, then go for a holiday to the US for 2 weeks (where she also has a 10 year visa) and then come back to Canada and spend another 6 months and then repeat the process? Or will there need to be extended periods outside Canada, or even at her home? We do plan on visiting China with her in the first year anyway, but I have not been able to understand if there is some set rules on this or if it is at the discretion of the immigration officer when she enters Canada?
thanks all

 

[Copingwithlife]

Hi there,

We will be immigrating to Canada this year, and hope to have my mother in law spend an extended period with us as we have a baby girl.

My question is, with a 10 year visa (Chinese citizen) where she is allowed to stay max 6 months at a time, is she allowed to stay for 6 months, then go for a holiday to the US for 2 weeks (where she also has a 10 year visa) and then come back to Canada and spend another 6 months and then repeat the process? Or will there need to be extended periods outside Canada, or even at her home? We do plan on visiting China with her in the first year anyway, but I have not been able to understand if there is some set rules on this or if it is at the discretion of the immigration officer when she enters Canada?
thanks all

They can’t appear to be attempting to live in Canada . Example, staying here for a year, leave for two weeks, then come back and stay for a year . That’s attempting to live in the country . The six month stay isn’t automatic. They could come back and be assessed at entry and only given two weeks, or has been seen before , refused entry and advised to return home.
The “ who is going to take care of the baby “ scenario should have been on the list of to do’s things in your immigration process, not a after thought
The validity is 10 years, not the stay

 

[scylla]

Hi there,

We will be immigrating to Canada this year, and hope to have my mother in law spend an extended period with us as we have a baby girl.

My question is, with a 10 year visa (Chinese citizen) where she is allowed to stay max 6 months at a time, is she allowed to stay for 6 months, then go for a holiday to the US for 2 weeks (where she also has a 10 year visa) and then come back to Canada and spend another 6 months and then repeat the process? Or will there need to be extended periods outside Canada, or even at her home? We do plan on visiting China with her in the first year anyway, but I have not been able to understand if there is some set rules on this or if it is at the discretion of the immigration officer when she enters Canada?
thanks all

How long she is allowed into Canada is always at the discretion of the CBSA officer at the border.

As said above, she would generally want to be spending more time outside of Canada than inside of Canada in any 12 month period to avoid issues at the border.

If she comes for a six month visit and wants to stay for another six months, then I would recommend that you apply for an extension within Canada rather than leaving to the US and then attempting to return (lower chances of success if you do the second).

If you want her to be able to come to Canada on a longer visit, then I would recommend that you apply for a super visa for your mother in law. Of course you'll need to be working in Canada before you can do that.

 

[jorgenmunk1983]

How long she is allowed into Canada is always at the discretion of the CBSA officer at the border.

As said above, she would generally want to be spending more time outside of Canada than inside of Canada in any 12 month period to avoid issues at the border.

If she comes for a six month visit and wants to stay for another six months, then I would recommend that you apply for an extension within Canada rather than leaving to the US and then attempting to return (lower chances of success if you do the second).

If you want her to be able to come to Canada on a longer visit, then I would recommend that you apply for a super visa for your mother in law. Of course you'll need to be working in Canada before you can do that.

Thanks to both of you, its very helpful, we would rather play with open cards to avoid any misunderstanding at immigration.

I will look into the possibilities when applying for extension, as we would most likely like her to stay for a year, so then we could do the application right away when she arrives to not run up against an expiry.

 

[scylla]

Thanks to both of you, its very helpful, we would rather play with open cards to avoid any misunderstanding at immigration.

I will look into the possibilities when applying for extension, as we would most likely like her to stay for a year, so then we could do the application right away when she arrives to not run up against an expiry.

No - you should not apply for the extension right away. High chance of refusal if you do that. You want to apply for the extension a few weeks before her allowed stay is due to end.

 

[YVR123]

Hi there,

We will be immigrating to Canada this year, and hope to have my mother in law spend an extended period with us as we have a baby girl.

My question is, with a 10 year visa (Chinese citizen) where she is allowed to stay max 6 months at a time, is she allowed to stay for 6 months, then go for a holiday to the US for 2 weeks (where she also has a 10 year visa) and then come back to Canada and spend another 6 months and then repeat the process? Or will there need to be extended periods outside Canada, or even at her home? We do plan on visiting China with her in the first year anyway, but I have not been able to understand if there is some set rules on this or if it is at the discretion of the immigration officer when she enters Canada?
thanks all

Most Canadians stay home for the baby (maternity leave) for the first 12 - 18 months. Then the baby will be going to daycare and/or parents will take turn with work scheduled around the time to take care of the kid.