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Any chance to travel to Canada now with a return flight ticket for 2 months only?

utojamepark

Star Member
Apr 8, 2020
101
8
Hi my wife has a valid visitor visa and would like to travel with me (student visa) to Canada next month.
Since she is on visitor status so I assume the maximum stay for her is 6 months per year/past 365 days. But she did spend 4 month in Canada early this year so I guess she will not be permitted to stay for more than 2 months this time. Is it correct?

On IRCC it mentions that family members can travel to Canada together to help the main applicant to settle down, but it does not specify how long the family members can stay there for. Same as pre-covid days? I am under the assumption that they want people to travel less so a longer return ticket (6 months) sounds like a higher chance to be permitted entry whereas my 2 months ticket is like a vacation.
Would the border security agents see my 2-months-only flight ticket as non-essential as refused entry?

thanks
 

utojamepark

Star Member
Apr 8, 2020
101
8
I thought you only need the authorization letter if you are 'reuniting' with family members who are already in Canada? if you are travelling together, then no authorization letter is needed. I checked the website over and over again I hope I am not wrong.

If immediate family members want to be with you in Canada
Your immediate family members may be able to come with you to Canada.

If they travel with you
They don’t need a written authorization from IRCC to travel with you. However, they must show that their reasons for travel are non-discretionary (non-optional). For example, they’ll help you get established and support you in Canada.

As for length of stay, this is really a separate issue, but it's six months upon each entry, not six months per year, so if she is approved to travel to Canada, it would not be for only two months.
And as for the length, yes you are right I don't know why kept thinking Canada only allows up to 180 days per year like other countries.
But do you think longer would be better? I am concerned that they might suspect me for legal working or overstay etc if I want to stay there for too long.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
52,959
12,759
I thought you only need the authorization letter if you are 'reuniting' with family members who are already in Canada? if you are travelling together, then no authorization letter is needed. I checked the website over and over again I hope I am not wrong.





And as for the length, yes you are right I don't know why kept thinking Canada only allows up to 180 days per year like other countries.
But do you think longer would be better? I am concerned that they might suspect me for legal working or overstay etc if I want to stay there for too long.
It often co,es down to the airline. Have you already been studying in Canada?
 

utojamepark

Star Member
Apr 8, 2020
101
8
It often co,es down to the airline. Have you already been studying in Canada?
No, I've just received my study visa and will be travelling next month. Does it make any difference?
It's written clearly that if family members travelling together, they don't need the authorization letter. I've contacted my local air canada office and they said they aren't sure either....
 

iaredi

Star Member
Oct 1, 2018
50
13
No, I've just received my study visa and will be travelling next month. Does it make any difference?
It's written clearly that if family members travelling together, they don't need the authorization letter. I've contacted my local air canada office and they said they aren't sure either....
Hi, I am in the same situation, I want my husband to travel with me in December, but I called the numbers of Boarder Information Services (available on canada.ca) and explained this to the officer who answered me, HE TOLD ME MY HUSBAND CAN NOT TRAVEL WITH ME UNLESS HE HAS A VALID VISA TO ENTER TO THE COUNTRY (he has an ETA, but the officer told me that neither ETA nor visitor visa are accepted at this time, should be a different kind of visa), no matter if I already have a valid student visa approval. I Called three times because canada.ca is very clear in the announcement, actually, this info is now all over the college's web pages. Can somebody call again to ask? I feel I could not explain my self very well during the call, it was very noisy and very difficult to understand.

Here the numbers of Boarder Information Service: 1-204-983-3500 and 1-506-636-5064, I got them from this link: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/bis-sif-eng.html which is referred from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): International students page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/students.html

Please share any useful information. And if somebody has any idea how to demonstrate that the spouse is only there to help to settle down in the country, please also share, because as longs as I understand, anybody who wants to enter must demonstrate this fact at the POE.
 
Last edited:

Naturgrl

VIP Member
Apr 5, 2020
38,777
8,024
Hi, I am in the same situation, I want my husband to travel with me in December, but I called the numbers of Boarder Information Services (available on canada.ca) and explained this to the officer who answered me, HE TOLD ME MY HUSBAND CAN NOT TRAVEL WITH ME UNLESS HE HAS A VALID VISA TO ENTER TO THE COUNTRY (different than visitor visa or ETA), no matter if I already have a valid student visa approval. I Called three times because canada.ca is very clear in the announcement, actually, this info is now all over the college's web pages. Can somebody call again to ask? I feel I could not explain my self very well during the call, it was very noisy and very difficult to understand.

Here the numbers of Boarder Information Service: 1-204-983-3500 and 1-506-636-5064, I got them from this link: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/bis-sif-eng.html which is referred from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): International students page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/students.html

Please share any useful information. And if somebody has any idea how to demonstrate that the spouse is only there to help to settle down in the country, please also share, because as longs as I understand, anybody who wants to enter must demonstrate this fact at the POE.
Confused. Does your husband have a visitor visa or eta.
 

utojamepark

Star Member
Apr 8, 2020
101
8
Hi, I am in the same situation, I want my husband to travel with me in December, but I called the numbers of Boarder Information Services (available on canada.ca) and explained this to the officer who answered me, HE TOLD ME MY HUSBAND CAN NOT TRAVEL WITH ME UNLESS HE HAS A VALID VISA TO ENTER TO THE COUNTRY (he has an ETA, but the officer told me that neither ETA nor visitor visa are accepted at this time, should be a different kind of visa), no matter if I already have a valid student visa approval. I Called three times because canada.ca is very clear in the announcement, actually, this info is now all over the college's web pages. Can somebody call again to ask? I feel I could not explain my self very well during the call, it was very noisy and very difficult to understand.

Here the numbers of Boarder Information Service: 1-204-983-3500 and 1-506-636-5064, I got them from this link: https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/contact/bis-sif-eng.html which is referred from the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): International students page: https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/coronavirus-covid19/students.html

Please share any useful information. And if somebody has any idea how to demonstrate that the spouse is only there to help to settle down in the country, please also share, because as longs as I understand, anybody who wants to enter must demonstrate this fact at the POE.
that's a news to me, a bad one :(

What reason did you give them for you husband to travel to Canada? Just told them 'to help me to settle down'?
I think the CBSA and IRCC have different understandings for the terms non-discretionary and non-optional, 'to help me to settle down' might not be enough to satisfy CBSA. We should come up with something more convincing and detailed such as organizing accommodation / internet contract / emotional support etc while spouse is busy at doing research? I don't know if it work, but I will try to contact them and share my findings
wish me luck guys
 

iaredi

Star Member
Oct 1, 2018
50
13
that's a news to me, a bad one :(

What reason did you give them for you husband to travel to Canada? Just told them 'to help me to settle down'?
I think the CBSA and IRCC have different understandings for the terms non-discretionary and non-optional, 'to help me to settle down' might not be enough to satisfy CBSA. We should come up with something more convincing and detailed such as organizing accommodation / internet contract / emotional support etc while spouse is busy at doing research? I don't know if it work, but I will try to contact them and share my findings
wish me luck guys
Good luck, please share what they tell you.

Regarding my call, yeah, I told them my husband was going to help me to "settle down in the country" and they answered "due to conditions of covid-19 now canada boarders are closed, this means your husband can not travel with you". I replied "but it is specified on the official web page of canada" and she answered "it is just for citizen coming from the US" that is why I think that the information the handle is old, this was true last month.

Well, I'll be aware of your update. Thanks!.
 

iaredi

Star Member
Oct 1, 2018
50
13
that's a news to me, a bad one :(

What reason did you give them for you husband to travel to Canada? Just told them 'to help me to settle down'?
I think the CBSA and IRCC have different understandings for the terms non-discretionary and non-optional, 'to help me to settle down' might not be enough to satisfy CBSA. We should come up with something more convincing and detailed such as organizing accommodation / internet contract / emotional support etc while spouse is busy at doing research? I don't know if it work, but I will try to contact them and share my findings
wish me luck guys
Any update?