arrival of American spouse about to apply for Inland

[tarahandrew]

Hey there,

My American husband will be arriving next week in Canada. He will come as a tourist and then we will apply for residency and his OWP. I'm wondering what he should say to the immigration officer at Pearson...? My dad watches these stupid border control shows and has us all scared about what we should say when he arrives. Does he say he's staying and applying for an OWP? Does he say he's just visiting his wife?

Also, after we submit the application along with the OWP, will he be able to travel to the states for a few weeks to visit his family (he's been living outside of NA for the past 10 years), or will he have to stay in Canada while he waits?

Thanks for your help!

 

[starnaenae]

He should be honest and state his intentions.

He can travel outside, however he doesn face the risk of CBSA denying him re-entry which would cancel your application. I suggest waiting until work permit received so at least he has some documentation to help convince them.

 

[Jazzercise]

He could state he's visiting you, family, whatever. He could play the dual intent game, but if he gets the wrong border agent, there might be trouble. Having said all that, since he's traveling with a U.S. passport (my assumption since you said he was American) he may very well get minimal questioning. I'm a U.S. citizen and generally don't get much scrutiny. On a few occasions I've essentially been waved through, which isn't to say I haven't had a semi-tense moment or two, but usually it's pretty easygoing with a U.S. passport. Even the "rough" crossings are light in comparison to what I've read about and seen in person.

I'd advise your husband to maybe wait to visit family until he gets his work permit and has a job. Although traveling outside of Canada while waiting for an inland application decision isn't prohibited, it is a small-to-big gamble. Your husband could wait until he has firmer roots (in the eyes of CBSA) in Canada, then travel. Also, when he does leave Canada, he needs to make sure his trips are short.

Best of luck when he arrives and you two begin the application process.

 

[Doglover18]

I posted on this forum before sending in my American husbands application and was advised to do Outland for faster processing times especially for Americans. It has been 3 months since we sent in his application and we just received his PPR last week. Whereas if he had applied inland he would maybe just now be getting his OWP. As Outland he has been in Canada as a visitor this whole time but he would be able to freely travel in and out of Canada if he wanted to. When he came into Canada, we had already submitted his application the week prior so we clearly stated to the border officer that we had done that. We printed off the receipt and had the application saved and ready to show if he needed but he never asked for it. Hope that helps!

 

[Jazzercise]

I posted on this forum before sending in my American husbands application and was advised to do Outland for faster processing times especially for Americans. It has been 3 months since we sent in his application and we just received his PPR last week. Whereas if he had applied inland he would maybe just now be getting his OWP. As Outland he has been in Canada as a visitor this whole time but he would be able to freely travel in and out of Canada if he wanted to. When he came into Canada, we had already submitted his application the week prior so we clearly stated to the border officer that we had done that. We printed off the receipt and had the application saved and ready to show if he needed but he never asked for it. Hope that helps!

Completely forgot to point this out. Outland applications for U.S. citizens are even quicker nowadays. Some partners go the outland route, while others, like myself, go the inland route. Choose what works best for your situation, but do know you have the option to apply outland while your husband is in Canada. If you two decide to go outland, follow doglover18's advice!

 

[Almipo]

Under no circumstance should he say he is staying at all. The words staying, moving, living, etc. should NOT be used even if he says it's only happening eventually. He should only say that he is visiting and for how long he plans to visit which shouldn't be any time longer than 6 months. The key word is VISITING. While dual intent is a possibility, he would have to show proof of ties to the USA (current job in the USA, mortgage/assets, family dependents etc.).

I know this because I am an American who crossed very often and the one time I planned on crossing and soon starting an inland application, I told the border agent that and had to "go inside" and was almost denied entry. My wife and I had to have a follow-up interview and basically prove dual intent. We are now applying outland and I visit for 3 weeks-1 month at a time and travel back to the US for a weekend and when I return, I just say I am visiting again.

As @Jazzercise has mentioned, applying inland and traveling is a gamble and outland applications are processed quicker.