Going to Canada to get married on a one way ticket. Could it be an issue?

[theJuls]

Hello folks!

I don't know if this has been discussed here before, but I have heard some horror stories of people getting stopped at the border when entering Canada because they only had a one way ticket.

In October I will be getting married to a Canadian and applying through the inland process. Since I won't be leaving after, it only makes sense to have a one way-ticket in order to save money, however I am terrified of the border officers seeing this as a bad thing and not letting me in because of it. How do you who have applied through the inland process go through that? Was it a one way ticket? Is it all straight forward without any issues? Do they go to further questioning once you tell them you will be getting married and applying inland?


Thank you very much and sorry if this is a stupid question. I am quite paranoid of having things go wrong at the border...

 

[Rob_TO]

Never lie to CBSA officers. You don't have to volunteer info that you are getting married, but if they ask you directly you need to tell them the truth. It's not illegal to get married in Canada as a visitor, so there is no reason to lie about it if asked.

You should try to have a return ticket on you. Most times they never bother to ask to see a return ticket, but in case you're unlucky enough to be pulled into secondary inspection, having a return ticket in hand for less than 6 months out is good to have to convince CBSA you are in fact only a visitor in Canada. You can perhaps look for a fully refundable return ticket, and just cancel it after you arrive.

 

[theJuls]

Hi.. I am not an expert to talk about that.
But from all I've heard, DO NOT tell them you're coming to Canada to get married.
Tell them you're visiting friends for one month, two maybe.. that would be the safe way!
In my case, I had a round-trip ticket but they didn't even ask me to show them. And.. I told them I was visiting friends for 30 days.
I am though applying for outland application even though I am staying here as a visitor for a while.
If you're not required a visa to enter Canada is a good point for you.
Hope other people can help u more.
=D
Good luck

In the case of getting married and applying inland I believe I have to tell them about my intentions (this was told to me by people who work for immigration) and on top of that, as the other user said, lying to the customs officer is never a good idea.

Never lie to CBSA officers. You don't have to volunteer info that you are getting married, but if they ask you directly you need to tell them the truth. It's not illegal to get married in Canada as a visitor, so there is no reason to lie about it if asked.

You should try to have a return ticket on you. Most times they never bother to ask to see a return ticket, but in case you're unlucky enough to be pulled into secondary inspection, having a return ticket in hand for less than 6 months out is good to have to convince CBSA you are in fact only a visitor in Canada. You can perhaps look for a fully refundable return ticket, and just cancel it after you arrive.

That's what I thought... but I guess on one hand it just doesn't make much sense to pay all that money on a return ticket if I am applying for the inland process.

 

[beholder69]

Most big airline companies actually charge more for one way flights than round trips, so IMO no reason not to go for a round trip one as it will also have you covered in case of secondary inspection.

 

[taffy7]

Definitely get a returned ticket. I was looking at flights today and most was more than a return ticket. You can cancel and get part of a refund.My husband came last year and the boarder officer asked the purpose of his visit and he said he was marrying his sweetheart. He congratulated him and said enjoy your stay. He also came again and because we had already applied for sponsorship was on the system . How i know this is because again the border officer asked him how is sponsorship is processing. Have you looked at outland sponsorship timelines. You can still visit Canada and apply outland.

 

[madam-m]

They ll never care for yr money,be sure in that.

I had one way ticket,but don't look at me,everybody here said that I was lucky.Nobody ask me nothing,I had already Application submitted,Visa officer from second investigation,sow that in computer,ask me about my job in my country,my occupation.I said I came to visit my husband.and that is it.nobody ask me for any paper,document,ticket.He said in the end;"enjoy yr stay."

In that moment i didn't know how long will I stay,if I ll extend my stay,if i ll go to my country after 2months,so how that I can buy return ticket?

 

[scylla]

I don't know if this has been discussed here before, but I have heard some horror stories of people getting stopped at the border when entering Canada because they only had a one way ticket.

Check with your airline to make sure they will let you fly with a one way ticket. Some airlines won't let passengers board the airplane without a return ticket. Best to call well before you fly to confirm.

 

[Kayaker]

In my case, I bought a one-way ticket to Canada, and I also bought a fully refundable one-way ticket back to Japan.

They did not ask to see my return ticket. However, I was already married at the time, I am from a visa-exempt country and I applied outland and had already gotten stage 1 approval, so my case is not the same as yours.

The other posters are right; some airlines charge almost as much for a one-way ticket as for a return ticket.

You could also purchase a fully-refundable ticket back, BUT, that may be very expensive. Mine cost several thousand dollars - it was fully refunded, but I did have to pay for it once. Also, I wondered if border officers will be suspicious if they see you bought two one-way tickets. The ticket class is often written on your e-ticket, so they might figure out that you bought a fully refundable one-way business class ticket and consider that suspicious.

 

[screech339]

The problem when airlines sell return tickets cheaper than one way tickets is that those who only want to go one way, buy the return ticket. Then the passenger doesn't bother returning the flight. The airlines doesn't like empty seats on their flights. They want full capacity whenever they can. So return tickets are almost equal to twice the one way tickets. It won't lose the value of your "empty" seat assuming it is not taken up by "standby" passenger.