Just Married

[KevinQ]

I am a US citizen and just married a Canadian Permanent Resident this weekend. She lives in Windsor, ON (just across the US border). I work in Detroit each day and travel back and forth over the border on a daily basis while staying with my new wife in Canada. I am in the process of filling out and submitting PR paperwork this week. When do I tell immigration at the border crossing (Canadian) of my marriage? Do I take a receipt of payment for PR application to the border as well?

 

[scylla]

There's no good answer to your question. What you are effectively doing right now is living in Canada - which you're not allowed to do (you're only allowed to visit until you are approved as a PR). Sooner or later you may run into issues crossing the border on a daily basis. You should have a back up plan in place in the event Canadian official tell you that you must stop this behaviour and/or you're refused entry into Canada. Definitely carry a receipt of payment for the PR fees. However this will by no means guarantee entry into Canada.

Make sure you submit an outland sponsorship application (not inland). Since you are traveling in and out of the country so frequently and there's a risk you could be refused entry, you want to go with an outland application since there's no obligation for you to be in Canada for the application to be processed and approved.

 

[keesio]

Kevin - because you go back and forth so much I suggest:
1) Apply for NEXUS (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/nexus_prog/)
2) Because it will take you several months to get NEXUS, you may want to get a visitors record in the mean time (http://www.us2canada.com/visitor_record.html)

 

[Rob_TO]

When do I tell immigration at the border crossing (Canadian) of my marriage? Do I take a receipt of payment for PR application to the border as well?

What have you been telling them so far, that you are crossing border each evening to visit your girlfriend/fiancee? If so then next time they ask, you would say you are visiting your wife. Especially if they ask specifically about having family in Canada.
As was mentioned, crossing the border like this every single day for the next year, you'll eventually have a border guard that will seriously question what you're doing. They have a record of all your entries into Canada. IMO it's more a matter of when... not if.

You should really take Scylla's advice and think what you will do if on any given attempt to cross back into Canada, if you are denied entry. You could also have a termorary ban put on you into entering Canada. Just having proof of submitting a PR app, does not give you status or permission to "live" in Canada and cross the border every single day. It's completely up to the individual border officer you happen to encounter, and how they may be feeling that day. Be very cautious.

 

[scylla]

Kevin - because you go back and forth so much I suggest:
1) Apply for NEXUS (http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/trusted_traveler/nexus_prog/)
2) Because it will take you several months to get NEXUS, you may want to get a visitors record in the mean time (http://www.us2canada.com/visitor_record.html)

But just as a caveat - a Nexus card won't stop you from being refused entry. It's still not a guarantee.

 

[Alurra71]

Kevin, you are indeed flirting with disaster here. They will get to you, on that you can bet. I was refused entry but thankfully I was given opportunity to just withdraw my application on my own. Same border crossing, although I suppose you might be using the tunnel. I was only crossing on Tue and Fri nights but because they count each time you cross as a full day, regardless if you entered at 7pm and left at 7am it appeared I was living in Canada, even though at that time I was actually just visiting my fiance a couple times a week. Tuesday night for an overnight til Weds morning, then again Friday night until Sunday afternoon. You are doing this daily, and legally have no rights to be in Canada.

You need to take a day and you and your wife go into the immigration office there at the border, and ask for a visitor record, show them your marriage certificate. This will facilitate easier crossing for you, but won't guarantee entry all the time. I can assure you though, that just crossing back and forth hoping to not get caught won't work. There are a few guards there who have it in for us "USers" LOL Let them know you are indeed filing for PR and if you have everything ready to go then show them the receipts and all that happy jazz. Makes them much easier to deal with, believe me!

 

[blueangel371115]

You need to take a day and you and your wife go into the immigration office there at the border, and ask for a visitor record, show them your marriage certificate. This will facilitate easier crossing for you, but won't guarantee entry all the time. I can assure you though, that just crossing back and forth hoping to not get caught won't work. There are a few guards there who have it in for us "USers" LOL Let them know you are indeed filing for PR and if you have everything ready to go then show them the receipts and all that happy jazz. Makes them much easier to deal with, believe me!

I agree here. They have become insistent with me each time I leave (once a month for doctors appointments and to see my family ). They question my intentions every single time . You are VERY lucky. Personally, I wouldn't tempt fate and get my application sent as soon as you can and figure out as schedule to visit that works for you both. As I've seen it termed before and I have felt this way myself, it seems too much like you are skirting the rules even if you have the best of intentions. I always try to tell myself I am a guest here and I am lucky I can visit every time I cross into Canada. Bur that's me and my opinion. Weigh your options and go from there. Everyone has a different situation .