Questions About Inland

[Decoy24601]

I'm about to marry my spouse in November. I'm from the US and he's Canadian and sponsoring me. We're leaning towards applying inland because of the OWP. We can afford to go 4~ months without me working, but if the outland application takes 6 months we really can't do that. I also feel a lot more secure knowing that I have at least have implied status until the OWP goes through, and then after that of course I will be able to work.

1: What do I say at the border since I will not have yet applied when I try to visit him? I will have already paid my fees, but of course not submitted my application. If they ask for proof that we have applied for PR, will proof of the fees be sufficient?
2: If they do ask for ties to the US at the border, will paystubs with my home address on them be enough? I am a deli clerk at a grocery store, so it's not exactly like I have a significant letter of employment, only paystubs. I also have some union paperwork that was sent to me, would that contribute? I don't have proof of a lease either, since I'm renting month to month. Would I need to have the person I'm renting from write up a rental agreement? I'm subletting the room from my roommate until it's time to renew the lease, so the person I'm renting from is not the landlord. Should I say up front that I have not sent my application yet since I plan to apply inland or only if they ask?
3: With inland, so I have to do my medical up front?
4: Do I send the OWP application with the PR application?
5: How long does inland take? I have seen a year a couple times, is that average?

I just want to find a way to make "visiting" my spouse during the process possible.

 

[Ponga]

Ug. I hate seeing someone in your situation being hypnotized by the lure of the OWP.

I completely understand the desire (and need) to work ASAP, but the truth is that for an Inland applicant, the processing time is a `quick' ~2 years!

Most Americans that submit an Outland application are processed in well under 1 year (some as fast as 4 months). A person can be in Canada even with an Outland application being processed, as long as they maintain their legal status (which is easy to do).

So...if you do decide to apply Inland, here are my answers to your questions:

1. Be truthful. Tell the officer that you have paid the fees and are in the process of assembling the documents/forms for your application. The officer will undoubtedly ask you questions about your visit (intent) and about your ties back home. Bring as much as you can (including what you've already suggested), along with a [fully refundable] return ticket. Research what `Dual Intent' is (available on CIC's website). As long as you can convince the border officer that you are seeking entry as a visitor, you shouldn't have any problems.

2. Answered above.

3. No.

4. Yes (but only available with an Inland application). The correct amount for the OWP is $255 (NOT $155, or even $100 as some have mistakenly paid).

5. ~ 2 years!

Good luck!

 

[chakrab]

3. No, it will take more than a year before they check the medicals. so it is not recommended to do medical before submission any more.

4. Yes. make sure you pay the correct amount.

5. Could take close to 2 years. It is taking around 18 months for step 1.

Outland is definitely the way to go for US citizens. you can stay in canada till then. Why would you want to go through the process for close to 2 years?

 

[Decoy24601]

Should I say I'm visiting for 5/6 months then and have a return ticket at the end of that time? How do I prove that I have family in the town where I live?

I'm still debating and I very well might side with Outland, but I want to research my options.

I assume that with a return ticket at an airport I won't have many problems and somewhat doubt I will even be asked for proof but I'm paranoid. The last time I flew in, I said I was visiting for 3 months (had to leave a month early) and didn't have a return ticket and only had college plans for the date I returned as ties to the US (which ended up falling through) and I didn't even get an attitude and had no issues, but since I will be married I was worried about dual intent.