Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[eeeeeeeelectric]

We made digital copies of my PR application in its entirelty, and saved them on 4 thumb drives...just in case.

 

[mjh49783aa]

Yeah. For a while after that incident, I was flagged so that every time I came to visit her, I would pop up on their computer, and I'd get a yellow paper winning me a free trip into the building to have a discussion on why I'm in Canada and all that stuff. Then about ten to fifteen minutes later, they would hand me back my passport, and I would hand the yellow paper to someone outside, and I'd be on my way.

I've contended with that scenario for what I believe was a month or two, and then I find out there was a registered mail for me to pick up at Canada Post at the Zellers just down the road from my wife's apartment. 'Who the heck knows I'm here?' I thought. So then I went to pick it up, and lo and behold, it was the CBSA inland enforcement team wanting to 'discuss my status' in Canada. And, it was already three days past my appointment with them! Ooooh, I was so mad! I went back to my apartment in the States, and I've gathered up everything I have with my name and address on it - and I do mean everything! I then returned to Canada with proof of ties to the US nearly two inches thick, got my yellow paper, went inside for a chat, was let loose on the street, and the next day, (Monday) I showed up at their inland enforcement office with everything I had and announced my presence. I had to wait over an hour for everyone to get it all together because I did show up out of the blue, after all. Once I got to talk to the investigators and showed them the paper they sent me, we had a frank talk - because they've got 'word' that I was living with my girlfriend (now wife) and not just visiting. I looked her square in the eye and said, 'Really?' and then I told her that I understand their concerns because I do visit her often enough. However, I believe I have more than enough proof of ties to the States here in this overstuffed manila envelope to help assuage everyone once and for all. (at least I hoped) They took it all and went somewhere to look at everything, and after a while later, they came back with my stuff and she told me she was more than satisfied that I do have ties back to the US, and that I am indeed a visitor, but that I'll need to be carrying my ties with me at all time in case they might need to ask again. I've been doing that ever since, but now I'm just carrying the basics instead of a good chunk of my life. About two weeks later, I was no longer flagged at the border and they started waving me in like before. Talk about unnerving, though!

Wow, there are words to describe people like that, but I'll refrain from using them on here! I suppose since you're clearly not staying for more than a week or so at most that's why they haven't bothered to give you the visitor record. It is true that it's mostly up to their discretion, but I find it odd that any of them would tell you something so absurd as that you could only stay 3 or 4 days a week. Just seems downright bizarre, especially when the going agreement between the U.S. and Canada permits Americans to visit for up to 6 mths without a visa (and vice versa for Canadians in the U.S.). She must have really been having a bad day and/or is generally an unpleasant person.

Also, I had them give me multiple 3 or 4 mths visitor records over the past 18 mths. Apparently I was suspicious enough to warrant a shorter entry period, but not enough to deny me entry. The last time I showed up a week before it was supposed to expire, and the border guard gave me the full 6 mths. He also told me he was sorry to report that in his system my file was showing that my PR hadn't yet been decided on. I have found it's better to go for that stuff during the day if possible, or at the very least not on the weekends. I once did it on the way back from a trip home late on a Sunday night (I was a few days away from expiry and didn't feel like wasting gas or time going back to the border for it). It was clear that at 11 pm on a Sunday night there was no real immigration officer on duty, and the guys there really weren't certain what to do. They had to call the head office for help!

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

Once I got to talk to the investigators and showed them the paper they sent me, we had a frank talk - because they've got 'word' that I was living with my girlfriend (now wife) and not just visiting.

Huh? Wow. I was living with my boyfriend (no job, no apartment, no ties to the U.S. apart from my family and student loan bills) for 5 months before we got engaged here in Canada. Granted I think at first I told them I was spending the summer with him while I learned French, but even after the marriage no one ever got on my case like that and it's been 18 mths since I've been here as a visitor. I can't believe they gave you so much trouble! It really makes no sense to me!

 

[SnowMoose]

The SysAdmin tells me I must post 8 posts before I can answer PMs or share my timeline ?!!

So I am trying again.

 

[SnowMoose]

testing again

 

[SnowMoose]

again

 

[SnowMoose]

this seems silly

 

[SnowMoose]

I will delete these after I reach 8 postings. I apologise. I am just trying to share my timeline so ddobro2 can update the spreadsheet

 

[SnowMoose]

one more time

 

[mjh49783aa]

I don't understand it, either. Frankly, I'm still at a loss to this very day. Maybe it's the way I wear my hat? Or maybe it could be because I'm just not a native to this area as I've moved from Metro Detroit to Sault Ste. Marie back a few summers ago, and that I have no family in this area, and as a consequence, they think I might disappear in Canada. Do I think I got treated a bit rough at times? Of course, but I also have to look at it from their point of view, too. They have a job of keeping miscreants out and letting legitimate travel through, and I believe they were trying to figure out what to make of me, or to see if they can rattle my cage somehow. I really don't have a clue, so I just don't take it personally.

The only other possible theory I have is that perhaps somebody at my wife's apartment building told the CBSA some line of bull about me once they figured out I wasn't Canadian, but American, because they're apparently some nosy do-gooders that have no lives. But I can't prove that, either. What I do know is that I am not liked in her building, just because they didn't like the fact that I would leave my wife my car for her to use from time to time, (because I didn't really need it all the time) and the management there even went so far as saying that I stole my own car! Can you believe that? So fine. I'll show these idiots the title, registration, and bill of sale on the car even though I shouldn't have to do any of that. So I went and did that, and the ----- had the nerve to tell me to my face, 'And I'm really supposed to believe this?' I told her to believe whatever she wanted because what she thought was irrelevant to me, and that I wasn't under any obligation to show her a damn thing. So then, she threatened to tow my car, and I told her to take her best shot as I'll just park it on the shoulder where she can't touch it, and then I continued by calling her a complete ridiculous a-- for the fact that my wife has multiple sclerosis and she needs help getting around, which I'm trying to help her out by lending her my car from time to time, (as she has no car) and you have to have a major conniption fit about it with its Michigan plates as though I should bow down and kiss your butt for the privilege of helping her out. Yeah, I'm much more likely to believe that the management in this apartment building are the ones giving us the most grief, and are probably the ones that causing me to have trouble with the CBSA. No, I can't prove that, either. However, the circumstantial evidence in this theory is pretty overwhelming, and they would certainly have the motive. But as for the CBSA, they're mostly just doing their jobs.

But that's okay. We're planning to move to Windsor once I land. Her mother is in Windsor already, and her father will follow suit once he retires. Meanwhile, I still have my family across the border in the Metro Detroit area, so we'll have some family support. Especially for her. She's not too sick now, but I do worry about the future.

Huh? Wow. I was living with my boyfriend (no job, no apartment, no ties to the U.S. apart from my family and student loan bills) for 5 months before we got engaged here in Canada. Granted I think at first I told them I was spending the summer with him while I learned French, but even after the marriage no one ever got on my case like that and it's been 18 mths since I've been here as a visitor. I can't believe they gave you so much trouble! It really makes no sense to me!

 

[Trish1982]

Oh my God, your post had me saying "serenity now!!" and I'm not even the one who had to endure that! Anyway, Facebook to the rescue huh?

Yes, facebook to the rescue!I was soooo pissed when he got back to me but i figure his assistant, or rep werent giving him my messages because once i gave him a piece of my mind- they sure scrambled. BUT the information i was given was dead wrong. Couldn't be more wrong.

its okay though- we leave tomorrow morning hopefully LA isnt too crazy?? anyone have xperience handing in passports in LA??? Any advice??

 

[jstnmlr]

We have friends who are engaged, one living in East Vancouver, and one living in Australia. That is good perspective for us as to just how lucky we are. We only live 1 hour apart.

My wife and I aren't even 1 hour time zone apart lol I'm in Las Vegas and she's in Halifax. It's a bit far for a quick drive over the border hehehe. Consider yourself lucky my friend.

 

[jstnmlr]

Congrats to everyone!

Just a quick question. I finally got approved for sponsorship last week. They gave me a client number to check my status online. When I input the number and my Date of Birth, last name, and country of birth, I can login fine. However, for my wife, she can't. Is there a different client number for her? Will I be able to see her status from my account? (It just says "Application received" when I login for her side. The sponsorship part says "Decision reached".)

My wife can only log in with the payment receipt number. She's the sponsor. I can use the File number, the client ID or the receipt. Funny.

 

[jstnmlr]

I have one for you. I had my original ceremony at my work, where my wife and I met. It's a small family run business. My boss is like family and he's a retired minister and preformed the ceremony. I'm sure that looks super MOC! Although we had a big expensive wedding 5 months later. I should send them the bill to prove it!

Well then my application must have gotted thrown into the MOC pile at Buffalo (is there really a MOC pile at Buffalo, and come on, how big would such pile be?), because not only did I have a "small civil ceremony," I never had a "big wedding to follow" like mcmasters. In fact, I bet I had the smallest wedding of anyone here. I don't think I agree with this rule/theory, even without the bias I have. Under this logic, Kim Kardashian's hypothetical immigration application would totally pass the "marriage of convenience test" (I think 8 million on your wedding would qualify as "big to-do"), whereas mine would fail miserably even though I have managed to stay married a lot longer than 72 days.

 

[jstnmlr]

For something that took so much time and effort to assemble and is so life-changingly important, making a copy of the PR application package before you send it in for its months-long plight at the case processing centre and regional processing centre is absolutely a good idea. Well really, having a record of anything you send to a government agency is a good idea....

I have a digital copy. I filled all the forms on the computer, and all supporting docs were scanned. I didn't want to pay someone to photocopy the whole thing.. lol