Urgent: How to bring my wife back from states after wedding reception

[PursuitOfHappiness]

Hi All,

I really need your help! I'm Canadian and my wife is a US citizen. We got married last December in states. We submitted our sponsorship package in May and I have been approved as a Sponsor. Our second stage is in process.

Because my wife is finishing grad school in December, we are having a wedding reception both in Canada and US. I am going to the states and will be bringing her back with me. My question to you all is, how do i do that???

On the forums I have read that she has to cross the border with me. I booked our flights together so we will land in Buffalo and will cross the border by car. Is this a good idea? Should she come with her family and not with me? I read that she needs to cross the border with me and that i have to show proof at the border that we're married and show them proof that we applied for her PR and she'll be coming as a visitor.

How do we show proof so she can cross the border peacefully? She is not working and after grad school she won't have any proof that she will be going back to the states. Her family lives in states, so she could say that she will be returning to her family.

Please help me out here, I just need to know what we need to take with us and tell at the border to cross peacefully.

Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

 

[little_apple]

Hi All,

I really need your help! I'm Canadian and my wife is a US citizen. We got married last December in states. We submitted our sponsorship package in May and I have been approved as a Sponsor. Our second stage is in process.

Because my wife is finishing grad school in December, we are having a wedding reception both in Canada and US. I am going to the states and will be bringing her back with me. My question to you all is, how do i do that???

On the forums I have read that she has to cross the border with me. I booked our flights together so we will land in Buffalo and will cross the border by car. Is this a good idea? Should she come with her family and not with me? I read that she needs to cross the border with me and that i have to show proof at the border that we're married and show them proof that we applied for her PR and she'll be coming as a visitor.

How do we show proof so she can cross the border peacefully? She is not working and after grad school she won't have any proof that she will be going back to the states. Her family lives in states, so she could say that she will be returning to her family.

Please help me out here, I just need to know what we need to take with us and tell at the border to cross peacefully.

Thanks in advance everyone!!!!

How and when will she go back to the US? By car or by plane? You should have any proof that she will return to the US. Usually there shouldn't be a problem because she is visa-exempt but if you have an officer who doesn't like her face then he could refuse her entry if she can't prove that she will leave again... Just book a cheap plane ticket and you're on the safe side. You can still cancel it afterwards

 

[PursuitOfHappiness]

Thank you for your reply!

I have not booked a return flight for her. I will be going to states for our wedding reception there, and then will fly back to buffalo and go to Canada together for our second reception in Canada. Our plan is to stay together since she will be done school and now that our sponsorship is in progress.

Do you think buying a return ticket back to states would help her? I'm worried that by booking a return flight when our intention is not for it is going to cause a hassle. We are going for our honeymoon right after our wedding reception from Canada so I can't take any risks where she'll get denied at the border. I read somewhere that I can show the PR application and the fact that I have been approved as a sponsor should be sufficient

Do you think she should enter states with her family (who will also be attending our wedding reception)??

Thank you again for your help!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Do you think buying a return ticket back to states would help her? I'm worried that by booking a return flight when our intention is not for it is going to cause a hassle. We are going for our honeymoon right after our wedding reception from Canada so I can't take any risks where she'll get denied at the border. I read somewhere that I can show the PR application and the fact that I have been approved as a sponsor should be sufficient

Do you think she should enter states with her family (who will also be attending our wedding reception)??

It's fine for her to enter with you. Have proof of the sponsorship app (like the sponsor approval) and proof of funds showing you guys can support her stay as a visitor. Make sure she doesn't say "moving", she is only coming to Canada to visit while the PR app processes. You could purchase a fully refundable ticket back to the US but it isn't required.

When my partner and I entered, the officer verified in the computer that we had an app in process, asked us how much money we had (didn't ask for proof), told my partner not to work and sent us on our way.

 

[blueangel371115]

I'm worried as after our wedding we are leaving canada for a week then returning. But I won't have submitted the paperwork yet. When asked recently I explain that I have the paperwork but I'm waiting for the proofs from the wedding and they didn't seem to mind just said I must file as soon as I can. But I am nervous about the return trip reentry.

 

[PursuitOfHappiness]

Thanks guys for all your help!

That's a relief! Will the officer be able to check my application online? do they do that with all the applications? I hope they do as that will really help us out. Please let me know if the following items is all I need to bring me with when me and my wife enter:

1) Sponsorship application stating that I have been approved and my application is submitted to Ottawa for Stage 2
2) Proof of income - my 2012 Notice of Assessment and a bank statement showing my updated bank balance
3) Ensuring the officer that she is only coming as a visitor? Not really sure how to prove that.

Can I let the officer know upfront that she is coming to visit me while the application is in process? or will that raise a red flag

Also, after a few days of entering, my wife and I are going on our honeymoon so do you think we will have issues once she is entered with a visitors visa? Our flights are from Toronto round trip so we won't be crossing Buffalo but just want to make sure there aren't going to be any troubles of us travelling together out of Canada.

THANKS AGAIN guys! Really stressful time we're all going through!

 

[tabarnouche]

My wife (CAN) and I (USA) recently crossed the border after our first trip to the States since being married this summer in Quebec. I had come up to stay for a week and we ended up getting engaged and married. Went to the States a little over 6 months after my entry and returned 4 days later. On arrival I told them that I had been living in Quebec with my wife since getting married over the summer. He was a little concerned that I had overstayed my previous visit, but sent us in to see the immigration officer in the office. Told the immigration officer that I was hoping to stay with my wife while my PR app was being processed and showed him our marriage certificate, sponsorship approval letter, med exam copy, police cert copy, all of which he didn't even really look at. He stated he'd go look us up and told us to have a seat. About 20 minutes later he returned and said he was able to find my wife's sponsorship approval and issued me a 6 month visitor visa.

This was all about a week ago so maybe that will give you some reassurance that it isn't that difficult, even with some extraneous circumstances involved. Needless to say, I was incredibly relieved and had been stressed out for days thinking about crossing...

Cheers and goodluck!

 

[Alurra71]

It really shouldn't be too difficult for you to cross with your wife, or her with you, whichever way you look at it.

Just make sure you let them know you would like her to come stay with you while the process is finishing, show them your receipts for filing and your AIP letter. They will likely just want to issue her a visitor record, which they will attach to her passport and you'll be on your way. When you re-enter after your honeymoon, it will be about the same.

 

[PursuitOfHappiness]

Thanks Alura for all your help and thank you Tabarnouche for the assurance! one week ago?? that's really good!

I'm just wondering, would it be safer for her to fly alone or with her family?

My only concern is us driving back from Buffalo and her getting denied at not being able to come. This concerns me greatly as our wedding reception will be a couple of days after crossing the border. I just don't want to take any risks. Do we have a higher chance of crossing peacefully given the fact that we already submitted our paperwork and I have been sponsored and on to the next stage?

Any recommendations are highly appreciated!

thank you!!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I'm worried as after our wedding we are leaving canada for a week then returning. But I won't have submitted the paperwork yet. When asked recently I explain that I have the paperwork but I'm waiting for the proofs from the wedding and they didn't seem to mind just said I must file as soon as I can. But I am nervous about the return trip reentry.

You could pay the fees now and show them the receipt as proof that you will be filing the PR app soon.

I'm just wondering, would it be safer for her to fly alone or with her family?

It's best if she crosses with you.

 

[blueangel371115]

You could pay the fees now and show them the receipt as proof that you will be filing the PR app

.
I was wondering about that if it would help. I'll do that. Thanks

 

[Alurra71]

I think you are giving this way too much thought. Has she crossed into Canada before? Was she denied entry or given a 'ban'? Does she have a criminal history? DUI's? Anything that would prohibit her from entering Canada?

She will be fine to fly in with you and to fly out with you and to drive back with you. Having her fly in with family, to my notion, would look much stranger than flying in with her 'new' husband, don't you think? Having her do all her border crossings without you would seem very strange to me, if I were CBSA, just saying.

The only reason they would deny her entry, would be for my questions stated above. The only thing they COULD do, far as I know, is tell her to get more 'proofs' she intends to return back to the US and then they will let her in. That is worst case scenario. If she has anything as questioned above, it won't matter if your sponsorship is approved or not because you will have to 'fight' to get her PR based on inadmissibility anyhow.

Just stop sweating it so much. If you worry that much crossing they are gonna pull you in and do a body cavity search from being so suspiciously nervous LOL