USA to Canada - IMM5532E, Part C

[csturner92]

Good day to all of you. I didn't get my police certificate from the FBI until just recently, and I have come to find that the process has been changed a bit! I have a question regarding this form, Particularly question 4...


"If you are not living together, have you visited each other during your relationship?"

Well the answer is definitely YES, I try to visit her every other week (considering it's now a 200 mile drive and through the coquihalla...)

BUT then they want DETAILS of months that a visit occurred, who traveled to visit whom, did we stay together at the same location, and where did we stay.


I know I see her every month, and I could easily put that down and attach a document stating how we do our visits... but is there a way I can look up my travel history so I can see exact times she and I came and went from the border?

Any help is appreciated!

 

[simpsol22]

Yes, actually, if you used a passport, you can now see your history online - http://blog.tugo.com/en/blog/database-tracks-your-border-crossing-history-for-you/

Also, you can do do an ATIP request to see trips out of Canada. Takes about a month for this one. http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html

 

[csturner92]

It says it is available for Canadian passports.

I (American) do the majority of the travelling, is there a way for American passports?

 

[danawhitaker]

It says it is available for Canadian passports.

I (American) do the majority of the travelling, is there a way for American passports?

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home - that's *supposed* to work, it should show when you cross back into the U.S. Note I say supposed to.

My husband and I have looked ourselves up, and I've also looked up my daughter. They list no crossings for any of us coming into the U.S. We only cross by land. I suspect that they aren't nearly as accurate for land crossings as they claim to be.

 

[csturner92]

https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/I94/#/home - that's *supposed* to work, it should show when you cross back into the U.S. Note I say supposed to.

My husband and I have looked ourselves up, and I've also looked up my daughter. They list no crossings for any of us coming into the U.S. We only cross by land. I suspect that they aren't nearly as accurate for land crossings as they claim to be.

Gave it a run and it has absolutely no history based on my passport number. Woops!

 

[simpsol22]

It says it is available for Canadian passports.

I (American) do the majority of the travelling, is there a way for American passports?

The ATIP request would work. I ordered that one. Showed all of the times I left Canada. I forgot the other was Canadian passports.

 

[csturner92]

And it'll take up to 30 days to process a request for the ATIP... ouch. We want to mail this off this weekend so I guess I'll do without and type out a nice explanation and hope for the best.


Last question would be not entirely related to the form.

Is there a way I can find out how many days I have left on my visitor visa? If I understand correctly I can be there 6 months in a year before it expires and I need to apply for an extension. The border doesn't do stamps, only scans, so I'm at a loss on this one too!

I'm asking because I'd like to go up and stay with her a month or two after we send it in, and I want to apply for an extension if needed so I'm not there illegally.

Thanks!

 

[csturner92]

Also it would seem the ATIP site is down at the moment.

 

[danawhitaker]

And it'll take up to 30 days to process a request for the ATIP... ouch. We want to mail this off this weekend so I guess I'll do without and type out a nice explanation and hope for the best.


Last question would be not entirely related to the form.

Is there a way I can find out how many days I have left on my visitor visa? If I understand correctly I can be there 6 months in a year before it expires and I need to apply for an extension. The border doesn't do stamps, only scans, so I'm at a loss on this one too!

I'm asking because I'd like to go up and stay with her a month or two after we send it in, and I want to apply for an extension if needed so I'm not there illegally.

Thanks!

I'd assume since you were driving you would have been needing to purchase gas? Would that be on your credit card or bank statements? That might help you nail down times a little better. Or if you have social media check-ins, you can reference those. Text messages back and forth letting her know you were on your way. Stuff like that.

As for the six months thing, I believe it's six months from when you cross the border. So after you would go stay with her, you would have up to six months (unless they gave you less at the border). Then about a month before it would expire, if you were going to want to stay longer, you would need to get an extension.

 

[simpsol22]

And it'll take up to 30 days to process a request for the ATIP... ouch. We want to mail this off this weekend so I guess I'll do without and type out a nice explanation and hope for the best.


Last question would be not entirely related to the form.

Is there a way I can find out how many days I have left on my visitor visa? If I understand correctly I can be there 6 months in a year before it expires and I need to apply for an extension. The border doesn't do stamps, only scans, so I'm at a loss on this one too!

I'm asking because I'd like to go up and stay with her a month or two after we send it in, and I want to apply for an extension if needed so I'm not there illegally.

Thanks!

Yeah 30 days plus a week to get it in the mail...really since you are a US citizen, you probably dont need it. Any time you do not provide info requested, they ask you to include a reason. I ordered mine in preparation for when I'll eventually get citizenship....i was crossing daily for work.

As a USA citizen you can also obtain what is called a Visitor Record--has to be obtained from the Canada border when you cross into Canada. If possible, I'd try to obtain this on your next visit through. Explain that you are going to apply for Spousal Sponsorship PR and that you want to obtain the document so you have a valid status when you visit. It is an actual document they staple to your passport. I had to get it as a nexus card holder as i crossed to often before i actually moved here. The Nexus officer said it would help build trust with CBSA and show I want to follow their rules. I kept that current until I got my Open Work Permit.

 

[simpsol22]

Also it would seem the ATIP site is down at the moment.

Oh strange. I've never seen that, but also am getting it right now. :/

 

[danawhitaker]

Yeah 30 days plus a week to get it in the mail...really since you are a US citizen, you probably dont need it. Any time you do not provide info requested, they ask you to include a reason. I ordered mine in preparation for when I'll eventually get citizenship....i was crossing daily for work.

As a USA citizen you can also obtain what is called a Visitor Record--has to be obtained from the Canada border when you cross into Canada. If possible, I'd try to obtain this on your next visit through. Explain that you are going to apply for Spousal Sponsorship PR and that you want to obtain the document so you have a valid status when you visit. It is an actual document they staple to your passport. I had to get it as a nexus card holder as i crossed to often before i actually moved here. The Nexus officer said it would help build trust with CBSA and show I want to follow their rules. I kept that current until I got my Open Work Permit.

I've seen advice on this forum in the past that it's not advisable to get a visitor record, and that it can actually cause more issues or scrutiny. Is that just different schools of thought in that regard?

 

[simpsol22]

I've seen advice on this forum in the past that it's not advisable to get a visitor record, and that it can actually cause more issues or scrutiny. Is that just different schools of thought in that regard?

Odd I hadn't heard that. I know I've been told by a few people on here, to not share my story--on how i flat out told them i was getting married, and later moving here to apply, etc. (which the border agents were always fine with)....and was told to always say you are just coming to visit. But, as far as the visitor record, I've been told by many boarder agents it's a good thing to have. That's the only way I was able to continue commuting to work after I was living in Canada. The CBSA agent said if I didn't have that, I couldn't keep crossing, unless I had my OWP.
I had to show my Visitor record a few times over the months.
Given that this person is crossing every other week--makes sense to me...but maybe others have had a bad situation. It's like a visitor visa...a few of my friends have gotten them.

 

[danawhitaker]

Odd I hadn't heard that. I know I've been told by a few people on here, to not share my story--on how i flat out told them i was getting married, and later moving here to apply, etc. (which the border agents were always fine with)....and was told to always say you are just coming to visit. But, as far as the visitor record, I've been told by many boarder agents it's a good thing to have. That's the only way I was able to continue commuting to work after I was living in Canada. The CBSA agent said if I didn't have that, I couldn't keep crossing, unless I had my OWP.
I had to show my Visitor record a few times over the months.
Given that this person is crossing every other week--makes sense to me...but maybe others have had a bad situation. It's like a visitor visa...a few of my friends have gotten them.

Thanks for the clarification. It definitely makes more sense in the context of frequent crossings, I think. The only time I've had it mentioned to me at the border was when the agent asked why I hadn't moved to Canada yet during our Christmas crossing, and I answered that I knew I couldn't move to Canada until my PR application was approved. He told me I could get a visitor record, move all my stuff from the U.S., and since I was self-employed essentially might be able to "get by" with that while the application was being processed. My crossings are much more sporadic, and I'm much further from the border. I'm also usually crossing via Greyhound rather than by private vehicle, and always with return tickets. The case where this was mentioned to me, my husband and daughter and I were all traveling by car.

 

[csturner92]

I'll try asking for that next time I pass through. I've been going back and forth consistently for well over a year now, so they can probably tell I'm all about following the rules.

Last thing I want to is be prevented from being with my wife!!

I'm going to go ahead and not include the ATIP report for now, and I've already typed out 2 paragraphs explaining in detail the nature and frequency of our trips.

I'm going to request an ATIP asap though just to have it in case they ask!