Visiting after asked to Withdraw Application

[nora6672]

Hi, I'm a US citizen in a common law partnership with a Canadian citizen. I had a student visa which expired on August 8th 2019 (I am not eligible for a PGWP or a PEQ) and my partner and I were in the process of filling out all the forms for PR, but hadn't submitted yet (because I needed a new US passport and the background check). I went to the US, and when I tried to re-enter Canada, I said that I was living with my partner, but would be entering as a visitor. They asked me to withdraw my application to Canada, until I could prove significant ties to the US: a job, health insurance, and permanent address (preferably other than my parents').

I would very much like to submit my PR application from inside canada, with an OWP, so I would need to enter Canada as a visitor to start that process. Usually when US citizens enter Canada, there isn't much fuss, but since I had to withdraw my application, they said I'm flagged in the system, what can I expect? I just don't know what information they'll have in the system about me, or whether to be up front about my intentions to file a PR from within Canada (it seems like this is usually, but not always, grounds for not accepting entry).

Should I say I'm only planning on visiting for a short period of time, or that I'm visiting for 6 months? Should I try to get a job that I can then abandon once I'm in CA, or could I try to find a place that will hire me upon my future hypothetical return?

I have plenty of funds to support myself, I will have US health insurance and traveler's insurance, and I have potential places that would hire me upon my return to the US (theater companies that hire people by the show).

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi, I'm a US citizen in a common law partnership with a Canadian citizen. I had a student visa which expired on August 8th 2019 (I am not eligible for a PGWP or a PEQ) and my partner and I were in the process of filling out all the forms for PR, but hadn't submitted yet (because I needed a new US passport and the background check). I went to the US, and when I tried to re-enter Canada, I said that I was living with my partner, but would be entering as a visitor. They asked me to withdraw my application to Canada, until I could prove significant ties to the US: a job, health insurance, and permanent address (preferably other than my parents').

I would very much like to submit my PR application from inside canada, with an OWP, so I would need to enter Canada as a visitor to start that process. Usually when US citizens enter Canada, there isn't much fuss, but since I had to withdraw my application, they said I'm flagged in the system, what can I expect? I just don't know what information they'll have in the system about me, or whether to be up front about my intentions to file a PR from within Canada (it seems like this is usually, but not always, grounds for not accepting entry).

Should I say I'm only planning on visiting for a short period of time, or that I'm visiting for 6 months? Should I try to get a job that I can then abandon once I'm in CA, or could I try to find a place that will hire me upon my future hypothetical return?

I have plenty of funds to support myself, I will have US health insurance and traveler's insurance, and I have potential places that would hire me upon my return to the US (theater companies that hire people by the show).

Stating that you were going to live in Canada as a visitor was a big mistake. You are lucky you weren't hit with a 1 year Exclusion Order.

You are flagged and they will have all of the info from that withdrawal in the system. You will be pulled into secondary every time you try to enter. They will require all of that documentation that the first officer asked for to prove your ties to the US.

You should be planning an outland app from the US.

 

[scylla]

Hi, I'm a US citizen in a common law partnership with a Canadian citizen. I had a student visa which expired on August 8th 2019 (I am not eligible for a PGWP or a PEQ) and my partner and I were in the process of filling out all the forms for PR, but hadn't submitted yet (because I needed a new US passport and the background check). I went to the US, and when I tried to re-enter Canada, I said that I was living with my partner, but would be entering as a visitor. They asked me to withdraw my application to Canada, until I could prove significant ties to the US: a job, health insurance, and permanent address (preferably other than my parents').

I would very much like to submit my PR application from inside canada, with an OWP, so I would need to enter Canada as a visitor to start that process. Usually when US citizens enter Canada, there isn't much fuss, but since I had to withdraw my application, they said I'm flagged in the system, what can I expect? I just don't know what information they'll have in the system about me, or whether to be up front about my intentions to file a PR from within Canada (it seems like this is usually, but not always, grounds for not accepting entry).

Should I say I'm only planning on visiting for a short period of time, or that I'm visiting for 6 months? Should I try to get a job that I can then abandon once I'm in CA, or could I try to find a place that will hire me upon my future hypothetical return?

I have plenty of funds to support myself, I will have US health insurance and traveler's insurance, and I have potential places that would hire me upon my return to the US (theater companies that hire people by the show).

How recently were you refused entry? You will definitely need to show stronger ties when you attempt to re-enter. Generally speaking, you would want to remain outside of Canada for a while before attempting to re-enter. When you attempt to re-enter, it should be for a short trip (e.g. long weekend). If you return and say you want a six month visit, then you are just reinforcing that you have no strong ties to the U.S.

 

[nora6672]

Thank you for the responses. I've now got a job and health insurance, and can try to get a place to stay other than my parents'.

What I'm wondering now is if I enter, and I don't get any kind of official visitor visa (as a US citizen I can visit for 6 months without a visa, but I've been issued a 1 month visitor visa before), but I say I'm planning on staying for a long weekend, and end up staying for longer, will I get in trouble?

We're sending in my PR application from Outside of Canada this week. I don't want to jeopardize the application, but I've heard of people entering just to visit for a short period, and then staying longer while their application is processing.