Visiting Spouse in the US??

[Stumpedmom]

OK, I have been reading all through this forum, and love all the information that I have gotten during the gathering and prepping process of my application to sponsor my husband. I have been told that going into the US to visit your spouse is difficult while you are waiting to get the PR approval. My sister in law is getting married in April and I would love to be there with the family, but am so afraid of crossing either by air or at the detroit/windsor border because I don't want to risk getting a red flag or being refused entry which would really hamper our plans for him landing, which is me flying to Arizona and together driving to the border for him to land.

Any suggestions, I have recently become unemployed due to a medical conflict with my other job, have kids that will be here with my parents, have a house, bank accounts, and all the household bills that are in my name to show that I have ties here to Canada, but from what I have been told by people who actually work for the CBSA in Sarnia, it really doesn't matter, that I will most likely be refused because I don't have a green card to go live with my husband, and they see it happen nearly every day...unfortunately they can't even help me with the american side...

Any advice from anyone would be greatly helpful!!!

 

[RobsLuv]

The fact that you are sponsoring your husband to Canada should not have an adverse affect on you entering the US for a temporary stay. In fact, carrying your Canada immigration paperwork with you could be helpful - if you even have to get into a discussion about you being married to a US citizen. The Canadian PR process can make it more difficult for your husband to come to visit you in Canada - because, by applying for permanent status he has stated his intention to remain permanently and he can't do that until his PR is approved - but it shouldn't have any bearing whatsoever on you going to the States for a wedding! You are not intending to stay in the US permanently, and it sounds as though you have sufficient proof of your ties to Canada to allow you to enter the US for a temporary stay. Carry your return trip itinerary, proof of your rental/lease/mortgage agreement and especially proof of your custody of your children (who won't be with you) and you shouldn't have a problem.

 

[Stumpedmom]

Thanks for the information. As of right now we have not applied yet. We are solely waiting on the FBI prints to come back. I am paying the application fees in the morning, and once the FBI comes back we will be sending all the paperwork in. I am getting so excited to have him home with us as a family permanently.

As for your comment about him having a harder time coming this way, so far (touches wood) he has come up and told the CBSA at Pearson both times that he was coming to see his wife and her kids with no questions asked. Most recently was on the 23rd of December so he could be here for our first Christmas together!!!

Just another quick question if you can help RobsLove....the DMP that we went to here in Ontario did not give us the Medical form back saying that they send it all to Ottawa, I am going to try to get a hold of them but they have been on vacation, and work one or 2 days a week....What do we do if we can't get that copy back? Can we send the receipt and a note indicating what happened, and if possible get a letter from the DMPs office about the fact that they sent it all to Ottawa??

I really hope that things go easy as its pretty much straightforward, and we have so much evidence to send in, 2 plus years of msn and yahoo convos, wedding pics, vacation pics and the such. My kids are to the point they don't even want to see or have anything to do with their father anymore because they think, and have told their friends that "these are activities that we do with our step dad not our real dad".

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and Happy and safe new year full of great news!!