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Visitor Record in Canada

concorde411

Star Member
Apr 13, 2010
55
0
Hey Guys,

I am a US Citizen living in NJ wanting to stay with my fiance (very soon to be wife) while my PR application is processed. She was born and raised in Montreal.

Two quick questions:

1. Has anyone heard of a VISITOR RECORD? I heard that if you arrive into Canada with your married or common law spouse and you provide proof of your relantionship, and proof that you either intend or have already applied for PR then the Immigration at the Border will issue you a Visitor Record which will allow you to stay for up to a year (which is hopefully enough time for an application to be processed). Please, if anyone else has heard about this or has gotten approval for Visitor Record than please, share your experience. How did you obtain it? What proof did you provide to convince the Border Agent? What are the do's and don'ts?

2. I just heard that if you want to stay for 6 months in Canada that it is reccomended that you not
inform the agent that you intend to stay that long and to simply apply for an extension after you crossed
the border. Anyone else hear this? Please share some of your experiences.

Thank you all for your kind help!!!!!

-Cheers!!!!!!
 

AllisonVSC

Champion Member
Nov 5, 2009
1,455
64
123
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo - Conjugal Partner
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
11-08-2009
Interview........
waived
VISA ISSUED...
04-11-2009
LANDED..........
04-11-2009
I had a Visitor Record but I am a bit confused about what exactly it was. I think it was a document stapled to my passport. And it didn"t feel like something I "wanted" to get. I got stopped crossing the border in June in my personal vehicle. BTW, PEPPER SPRAY IS CONSIDERED AN ILLEGAL WEAPON IN CANADA. In a vehicle search they found my partially completed PR application and refused me entry because I lacked sufficient ties to the US, etc. I returned the next day with copies of my mortgage and pay stubs but was waived through by the border guard. A month later I left Canada for France and was stopped upon return at the Toronto Airport when I received the Visitor Record. I was told to submit the paper to CA customs when I leave, or apply for an extension of a TRV. The leave by date was Aug 16, approximately one month later.

As for the length of a visit, every time I have traveled to Canada (by flight and car, from the US and France) I have been asked how long I intend to stay in Canada. Do not lie. Give a specified date of departure (Sunday or May 31) or length of stay (4 days, long weekend) and be able (if flying) to back it up. You can change your plans once you are here.
 
I

iarblue

Guest
Avisitors record goes in a file at the border under your passport so immigration can track your moves in and out of Canada be very carefull of this as it could be a border stopper.It varies in legnth it could be for weeks months days what ever they feel you need so if you say your coming to complete a PR you will be sent home,if you say your coming to visit your wife while your PR is being processed again you will be sent home.
As said so many times in this website/forum if it was as easy as coming to the border and they just let you in to spend the time while the PR is in process then we would all have been doing it but this is not the case it is not that easy.So all you can do is go to the border and see what happens.
 

BeShoo

Champion Member
Jan 16, 2010
1,212
36
Gatineau
Category........
Visa Office......
CPP-Ottawa
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
29-01-2014
AOR Received.
28-02-2014
File Transfer...
03-03-2014
Med's Request
19-06-2014
Med's Done....
07-08-2014
Interview........
None
VISA ISSUED...
02-04-2015
LANDED..........
13-04-2015
concorde411 said:
1. Has anyone heard of a VISITOR RECORD? I heard that if you arrive into Canada with your married or common law spouse and you provide proof of your relantionship, and proof that you either intend or have already applied for PR then the Immigration at the Border will issue you a Visitor Record which will allow you to stay for up to a year (which is hopefully enough time for an application to be processed). Please, if anyone else has heard about this or has gotten approval for Visitor Record than please, share your experience.
I arrived at the border in February with my gay partner who recently lost his job. I helped him move from Florida to his father's place in Pennsylvania, but we only stayed there overnight, and then he came with me across the border. We brought a nearly completed PR application and extensive proof or our relationship. The officer asked for some dates of the history of our relationship, but she was not interested in looking at the forms or any of the proof that we brought. She did ask, "Where is your receipt?" Due to a last-minute mixup, I had not yet paid the fees for the application and I think she doubted that we were serious about applying, so be sure to pay the application fees online before you get to the border and have a copy of that receipt with you.

When asked the purpose of the visit, I told the primary officer (out on the road) that my passenger was my conjugal partner and that he was coming to visit while we waited for the the results of his PR application. She asked how long he wanted to visit and he told her 6 months, but the secondary agent in the little building only gave him 3 months due to "insufficient ties to the U.S." She urged us to "at least send the sponsorship application" as soon as possible but I don't think she knew much about how the process works because you can't send the sponsorship portion by itself. He judgement of insufficient ties was based on the fact that he had no job, no property (or even cash), it was doubtful if he really had a stable place to live. (Moving back to his father's place was a bit more of a backup plan than his preferred place of living, which is with me and I think she could see that.)

What proof did you provide to convince the Border Agent? What are the do's and don'ts?
The border agent was mainly looking for the receipt of fees paid. She was also disappointed that we had not already sent in the application. (We couldn't because we were waiting for an FBI check, which takes 8 to 10 weeks and the situation where he finally made the decision to leave at that time came up rather suddenly.) You are looking to visit (temporarily). What they always want in that situation is to believe that you will not stay permanently (you have property, family obligations, work commitments, etc., that will compel you to return at the end of the visit), that you have financial resources (either your own or your partner's to support you during your visit), and the means to leave Canada at the end of the visit. They also need to be convinced that you have the financial means to support yourself so that you will have no temptation to work illegally in Canada.

They know that you can ask for an extension of your stay and they will probably explain to you how to apply for an extension. They could give you a visitor record for a year, but they are advised to only give more than 6 months in very unusual circumstances. If your application is at some level of processing when you ask for an extension, you may get a one-year extension at that time, if they feel you may need it. Keep in mind that 80% of applications are processed through Buffalo in about 5 to 10 months (plus a month or 2 for sponsor approval in Mississauga). Allowing you a one-year visit would be excessive if your whole application only took 6 months (and some even take less).

In other "dos and don'ts" you should bring an appropriate amount of clothes for a stay of a few months, not too much and not too little. Under no circumstances should you bring furniture or other such possessions that would wouldn't normally take on a vacation (even if it is a long vacation). We had the car tightly stuffed with clothes and bedding and all the food from his kitchen (even the stuff from the fridge). We were just lucky that they didn't decide to inspect the contents of the car, because repacking it afterwards would have been very difficult and time-consuming. We had things stuffed into every crack and crevice. My partner kept saying as we went through his stuff, "This could be useful," and I kept saying, "But we don't have room in the car for that." He moved out of his apartment and we left a lot of things in a storage room in Florida. We also dropped off a large box of summer clothes at his dad's in Pennsylvania to give us a little more room in the car and so we could legitimately say that he moved things there. The problem is that he is on "implied status" since we just applied for an extension, and we won't likely have an answer until the end of June. In the meantime, he hasn't got many summer clothes and he loses his visitor status if he goes to the States during this time (and could even have trouble after he gets his extension). So, don't bring too many clothes, but try to bring some for various weather conditions.

2. I just heard that if you want to stay for 6 months in Canada that it is reccomended that you not
inform the agent that you intend to stay that long and to simply apply for an extension after you crossed
the border. Anyone else hear this? Please share some of your experiences.
Always be honest. If they feel that you are lying, being evasive, or hiding something, they have the authority to ban you from visiting Canada for up to 2 years. That being said, if a U.S. citizen is coming for a short visit and it is clear that they will return back to their home and job etc. afterwards, they will usually be given 6 months. This is normally indicated by the passport stamp, but it's not quite as well documented when it comes to requesting an extension, so they will normally issue a VR if they think you might later be asking for an extension.
 

sbwv09

Hero Member
Feb 18, 2010
869
42
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
Buffalo/NYC
App. Filed.......
May 17, 10
File Transfer...
June 22, 10/August 31, 10 (to NYC)
Med's Done....
April 6, 10
Passport Req..
September 13, 10
VISA ISSUED...
9/28, Received 10/21
LANDED..........
10/22/10
A visitor's record can be a good thing since you can use it to prove when you entered Canada if you need to apply for an extention. That said, you don't HAVE to have that or a passport stamp or anything if you need to get an extention. I probably wouldn't come right out and ask for one. If they want to give you one, get it. If they don't, don't push it. As with beshoo's case, they can give you a shorter amount of time than 6 months. If they just let you in, you have 6 months.

Also keep in mind that any kind of visitors visa or exention is invalid after you leave Canada. It won't help you get back in.

You don't have to lie outright, but you can just say you are visiting for 'a few weeks' or something and if they come right out and ask you, tell the truth. I am a teacher and I plan on saying I'm visiting during my summer break... things like that. They won't turn you away outright if you say you are planning on visiting for six months to wait on PR, but you will get a lot of questions, so be prepared for that.