2 Brits, 2 Thai Dogs, 6 Months Stay in Canada, Crossing US Land Border

[britcouple]

Hi,

I'm hoping someone can give me some advice on a somewhat complicated situation...

My partner and I have been travelling the world for 16 months. We are currently in the US but would like to cross the Seattle border and go through to Vancouver at the begginning of July. Am I right in thinking that we can cross the border to get a 3 month visa exemption and then, once there, we can apply to get an extension for 3 months? Should we show proof of return flight back to the UK when we cross the border? If so, should we get a refundable ticket showing a departure 3 months after the crossing or for 6 months after, when we plan to leave?

Another issue is we have two dogs who we adopted in Thailand and brought to the US. Is it ok to take them with us when we cross the border or should we leave them with a friend in Seattle, cross the border, get our visas stamped for 3 months and then go back a day later to pick up the dogs and bring them over the border when we already have the stamped visa exemptions? Or would this be futile as we'd still have to explain them and it would be like entering for the first time anyway as it would only be a day later.

Thanks for anyone who may be able to help

 

[scylla]

I would leave the dogs in the US period. As Brits, you are permitted to visit Canada for up to six months on your passports alone. However when you pass through Canadian immigration, you must convince the immigration officers that your intentions are to visit Canada only and you have no plans on remaining long term (overstaying the allowed time of your visit). The immigration officers have the power to allow you into Canada for the full six months, allow you in but for a shorter visit or deny you entry. The dogs will likely raise a red flag to immigration officials since people typically do not bring pets when they are visiting Canada as tourists only (pets are typically brought in by those looking to settle permanently).

Your plan of entering Canada without the dogs and then returning a day later to pick them up is definitely futile. When you enter Canada the second time, you will be entering the country again as if it was the first time. If anything, I think entering once and then returning to pick up pets will raise even more red flags than bringing the dogs along on your first trip (it will look like you're trying to pull a fast one).

If you cannot / will not travel without the dogs, take them with you the first time you enter Canada and hope for the best.

 

[britcouple]

Thanks for the advice. We definitely won't be leaving the dogs in the US as they've been our family for a year now. I guess we will have to drive over and hope for the best. If they see that we have been travelling so much, hopefully they will believe that we have no intention of staying, especially as I have a business back in the UK which I have to return to.

Do you know if, were we to be denied entry, this would affect entering Canada at a later date? Is there for example anything stamped on your passport denying entry? We will still have a month on our US visa so could go back to Seattle and then fly to Vancouver with the dogs from there a week or two later if we're denied at the land border. This way, we would pass immigration on our own and then pick the dogs up afterwards at baggage claim, like we did when we arrived in the US.