6 month visit

[dancer]

can someone drive across the border from the US, stay for 6 months, go back the US for one day, then return for 6 months? at the border the passports are not stamped, there is no record of the date of entry. I don't want my mother to do something illegal, it just seems it would be so much easier for her to do this than to go through the Super Visa application. I would still have her purchase medical insurance, though.

 

[scylla]

They can try - but there is no guarantee they will be allowed back into Canada. If they are allowed back into Canada, there is no guarantee it will be for another six months.

Generally it's better to apply for an extension from within Canada rather than going to the border - but again, there's no guarantee of approval.

If your mother wants to stay for more than six months, it's really better to apply for a super visa. With a regular visit visa, there's no guarantee she will be able to extend her visit.

FYI - passports are generally scanned at the border and they generally do have a record of most crossings by land.

 

[dancer]

That's a good point, that her passport is scanned when she enters Canada, but how do they know she is here for 6 months? The US scans her passport when she re-enters the US. Do the two border crossing agencies share info?
I find the super visa application process daunting. Is someone supposed to buy medical insurance BEFORE they have been approved? That's crazy.... in my mother's case the insurance is about $7000 p.a. because of her age.

 

[scylla]

Yes - Canada and the US share information. They may also ask her when she was last in Canada and for how long. If she lies, only bad things will come out of that.

Yes - you have to purchase the insurance before they have been approved. If you go ahead with the super visa, you should make sure you're working with an insurance company that will refund your money in the event the super visa is refused.

 

[dancer]

No, lieing is not my thing....
Wow! I didn't know that insurance companies will refund the money if the application is refused. Thank you SO MUCH!
(but I still find the whole process overwhelming...)

 

[dancer]

More questions come up..
can someone apply while visiting in Canada? does the application still go to the appropriate CVAC in the US? Or Ottawa?