Julie0430 said:
Hi MK1988!!! I'm so glad I found you, my bf is American and we've been doing the long distance thing for 3.5 years now. We're getting ready for him to come live with me at the end of December in hopes that we can get someone to offer him a job.Can I ask what is that you did when you arrived here? What did you tell the customs officer? I'm afraid that if he tells them he wants to just come here to visit me for six months they will say no and not let him in. Did they stamp your passport (Expiry date Feb09) or is that just 6 months after you arrived? Any thoughts/advise would be greatly appreciated!
You would think it would be a lot easier for us to be with our sig. others since our 2 countries are next door to each other.
hi
My situation is sort of different than most probably are so I'll just tell you what I've done so far.
I had known my boyfriend for about two years and I decided to come live with him. He lived in PEI but was going to move to BC for a job. I flew to PEI to visit him for a couple weeks (trial run of sorts to make sure things were going to go well) and then we left for BC. Since I lived in Wisconsin we drove though the states. We did run into a bit of trouble coming into the US because customs thought he was going to try to stay illegally with me in Wisconsin (luckily he had a contract from the employer he was moving for so it all worked out). We went to Wisconsin and stayed there a week so that he could meet my family. When we got to the border in Montana (we went to Coutts/Sweetgrass) we explained that I was planning on moving into Canada to be with him, and we were sent inside where we were both questioned (things like money, your relationship with the person, family matters) and then I was given a 6 month Visitor Record. That's just a form they staple into your passport explaining that you can stay up to a certain date, usually you can't work or go to school (you just have to get the job offer and work permit seperate). We were just totally honest about what was going on and it worked well for us.
We do know that border patrol usually wants to know why you're coming into canada, how long you plan on staying, and that you will leave at the end of your stay. You might want to bring proof of things such as how you get your funds (from partner, employer, bank statement, etc) or things that prove you still have ties to your home country. I would definitely say it would be easier to be with your boyfriend when he goes through this, but in the event that that would be impossible, a letter from you can stating an invitation and the situation usually works.
Just be calm and patient, and hope the person you deal with is nice!
also-- I didn't have a whole lot of money when I came into Canada, and my boyfriend had agreed to support me until I get a job. The officer was a bit leery on this, but he showed her his credit card and explained where he obtains funds from and she accepted it.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
