Can only stay in Canada 6 months total in a year? Is this true?
- Thread starter Koishii
- Start date
OOOOOPPPPPPPSSSSSS!!!!! Interesting. So why did you get a stamp? Did you travel by air? Because you can just show your driver's license as proof you're an American citizen. CBSA is not normally hard on citizens of countries who do not need visa to enter Canada.Koishii said:But I am an American citizen.Yet I have a stamp in my PP. Very odd. Even more so as they stamped the wrong date, a day earlier than I actually returned.
It is interesting indeed. I did travel by air. I couldn't remember why, I wasn't paying any attention to the process as it wasn't important to me at the time and was pretty clueless about travel norms. I was under the assumption everyone would need to see my passport, so I presented it whenever I thought necessary. So, as a US citizen who travels outside the country, upon returning I don't need to present my passport? I can simply show my drivers license if asked for ID?job_seeker said:
I definitely need to show my passport to enter Canada when traveling by air though, right?
Hmmm. I thought it would because coming back from Mexico to the US a few years back all my friends needed to show were their driver's licenses (of course, I showed my passport because I am not an American citizen).PMM said:
Koishii said:
I think citizens don't get their passports stamped but immigrants (GC holders) gets passports stamped upon arrival.
fruittropics & PMM,
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll let my fiancee know to just say she is visiting her "boyfriend" as I don't want to give them the idea that she will overstay. I'll make sure that she has a booked return ticket as well, just to make things simple. I also appreciate the info on your visits to Canada.
Thanks again!
Thanks for the info. I guess I'll let my fiancee know to just say she is visiting her "boyfriend" as I don't want to give them the idea that she will overstay. I'll make sure that she has a booked return ticket as well, just to make things simple. I also appreciate the info on your visits to Canada.
Thanks again!
maximum time a visitor can stay in Canada for 6 months within a year?
My girlfriend had recently encountered problem when re-entered Canada by land from USA.She stayed in Canada from March 2016 until September 2016 [about 6 months in Canada] and returned to her home country where she stayed about 3 weeks and re-entered |Canada in October 2016 without problem at the airport. Then she went to USA for just one day in December 2016 [2 months in Canada}. However, upon return to Canada, she was questioned and warned by the customs officers that she stayed more than 6 months in total within a year in Canada, thus circumventing the visitor status!
Question: is it true a visitor can only stay in Canada for 6 months [in one single visit or accumulative visits within a year] ?
Can anyone provide the correct and affirmative answer?
My girlfriend had recently encountered problem when re-entered Canada by land from USA.She stayed in Canada from March 2016 until September 2016 [about 6 months in Canada] and returned to her home country where she stayed about 3 weeks and re-entered |Canada in October 2016 without problem at the airport. Then she went to USA for just one day in December 2016 [2 months in Canada}. However, upon return to Canada, she was questioned and warned by the customs officers that she stayed more than 6 months in total within a year in Canada, thus circumventing the visitor status!
Question: is it true a visitor can only stay in Canada for 6 months [in one single visit or accumulative visits within a year] ?
Can anyone provide the correct and affirmative answer?
Re: maximum time a visitor can stay in Canada for 6 months within a year?
Whether there is such a firm accumulation rule or not I cannot answer but her current stays as a visitor would have raised a few red flags and maybe going to the US for a day in hindsight was not the best thing to have done. Staying in country probably would have been ok at least until the next time she left and came back assuming a more extended time away than just 3 weeks although may still have issues about intentions as a visitor but each visit is assessed by CBSA at the time whether a valid visit or not.
It would not surprise me if there were such a rule somewhere although probably like you I looked and could not find anything specific about accumulating visitor stays in Canada whereas other countries have specific statements. It makes sense else everyone would just come and go as a visitor when in fact they are trying to live in the country even if not working.
Maybe someone else will read this and show a link for a rule about accumulating stays in a year but tends to be up to the CBSA officer processing a traveller at the time how convinced they are about intentions, whether they have a return ticket, sufficient funds and didnt show up with 5 suitcases.
By the way people do use the extend stay as a visitor process which could imply there is no such accumulation rule if due process is followed but that i think is an in Canada already process not for a new entry.
Personal view but CBSA probably looked at her travel and stays in country first 6 months, a 3 week break, then possibly plan for another 6 months and assessed she was probably trying to live in the country on a visitor status.Bravoamigo said:
My girlfriend had recently encountered problem when re-entered Canada by land from USA.She stayed in Canada from March 2016 until September 2016 [about 6 months in Canada] and returned to her home country where she stayed about 3 weeks and re-entered |Canada in October 2016 without problem at the airport. Then she went to USA for just one day in December 2016 [2 months in Canada}. However, upon return to Canada, she was questioned and warned by the customs officers that she stayed more than 6 months in total within a year in Canada, thus circumventing the visitor status!
Question: is it true a visitor can only stay in Canada for 6 months [in one single visit or accumulative visits within a year] ?
Can anyone provide the correct and affirmative answer?
Whether there is such a firm accumulation rule or not I cannot answer but her current stays as a visitor would have raised a few red flags and maybe going to the US for a day in hindsight was not the best thing to have done. Staying in country probably would have been ok at least until the next time she left and came back assuming a more extended time away than just 3 weeks although may still have issues about intentions as a visitor but each visit is assessed by CBSA at the time whether a valid visit or not.
It would not surprise me if there were such a rule somewhere although probably like you I looked and could not find anything specific about accumulating visitor stays in Canada whereas other countries have specific statements. It makes sense else everyone would just come and go as a visitor when in fact they are trying to live in the country even if not working.
Maybe someone else will read this and show a link for a rule about accumulating stays in a year but tends to be up to the CBSA officer processing a traveller at the time how convinced they are about intentions, whether they have a return ticket, sufficient funds and didnt show up with 5 suitcases.
By the way people do use the extend stay as a visitor process which could imply there is no such accumulation rule if due process is followed but that i think is an in Canada already process not for a new entry.
Re: maximum time a visitor can stay in Canada for 6 months within a year?
There's no black and white six month rule. However as a visitor, you should be spending more time outside of Canada than inside of Canada each year. It's not at all surprising your girlfriend has run into issues given her travel pattern. What your girlfriend is doing is attempting to live in Canada as a visitor which is technically an abuse of visitor privileges. Now that she has had issues once at the border, she is most likely flagged in the system and should expect issues in the future unless she remains outside of Canada for six or more months before attempting to return. If she wants to stay longer, you would be better off applying for an extension from within Canada rather than attempting another border run (higher chance of approval applying for an extension). What are your long term plans? Are you aiming to become common law and sponsor her?Bravoamigo said:
My girlfriend had recently encountered problem when re-entered Canada by land from USA.She stayed in Canada from March 2016 until September 2016 [about 6 months in Canada] and returned to her home country where she stayed about 3 weeks and re-entered |Canada in October 2016 without problem at the airport. Then she went to USA for just one day in December 2016 [2 months in Canada}. However, upon return to Canada, she was questioned and warned by the customs officers that she stayed more than 6 months in total within a year in Canada, thus circumventing the visitor status!
Question: is it true a visitor can only stay in Canada for 6 months [in one single visit or accumulative visits within a year] ?
Can anyone provide the correct and affirmative answer?
Hi,
I am navjot kaur,21 years of age. I arrived Canada on 1st September 2016 To visit my husband,who is a student here. I have multiple visa as a visitor for 8 years. Now i am at 25th week of pregnancy. I heard that i have to leave canada before six months,it doesn't matter if i have 8years visa or what.. it is necessary for everyone to leave Canada before 6 months. Is it true? Or just a rumour by people?
I don't want to leave canada during my pregnancy. I have a valid visitor visa for 8 years. I want to give birth to my first child in canada. Do i not allowed to stay here for more than 6 months and give my child birth here? I want to stay with my husband during my pregnancy. I am so worried about if i can give birth to my baby in canada or not,if i have a valid visitor visa though? Please help me out of this tension.
I am navjot kaur,21 years of age. I arrived Canada on 1st September 2016 To visit my husband,who is a student here. I have multiple visa as a visitor for 8 years. Now i am at 25th week of pregnancy. I heard that i have to leave canada before six months,it doesn't matter if i have 8years visa or what.. it is necessary for everyone to leave Canada before 6 months. Is it true? Or just a rumour by people?
I don't want to leave canada during my pregnancy. I have a valid visitor visa for 8 years. I want to give birth to my first child in canada. Do i not allowed to stay here for more than 6 months and give my child birth here? I want to stay with my husband during my pregnancy. I am so worried about if i can give birth to my baby in canada or not,if i have a valid visitor visa though? Please help me out of this tension.
Jalex23
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You can request for a longer stay through an extension of visitor status.Sing0370 said:
But it might very well be refused, as you are here abusing the terms of your stay. A visitor is supposed to be here for a few weeks, maybe a couple of months. You are LIVING with your husband, and now you are pregnant. Most likely CIC would want to be sure you can afford pregnancy costs. Show at least 10K in savings allocated for this. If you have insurance please also include it in your application.