Coming to Canada to get married, what to tell Immigration Officers?

[MrScarface]

Hey just a quick question, my fiancee were discussing if there could be any problem for me to come to Canada.
The plan is i get there on a tourist visa for 6 months and we live together for a few months and prepare the wedding which will be towards the end of my tourist visa.
Now what do I tell the Immigration Officers when i arrive to Canada, obviously without a flight back?

Should i be honest and tell them im coming here to marry my fiancee and apply for PR?
Or just something else like im just gonna travel around or visit my fiancee?

 

[bigredmoose]

Tell them the truth.

Having said that, you must be aware that you can not simply move here like that. If you show up at the border without looking like you intend to leave, you can expect to be turned back. Furthermore, some airlines will not allow you to board without a return ticket if you don't have status in the country you're going to.

You need to demonstate to the CBSA that you understand this is a visit, that you will leave within 6 months and that you have significant ties back home (job, home). Anything that goes counter to that and you will likely have problems.

 

[Rob_TO]

CBSA will usually only grant 6 months of visitor status upon entry to Canada, so you need to be prepared to leave Canada after 6 months. This means having a return airplane ticket in hand. In many cases CBSA doesn't even bother to check return tickets, but sometimes they do. Up to you if you want to be overly prepared or not.

Then once in Canada, there is no problem to apply for visitor extensions to stay longer than 6 months.

 

[kaosezmu]

I think they will mainly ask you where you live, why you're here and when you say "wedding"...then they will follow-up with whether you intend to live in Canada after the wedding. If that's the case, then you could run into problems because that's not "visitor behavior" It depends on the immigration officer at that point. Especially if you say "live together for a few months before the wedding"

For me, I thought it would be fine to enter as visitor while we sort out the PR stuff. But the immigration officer on one of our re-entries back into Canada flagged me and said that I needed to change my visitor status (request to extend, have the PR sponsorship in the system, etc) since we are essentially intending to live in Canada together. He said it doesn't matter that as a US citizen I'm granted 6 months without a visa because my intent is not "visiting." Soooo...yeah.

I think if you have a ticket out of Canada for after the wedding (i.e. honeymoon or back home), you can more easily prove that you are just a visitor. Or that the two of you plan to move elsewhere, if that's the case.

At worst case scenario, if you run into problems (like I did on my last re-entry), hopefully you'll be granted a visitor record and you can apply for things from inside Canada.

Good luck!

 

[MrScarface]

So whats the verdict here then?
This seems kinda like a problem, i mean how can i make sure I'm even able to get into the country?

Right now we are planning that i come to visit in June/July for like two weeks, go back and then come September/October i'd come back and this time i'd stay longer, we're planning the wedding for either December or January and then as soon as that is done we're applying for the sponsorship which gives me implied status and then i'm good and i won't leave the country during that simply cause its too risky.

Now when I came to canada on a working holiday visa 1 1/2 years ago i didnt have a flight back home either and they didnt even ask me about that or checked if i had sufficient funds to buy a flight back.

Would it be better to have a ticket for a flight back lets say 5 months later or so and then say I'm getting married here and after that my wife and i are gonna travel around Canada.

But then if the officer asks me what we are going to do then after the marriage, with me flying back home, for example if my wife would come with me, should i just say yes and tell him we are planning to move to Germany after even if that is not the case?

 

[zainy]

So whats the verdict here then?
This seems kinda like a problem, i mean how can i make sure I'm even able to get into the country?

Right now we are planning that i come to visit in June/July for like two weeks, go back and then come September/October i'd come back and this time i'd stay longer, we're planning the wedding for either December or January and then as soon as that is done we're applying for the sponsorship which gives me implied status and then i'm good and i won't leave the country during that simply cause its too risky.

Now when I came to canada on a working holiday visa 1 1/2 years ago i didnt have a flight back home either and they didnt even ask me about that or checked if i had sufficient funds to buy a flight back.

Would it be better to have a ticket for a flight back lets say 5 months later or so and then say I'm getting married here and after that my wife and i are gonna travel around Canada.

But then if the officer asks me what we are going to do then after the marriage, with me flying back home, for example if my wife would come with me, should i just say yes and tell him we are planning to move to Germany after even if that is not the case?

Hi,

I was in a similar situation as well. I know everyone has different experiences with the immigration officer, so this is what I went through.

I was working in the US (however, I am not a US citizen) so my fiance and I used to visit each other every month without a problem. When asked why I was entering Canada, I would say to visit my fiance and I would be good to go. I always had a return ticket but was never asked for it.

We scheduled our wedding in Toronto in June of last year so I entered Canada on May 21st with my mom because like yourself, I had intended to get married and then work on filing the paperwork with my significant other whilst living in Canada. When I entered on May 21st, I did NOT have a return ticket and if asked, I was prepared to answer the question. However, I wasn't asking for any documents etc., and when asked the reason for my visit, I simply said. "To visit family", which in my case was true as my grandmother, and a lot of my extended family resides in Canada.

I did NOT bring more than one suitcase - the rest of my family was flying in for my wedding, so they were going to bring the rest of my bags. A couple of things to note in my case are the following:

1. I was traveling with my mom who is older and was on a wheelchair
2. I did not bring more than one suitcase
3. I have several TRVs on my passport because I have traveled to Canada to visit family since I was a child
4. I was entering from the US

To be honest, I think the above played some part in my easy entry into Canada. Or, the officer was just having a good day. Either way, I am thankful. \

I have heard of some great stories and some horror ones. No one can guarantee what your experience is going to be like therefore, I would just suggest that you be prepared to answer any questions and convince the officer that you are not permanently moving here. You are visiting on a visitor visa. That is what you need to stick by.

Once you're in Canada, you can extend your visitor status by applying for a visitor record. I have successfully applied for it twice and gotten it without a problem.

I wish you all the best!

 

[MrScarface]

Once you're in Canada, you can extend your visitor status by applying for a visitor record. I have successfully applied for it twice and gotten it without a problem.

I wish you all the best!

Just a quick check to make sure i understood it right:

Once i am in the country on a visitor visa and we apply for the pr, am I automatically on implied status until the pr is granted or do i have to always extent my visitor visa, like what you are saying with that visitor record?

 

[zainy]

Just a quick check to make sure i understood it right:

Once i am in the country on a visitor visa and we apply for the pr, am I automatically on implied status until the pr is granted or do i have to always extent my visitor visa, like what you are saying with that visitor record?

This is a subject I am not completely familiar with but I believe implied status is applicable to only inland applicants. I am applying via the outland route. Hopefully, some of the older members on this forum can chime in.

 

[MrScarface]

This is a subject I am not completely familiar with but I believe implied status is applicable to only inland applicants. I am applying via the outland route. Hopefully, some of the older members on this forum can chime in.

Okay no problem, i found help in another thread.
But thanks for your help!


To get back the the main topic:
Are here more people who can help me out?
Maybe even tell me how they did it?

I mean ive read about cases where people from countries who even need to apply for a visitor visa, came to Canada with the plan to marry or came with their canadian spouse and in my opinion then its even more obvious that you have no intent in going back again and those people got into the country without a problem!
TLC even has a show called 90 day fiance in which foreigners come to the US, often meet their fiance for the first time in person and they end up marrying withing those 90 days visitor visa. How do those people come into the country when their only intention is getting married and staying in the US?


Plus does anyone know if the immigration officers type your reason of visit into your file on the computer or anything and when applying the CIC could find out that for example i told them im just here to visit friends or to travel and then ended up marrying?

 

[maple15]

Hi MrScarface, did you find out any other information in regards to your question?

I am also getting married in Canada this year, very soon in August, and then applying for PR. I am quite concerned about what boarder officers will ask me when I arrive in July! I will hopefully have a working holiday visa when I arrive, but the processing of these is very delayed this year. Anyway, I will arrive with a return ticket as I will need to leave and go home to visit family around Christmas.

Anyway, very curious to hear from others who 'told the truth' to border security, saying they were getting married and then applying for PR.

 

[canvis2006]

For visitors arriving on a visa, i'm sure airline requires a return ticket...

 

[scylla]

TLC even has a show called 90 day fiance in which foreigners come to the US, often meet their fiance for the first time in person and they end up marrying withing those 90 days visitor visa. How do those people come into the country when their only intention is getting married and staying in the US?

Apples and oranges - you can't use this as a comparison. The US has a fiance visa (Canada does not). Once approved, the US fiance visa allows someone to enter the US specifically to get married - the stipulation being that they must get married in 90 days. This is what the TLC show is all about. But again, apples and oranges since Canada does not have this class of visa.

 

[scylla]

For visitors arriving on a visa, i'm sure airline requires a return ticket...

100% correct. The vast majority of airlines won't let you board the flight to Canada without a return ticket.

 

[Amalthea]

Just a quick check to make sure i understood it right:

Once i am in the country on a visitor visa and we apply for the pr, am I automatically on implied status until the pr is granted or do i have to always extent my visitor visa, like what you are saying with that visitor record?

What country are you applying from ? US? if you're applying US you should probably consider the pros and cons of applying Outland vs Inland. Outland is generally suggested because it has way, way, shorter wait times from start to finish. You can apply Outland from within Canada, and yes, you have to extend your visitor visa. However, they often grant a year or more for those who have PR applications in process. Outland you are not eligible for an open work permit. Inland you are, but Inland wait times are astronomical. We're talking years. Ottawa is processing Outland applications in 4-10 mos. It fluctuates throughout the year. 10 is the longest I've seen, 2 mos being the shortest (rarely we will see apps are held in Mississauga and approved in 2 mos). So 4-10 would be a realistic guess for Outland wait times, vs 27 (?) i believe for Inland. Also with Inland it is advised that you do not leave the country, as you jeopardize your application. That's a long time to stay in Canada! Outland saves you your freedom to travel home, if you need to care to family or what have you.

You will need to convince the officer you are visiting. If you're flying, this would be a return ticket, as others have stated. They usually ask me where I work, where I live, how long I'm staying, etc.. I always wipe my phone because sure, I told my friends I was moving to Canada, and I don't want the officer to come across that. With them it's always visiting! I said I was visiting for 3 weeks and they sent me on my way. Been here since February finishing up my Outland application. I actually applied while I was in the States, kept working for a bit and then came up to Canada towards the end to be with my partner. Outland gives you lots of freedom.

 

[maple15]

Could someone assist me with the questions below? I'm sorry if I have hijacked this thread from the original author.

1. Would a return ticket to leave 5 months after arriving in Canada be suspicious to border officials?
2. I plan to purchase a separate return ticket to my one way ticket (if that makes sense - i.e. a return ticket with a different airline). Would this also raise suspicions?
3. Can you pay your PR application fees 3 months early, as evidence that you are doing the right thing and applying for PR? I'm arriving from Australia in July and our marriage is not until August and I think it will take a month for the official marriage certificate to be posted. (We are relying on the marriage certificate to apply for PR)

Thanks so much.