Help, overstayed visitors Visa!

[Claudette29]

Hey everyone!

I came to Canada using my American green card which allows me to stay for 6 months at most. I have over stayed for over a year, I have to leave Canada due to personal reasons.

Here's the thing, I am trying to leave without getting 'in trouble' with the U.S. I know that I'm already 'in trouble' with Canada, they won't let me back in if I was to try to come back. My worry is the U.S.

I read somewhere on this website that, Canada has no exit control so what I can do is catch a direct flight to my home country which in this case would be Mexico (I have a Mexican passport) and I wouldn't have an issue with immigration leaving, is this true?

Can anyone confirm this or offer any information or advice? Thank you all so much in advance.

 

[txboyscout]

Hey everyone!

I came to Canada using my American green card which allows me to stay for 6 months at most. I have over stayed for over a year, I have to leave Canada due to personal reasons.

Here's the thing, I am trying to leave without getting 'in trouble' with the U.S. I know that I'm already 'in trouble' with Canada, they won't let me back in if I was to try to come back. My worry is the U.S.

I read somewhere on this website that, Canada has no exit control so what I can do is catch a direct flight to my home country which in this case would be Mexico (I have a Mexican passport) and I wouldn't have an issue with immigration leaving, is this true?
Can anyone confirm this or offer any information or advice? Thank you all so much in advance.

You are correct

 

[scylla]

Canada has no exit controls - however I don't see how this solves your problem with the US.

You are right to be worried about your green card status. By staying out of the US for a year and a half, you have effectively lost your green card status. Whether you entered Canada by land or airplane - your green card would have been swiped by Canadian immigration control upon entry. The US and Canada share these records. This means that when you re-enter the US, there's a good possibility they will know when you left based on the date when you entered Canada. I'm assuming you did not apply for a re-entry permit before leaving the US (the re-entry permit would have allowed you to remain outside of the US for over a year). If not, then you should expect there may be serious problems when you attempt to re-enter the US and there's certainly a chance your green card may be taken away from you on the spot.

I'd recommend that you move over to the US immigration forum below and ask your remaining questions there since your problem is really with US immigration (not Canada):

http://forums.immigration.com/forum.php?s=e24b4339ac4bc3632ea9e0e6a14f0c89

Go with the "Life After the Green Card" section of the forum. That's where you'll find information most relevant to your current situation.