Hi all,
I am a British citizen.
This is my third visit to Quebec, I initially stayed from November 2007 - April 2008, returned to the UK for a few weeks before returning to Quebec from May 2008 - November 2008 (after being refused extended stay).
I returned to Quebec on February 19th this year with the intention of staying for another 6 months in accordance with my allowance as a British passport holder.
Unfortunately at customs and immigration I was subjected to a lengthy discussion with an immigration officer and I have had a 1 month limit imposed.
I have a document stapled to my passport stating I must leave by March 22nd.
The immigration officer didn't seem too happy with the fact that I had been spending more time in Canada than the UK and mentioned that I cannot guarantee that I am not working illegally (which, naturally, I insisted is not the case, which it isn't).
I am a recording musician who came out here to begin recording with the financial support of my somewhat unofficial manager/promoter (who is a Canadian citizen living in the USA).
I have legitimate reasons for being here and I am desperate to know if there is any way that I can extend my stay or somehow get around this 1 month restriction.
I have considered options such as visiting the USA and re-entering but I do not know what the result of that would be. Also, the automated immigration phone service says that I can apply for extended stay and I can stay beyond the end of my authorised stay duration while awaiting a decision. But this does not solve my problem because I was refused once before so have no guarantee that this will not happen again.
I can get the full support/sponsorship of Canadian citizens and also do you think it would be beneficial if my manager and I had some kind of formal contract drawn up to gain legal credibility...?
Thank you dearly in advance for any information!
I am a British citizen.
This is my third visit to Quebec, I initially stayed from November 2007 - April 2008, returned to the UK for a few weeks before returning to Quebec from May 2008 - November 2008 (after being refused extended stay).
I returned to Quebec on February 19th this year with the intention of staying for another 6 months in accordance with my allowance as a British passport holder.
Unfortunately at customs and immigration I was subjected to a lengthy discussion with an immigration officer and I have had a 1 month limit imposed.
I have a document stapled to my passport stating I must leave by March 22nd.
The immigration officer didn't seem too happy with the fact that I had been spending more time in Canada than the UK and mentioned that I cannot guarantee that I am not working illegally (which, naturally, I insisted is not the case, which it isn't).
I am a recording musician who came out here to begin recording with the financial support of my somewhat unofficial manager/promoter (who is a Canadian citizen living in the USA).
I have legitimate reasons for being here and I am desperate to know if there is any way that I can extend my stay or somehow get around this 1 month restriction.
I have considered options such as visiting the USA and re-entering but I do not know what the result of that would be. Also, the automated immigration phone service says that I can apply for extended stay and I can stay beyond the end of my authorised stay duration while awaiting a decision. But this does not solve my problem because I was refused once before so have no guarantee that this will not happen again.
I can get the full support/sponsorship of Canadian citizens and also do you think it would be beneficial if my manager and I had some kind of formal contract drawn up to gain legal credibility...?
Thank you dearly in advance for any information!