Decoy24601 said:
The CIC agent wasn't wrong, but it's a little more complicated than s/he said. You have two options. Both ways you should say you are visiting your fiance, because that's the truth. Do not mention money or whether he will be supporting you unless asked. If you really don't have any funds of your own then you could try to have your fiance write you a letter saying he will support all of your needs while you are in Canada with some bank statements showing proof that he has the funds. If you're asked, you could try to prevent that as evidence. Some CBSA officers are fine with this, since the first time I visited my husband back when we were dating I said I was visiting for 3 months. This officer didn't ask about money, only whether or not my boyfriend had a job and where he worked etc. The other CBSA officer I dealt with a few months later wasn't so fond of this. It really depends.
Option 1: Say you would like to visit your fiance and that you will be applying for PR while you are there and would like to visit during that time and ask for the full 6 months. This is riskier, since you haven't actually applied yet and don't have any proof of ties.
Option 2: Say you are "planning" on visiting your fiance for, let's say, 3 weeks or so (pick a timeline and have a return ticket. Plans can change, right?). If they ask about a PR application then tell them and be honest, this will likely just work in your favor. If they ask you about proof of funds, this is where you could have proof that your fiance will support you and see if they accept it. Having a PR application shows CBSA officers that you do intend to immigrate legally, so don't be worried if they ask. Answer honestly. I'd say this option is the safest one.
Being visa-exempt doesn't mean you won't be pulled in for a secondary inspection, so it's best to be prepared for that. What you plan on bringing is fine. I would suggest not bringing any food. You'll have to declare this and trying to bring food into Canada tends to be more hassle than it's worth (that's my opinion). You still can, since it's a treat for your fiance and I get that, just make sure you declare it.
This really boils down to the individual CBSA officer and their mood and how they normally handle this sort of situation. One officer might not question you at all, while another will and then refuse you entry. If this happens it won't negatively affect your PR application even though it's not a pleasant experience. You can always try to visit again.
Edit: By proof of ties to your home country I mean proof of a job/property/lease/utility bills/etc. Things to show as proof that you live in your home country and are obligated to return.
Darn, I was hoping that it wouldn't come down to my 'luck', since I'd be really unlucky to bump into someone that's had a bad day.
I'm just afraid of denying entry, as it'll be 2500$ down the drain immediately. For me, that's a huge amount of money that I've saved, only to be poured down the drain in an instant even though my intentions weren't bad.
I've looked at what foods are prohibited, and I know that snacks such as chocolate and biscuits are fine, but others such as beef jerky are not. Luckily, the only things that he wanted are some NZ branded chocolates, and that's about it. No drinks, meat, plants/vegetables or anything.
I was hoping to just enter and tell them I'm visiting my fiance for 2 weeks, since my return ticket is scheduled for 2 weeks. However, I wanted to get around that and be issued a longer visit pass. At least 1+ month so that I could apply for an extension.
I currently rent a small room in NZ. Pretty much the only thing that I could have as proof would be bank statements with address stated on it. Would that be fine? Since I pay the landlord, and not actual bills from water/electricity companies since the landlord gets the letters, not me.
As Milesaway stated in the first reply, he said that showing up with my belongings and no money is a good way to be sent back home. So right now I'm basically going to try the "I'm visiting for 2 weeks" plan, tell them my fiance is going to support me if they ask that question (the website says that they'll ask me how much money I have, to which I'd have to answer none at hand. This usually leads to another question, "how will you support yourself", right? Then I'll have to say that my fiance will support me.)
Then hope to get at least 1 month+ for visitor's pass, and then go ahead and extend it and go from there in terms of sponsorship.
This whole thing is so complicating. I thought being completely honest is best to go, although I won't lie to the officers, I basically have to tell the borders that I'm visiting, hope that I get someone whose not in a bad mood, get past border, and then apply for sponsorship? Am I getting it right?
I guess the biggest issue now is how would I get a 1 month+ visitor's pass? I've read that normally they would issue you with a 6 month pass, which is best for me, but seeing as how I have a return for 2 weeks later, would they shorten it to only 2 weeks? That would be really bad for me, unless if I could somehow speed up the extension process.
(I'm sorry for asking so many questions. I'm just really nervous and I want the best chances of getting in, since I really don't want to waste 2500$ for no reason.)
