Re-entry into Canada for U.S. Citizen...

[rachel85704]

I recently came to Canada from the U.S... I married a Canadian citizen and we're in the process of applying for my citizenship. My mother came with me for a 6 month visit, after which she will return to the U.S.

Here is my question: My mother needs to return to the U.S. temporarily in mid to late April. This was not planned and we only just found out about it. What are the chances of her being allowed back into Canada to continue her visit? Will they give her a hard time about it? We spent several hours at the border when we came here at the end of February convincing the Immigration Official to allow her to cross over for a 6 month visit with me... It was not an easy feat: Apparently our situation was unusual. They don't frequently have mothers trying to cross the border with their newly married daughters for 6 month visits. It was made harder by the fact that my mother doesn't really have any of the ties to the U.S. that they usually look for... But eventually we convinced the Immigration Official to allow her to cross.

Will she have to go through the same process again? How difficult will it be for her to come back and finish her visit after a short trip back to the U.S.? We drove here in her car in February and we'd like for her to be able to fly there and back, with minimal luggage. Is this a good idea? Or should she drive just in case and take her belongings with her? She brought 6 months worth of stuff with her, so that would be a lot to load back into her car (in fact, we mailed a lot of stuff for my move/her visit).. And aside from that, wouldn't it look a bit more suspicious if she were to show up at the same Canadian border with a car-load of belongings?

Any advice would be helpful and appreciated and thanks in advance.

 

[scylla]

Unfortunately it's impossible to say what will happen. However it certainly is possible that she will be extensively questioned again. Or she might not.

It would be better to travel with less luggage. Probably better to fly instead of taking own car. However flying in with minimal personal belongings doesn't guarantee she will be allowed in. It's too bad she can't demonstrate strong ties to the US. That would have been helpful.

No one here is going to be able to tell you what the chances are. There's simply no way to predict that.

Regardless of what you decide to do, make sure you have a back up plan in the event she is not allowed back into Canada or she is allowed in but only for a short visit. Example: if she flies and isn't allowed back in, do you have a way of getting her car and belongings back to her?

Good luck.