Returning to Canada-VISA

[Amalia.S]

Hello everyone!
I m in desperate need of some help.
I m currently in Canada with my Canadian husband and our sponsorship application is being processed outland.
I will be going to Greece, where i m from, for July August and September, and my husband will join me in September.
Now, my question is, how do i safely return to Canada without risking being denied entry?
I wont have a return ticket, and it is likely that my PR card wont be approved yet.
I ll be thankful for any information or help you can provide.

 

[Andre_Smol]

Assuming that you are a Greek citzen, you are visa exempt, so you dont need to apply for anything except eTA to return to Canada.

However, since you are in the process of immigrating to Canada, I would be up front about it at the airport when you land in Canada and make sure you have a good reason for your trip anyway, as I dont think that waiting for PR will be a good enough reason to enter Canada again. That could easily cause problems at the border.

Since one-way flights are usually more expensive than round trips, I would make sure to have areturn ticket to show. You can always just change the date of your return flight once you are in Canada for whenever you plan to visit Greece again. E-tickets are valid fir up to 12 months so you can reschedule your return flight to any date that is up to 12 months after the e-ticket was created.

Even just signing up for language classes in Canada could help your case and show that you have a reason to come back before PR.

In my personal experience, having a good and sensible story to tell and some documentation like private classes, a return ticket and so on, goes a long way with most officers.

Ultimately, they will always tell you it is up to the individual officer to decide so there is always a small chance of being rejected at the border, even if you are well prepared.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I m currently in Canada with my Canadian husband and our sponsorship application is being processed outland.

Now, my question is, how do i safely return to Canada without risking being denied entry?
I wont have a return ticket

No one can ever tell you that you will be able to re-enter but with proof of the PR app and proof of finances, you should have no issues. Visiting your spouse while the sponsorship app processes is a perfectly acceptable reason to come to Canada.

 

[Amalia.S]

Andre_Smol , thank you so much for taking the time to help.

I will be booking a round-trip ticket, but since i m already in Canada, my ticket will be Toronto -> Athens, Athens-Toronto.
So if i want to return to Canada with a return ticket, i would have to buy a one way ticket first to go to Greece, and then a round trip.
My main reason for returning to Canada is to be with my husband.

So i guess what you re saying, is create more ties, more reasons to justify my presence here, right?
My current temporary resident visa says i cant attend courses etc so i never thought of claiming that.

So there is nothing else i can do prior to my landing at the airport to minimize or completely eliminate being denied entry other than having an eTA, for example applying for a temporary resident visa?

Again, thank you.

 

[Amalia.S]

Thank you very much canuck_in_uk !

 

[canuck_in_uk]

So there is nothing else i can do prior to my landing at the airport to minimize or completely eliminate being denied entry other than having an eTA, for example applying for a temporary resident visa?

Again, thank you.

You don't need to worry. CBSA is very lenient with people who have sponsorship apps in progress because they know that you are following the rules to immigrate properly.

You don't qualify for a TRV.

 

[Amalia.S]

So good to hear that canuck_in_uk !

Even without a return ticket? also my application is outland so it's not like i m required to be in Canada!!!

Thank you again!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

So good to hear that canuck_in_uk !

Even without a return ticket? also my application is outland so it's not like i m required to be in Canada!!!

Thank you again!

Lots of people have no issues without a return ticket. My partner entered partway through the process and was never asked for a return ticket. If you are worried, you can buy a fully refundable one-way ticket out of Canada and then cancel it when you get here.

 

[Andre_Smol]

Andre_Smol , thank you so much for taking the time to help.

I will be booking a round-trip ticket, but since i m already in Canada, my ticket will be Toronto -> Athens, Athens-Toronto.
So if i want to return to Canada with a return ticket, i would have to buy a one way ticket first to go to Greece, and then a round trip.
My main reason for returning to Canada is to be with my husband.

So i guess what you re saying, is create more ties, more reasons to justify my presence here, right?
My current temporary resident visa says i cant attend courses etc so i never thought of claiming that.

So there is nothing else i can do prior to my landing at the airport to minimize or completely eliminate being denied entry other than having an eTA, for example applying for a temporary resident visa?

Again, thank you.

I would agree with the other replies, in that your case is pretty good as it is but I would still try to create as many good reasons for your visit as possible, especially without a return ticket. ( i would still suggest getting a ticket, even if you just get a refund for it once you are in Canada. )

I know that some officers dont like it when people try to get into Canada early, while waiting for PR, thereby getting around the wait time, especially if you have already spent a considerable time in Canada over the last couple years. I had a similar issue myself before getting PR after a number of longer stays in Canada and I am also from a visa-exempt country.

So if there is anything you are planning to do as part of improving your chances of getting settled in Canada later, like a language exam, language classes or anything else, sign up for it before you return to Canada so that you can show the paperwork for it.

That way you can claim that as your PR application is in progress, you want to be fully prepared for your life in Canada and want to get certain things done ahead of time, which is why you are back for another visit before getting PR.

Thats the strategy I used myself anyway and it worked out well for me.

You can also show proof for a reason to return to Greece like any appointments there, which would make you return until a specific date, even if it something you could cancel later on if you wanted to.

No matter if you are close to getting PR or not, the requirement for anybody to get temporary resident status is still that it is a visit and that you dont establish a life in Canada as a temporary resident to get around a waiting period for permanent residence.

Just my opinion, as I was in a very similar situation and had issues once, after several longer stays in Canada as a visitor and before getting PR.

Wish you all the best and hope your PR application will progress nicely.

 

[Andre_Smol]

Andre_Smol , thank you so much for taking the time to help.

I will be booking a round-trip ticket, but since i m already in Canada, my ticket will be Toronto -> Athens, Athens-Toronto.
So if i want to return to Canada with a return ticket, i would have to buy a one way ticket first to go to Greece, and then a round trip.
My main reason for returning to Canada is to be with my husband.

So i guess what you re saying, is create more ties, more reasons to justify my presence here, right?
My current temporary resident visa says i cant attend courses etc so i never thought of claiming that.

So there is nothing else i can do prior to my landing at the airport to minimize or completely eliminate being denied entry other than having an eTA, for example applying for a temporary resident visa?

Again, thank you.

One more thing:

Yes, you cannot sign up for university or college courses as a temporary resident without a stufy permit but short one week courses or private classes are ok and you could definitely claim that as your main reason for the visit.

After all, you are on track to get PR and simply want to prepare for it so that you can successfully integrate into Canadian society and learning the language is a big part of that.

 

[Amalia.S]

@canuck_in_uk
ok i see, i keep worrying about it because on my second trip here, i was coming without a return ticket and already at the Athens airport, a security check agent really scared me about being denied entry. Back then of course i wasnt married. so i never took the flight and just booked a new, round trip ticket.
Awful experience though.

@Andre_Smol
You are right, i have been here almost for the entire 2015 and all of 2016, and i will be staying in Greece for 3 months. Thank you for your kind wishes!

Thank you both for all the good advice

 

[Andre_Smol]

@Andre_Smol
You are right, i have been here almost for the entire 2015 and all of 2016, and i will be staying in Greece for 3 months. Thank you for your kind wishes!

Thank you both for all the good advice

I thought so.

It is funny how similar my own situation was. I spent most of 2014 and 2015 in Canada as a temporary resident and that was exactly what caused the problem for me.

My mistake was that I also thought that being from a visa-exempt country would be enough to keep coming back for another visit until I had PR.

However, without a good reason, you really run the risk of the officer looking at it as you establishing a life in Canada without the proper status for it, which is an easy way to get denied entry.

As long as you have a reason for your visit, that isnt just that you want to wait for PR and be with your partner, I dont think you will have any problems but I would really encourage you to have a reason that you can backup with some paperwork.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

However, without a good reason, you really run the risk of the officer looking at it as you establishing a life in Canada without the proper status for it, which is an easy way to get denied entry.

As long as you have a reason for your visit, that isnt just that you want to wait for PR and be with your partner, I dont think you will have any problems but I would really encourage you to have a reason that you can backup with some paperwork.

Visiting the spouse while waiting for PR is a perfectly acceptable reason and used by most people. Frankly, CBSA will know that any other reason is merely a smokescreen for wanting to be in Canada while the app is processed.