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Should I tell immigration I'm visiting my husband in Canada?

Nov 2, 2016
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I last visited Canada mid-February to April of this year (on TRV) and got married to my long-term boyfriend in Ontario. I had to return home to the Philippines at the end of April but plan to return to Canada in early June so we can get the whole PR process started.

Now, based on experience flying to Canada multiple times, immigration officers there haven't really been too overbearing when it comes to entering the country. It's mainly pre-departure/local (Philippine) immigration that I'm concerned about because I've had an unpleasant experience with them in the past. (Long story short: they got suspicious about me visiting my long-term boyfriend despite my prior record of trips and this suspicion also prompted them to ask questions about unemployment).

A couple of concerns:
  • Should I reveal I am visiting my husband instead of saying "friends" (which I do have in Canada) or even "boyfriend"? For some reason, I'm concerned they will find it suspicious that I'm visiting someone I'm already married to as a visitor so I'd love it if someone shared their experience with this.
  • Related: Do you recommend I even mention entering the country with dual intent (visiting and applying for PR)? On one hand, I've read people having the misfortune of speaking to officers who don't find this acceptable and turned them away (despite it being perfectly legal and valid). On the other hand, I'd rather not lie nor cover up the truth, especially since dual intent is actually valid. I should also mention that part of the reason why I am cautious is that I am currently unemployed. I worked for over a year at our family business but wasn't really paid or put on the business permit or whatever so I don't have much to show regarding that. My husband now supports me but since I am coming to Canada "as a visitor", they might still ask for proof of ties to my home country. Note: I bought a return ticket anyway to show them.
  • Will the fact that I was just there about a month ago pose any issues? Will they even know this without me telling them? I am assuming, though, that if I tell them I'm visiting my husband, they'll ask when and where we got married and they'll find out I was there recently anyway.

As you can tell, I'm super anxious about re-entering even though I intend to enter legally. Just worried about nitpicky immigration officers, is all. Thank you in advance!
 
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