Supervisa question about the 2-year period of staying

[huntkey]

Need some advice here...

So my mother-in-law applied and got PG-1 category supervisa with expiry date some time in 2021. She first came under the visa in Feb 2015. She got a stamp of two years which was great. Then she left in Feb 2016 (so after one year of staying) for her home country. She then stayed in her home country for 2 months and returned to Canada in April. However the officer this time only gives a stamp with the exactly the same last day (Feb 2017) as the first time. Does it sound about right? We thought that she would get a new 2-year period again.. Or the worst case, the two-month period in her home country should not count so she should be able to stay till Apr 2017.

Both times she has valid insurance proof.

Ok so no big deal if she has to go back to her home country in Feb 2017. However can she still return with this visa? Is the visa only good for two years in total??

Thank you!

 

[mikeymyke]

For supervisas, the 2 year thing is the MAXIMUM allowable length of stay per visit. People can get 2 years max, or even as short as a few months, depending on the risk of the applicant overstaying. Border officers tend to frown upon people who leave Canada, and then attempt to re-enter after just a brief absence from Canada. It makes them think the person is trying to live in Canada on a more long term basis rather than being just a temporary stay.

The officer probably gave her 2 years on her first trip since she doesn't pose an overstay risk, but after seeing her trying to reenter so quickly, they decided to limit her stay to just a year.

 

[huntkey]

For supervisas, the 2 year thing is the MAXIMUM allowable length of stay per visit. People can get 2 years max, or even as short as a few months, depending on the risk of the applicant overstaying. Border officers tend to frown upon people who leave Canada, and then attempt to re-enter after just a brief absence from Canada. It makes them think the person is trying to live in Canada on a more long term basis rather than being just a temporary stay.

The officer probably gave her 2 years on her first trip since she doesn't pose an overstay risk, but after seeing her trying to reenter so quickly, they decided to limit her stay to just a year.

Thank you for your response. So if she leaves in Feb of 2017, and returns immediately within a month, the officer might give her trouble again correct? Any length of period would you suggest for staying in her home country before coming to Canada again in this case?

 

[huntkey]

Is it possible to extend the stay of the super-visa by another year or so? Thanks!

 

[scylla]

Is it possible to extend the stay of the super-visa by another year or so? Thanks!

It's possible to apply for an extension. Whether that extension is approved is a separate matter.

 

[scylla]

Thank you for your response. So if she leaves in Feb of 2017, and returns immediately within a month, the officer might give her trouble again correct? Any length of period would you suggest for staying in her home country before coming to Canada again in this case?

Yes - this could cause issues and it's possible she could be denied re-entry since it will look like she's attempting to live in Canada on a visitor visa. She should remain outside of Canada for 6-8 months.