US outland applicants' thread :)

[melgolchuk]

It means that they've looked at your file, which is good. Asking you to pay the RPRF is also good, as it tends to mean that they do not see any "red flags" that would warrant rejection.

Obviously, you should submit the documents and RPRF with all deliberate speed.

OK. After the initial excitement of it all the worry started to set in lol. I got it all sent in the same day. Emailed and post.

 

[Evadyrrehs]

We landed yesterday at the Douglas PoE (Peace Arch). I was so nervous, I always am when I cross the border. But they were very friendly.

We rolled up, told them we were landing, and after asking us if we had tobacco, guns etc they had us pull over to the side. When we got up to the counter I explained I had my COPR. He asked about my car and if I was importing it. I said later, as I had only just gotten my title from back home in Oregon. He wasn't bothered by this at all and said I could start the process now, but it didn't matter I could wait. I had pre-filled out my B4's and they only glanced at em. My B4's were extremely vague and in huge groups (Clothes and Costume Jewelry; Household, Decorations, and Art; Computer parts and video games; etc...) but they didn't bat an eye. I did write the serial # for my Viola and my DSLR camera. I didn't bother putting my wedding ring on there and he said it was fine.

They had us go sit down and read some stuff about my PR. Then they called us up, said "welcome! You're officially a permanent resident!" and handed me this freaking cute lil flag on a stick hahahaha. He didn't even read my b4 i don't think. Lol. Just stamped it. They didn't care about it at all. He spent the most time explaining the ins and outs of maintaining permanent residency. how to get my SIN #. And sent us on our way !!!

AWESOME! Congrats Amalthea! Woot! 8) Hmmm??? My wife didn't get a "freaking cute lil flag on a stick" from our Border Agent! What a burn! On our way back to the border now! ;D

 

[Amalthea]

Congratulations! I've updated your row in the Ottawa spreadsheet, since I may as well do something useful with my time.

Out of curiosity, did your ECAS have a delay between "In Process" and DM? I'm in that limbo right now, and gnawing my arm off at the shoulder does not seem like a productive activity.

Thanks! It always gives me so much grief. I changed the colour in the columns I could.

My application never went IP. It went from "Application Received" to DM. I didn't have documents requested of me.

Wish I could give you some answers! Hang in there, you're so close!!

 

[Amalthea]

AWESOME! Congrats Amalthea! Woot! 8) Hmmm??? My wife didn't get a "freaking cute lil flag on a stick" from our Border Agent! What a burn! On our way back to the border now! ;D

haha, WHAT! Those meanies!!!

 

[EmSNYC]

Out of curiosity, did your ECAS have a delay between "In Process" and DM? I'm in that limbo right now, and gnawing my arm off at the shoulder does not seem like a productive activity.

I'm in that limbo too (since June 1) but I figured that they are doing their checks, and since i lived in 3 different countries it might take some time. Then again, every case is different.

 

[Mulez]

We landed yesterday at the Douglas PoE (Peace Arch). I was so nervous, I always am when I cross the border. But they were very friendly.

We rolled up, told them we were landing, and after asking us if we had tobacco, guns etc they had us pull over to the side. When we got up to the counter I explained I had my COPR. He asked about my car and if I was importing it. I said later, as I had only just gotten my title from back home in Oregon. He wasn't bothered by this at all and said I could start the process now, but it didn't matter I could wait. I had pre-filled out my B4's and they only glanced at em. My B4's were extremely vague and in huge groups (Clothes and Costume Jewelry; Household, Decorations, and Art; Computer parts and video games; etc...) but they didn't bat an eye. I did write the serial # for my Viola and my DSLR camera. I didn't bother putting my wedding ring on there and he said it was fine.

They had us go sit down and read some stuff about my PR. Then they called us up, said "welcome! You're officially a permanent resident!" and handed me this freaking cute lil flag on a stick hahahaha. He didn't even read my b4 i don't think. Lol. Just stamped it. They didn't care about it at all. He spent the most time explaining the ins and outs of maintaining permanent residency. how to get my SIN #. And sent us on our way !!!

Awesome! ;D so happy for you! btw, nice picture! It's nice to see a face!

 

[Amalthea]

Awesome! ;D so happy for you! btw, nice picture! It's nice to see a face!

Thank you so much! I think I might make it smaller lol. I post a lot and I don't want my face just like plastering a whole page of conversation!

 

[KelseyTVS]

So my American partner and I will likely be doing an outland application in the next couple of years after we become common law, but I had a few questions, maybe some of you here can help.

1. If she is living with me on visitor status when we apply, should her address on the application be the address in Canada where we live together? Wouldn't CIC want us to do an inland application if we state that she's living in Canada?

2. Is she able to travel between Canada and the USA while the application processes? Could she go back to the USA for a couple of months and work, since she can't work in Canada as a visitor?

3. If she were to go back to the USA and work for say, 4 months, would we lose our common law status?

Thanks!

 

[Majromax]

1. If she is living with me on visitor status when we apply, should her address on the application be the address in Canada where we live together? Wouldn't CIC want us to do an inland application if we state that she's living in Canada?

Yes, it should be the Canadian address. Inland applications are an option, not a requirement for those with legal status in Canada already. Many users here (myself included) submitted outland applications despite living in Canada to take advantage of the faster processing times.

2. Is she able to travel between Canada and the USA while the application processes? Could she go back to the USA for a couple of months and work, since she can't work in Canada as a visitor?

Yes with an outland application; an inland application is void if she resides outside of Canada. An inland application (as of now) offers the possibility of an open work permit after approximately 4 months, when CIC acknowledges receiving the application. However, that is a current pilot project (normally the OWP comes much later with approval in principal), so your mileage may vary if you are not applying for "a couple of years."

How are you supporting her if she's living with you for a long period, but may need to return to the US to work for a few months? One would think that financial issues would either be always apparent (if two incomes were necessary) or not at all (if you could support her with just your income).

3. If she were to go back to the USA and work for say, 4 months, would we lose our common law status?

There would probably be some serious questions about the legitimacy of the relationship under these circumstances. From a hundred miles up, it would look like a relationship of convenience to see a couple apply, then willingly separate for months.

Is there some particular reason that you two are unwilling to consider marriage? That is a permanent legal status not contingent on cohabitation, and it does not come with any regulatory time-frames like a year's living together.

 

[KelseyTVS]

Thanks for replying!

I could support her on only my income. She's just not the type of person who likes to sit idly around, unable to work. She likes to contribute and have something to do, even if it's not necessarily needed.

Yeah, I can definitely see how it would look a little shady to the government if we did that, so we might have to avoid it.

We've talked about getting married for this, but marriage is really important to us. We're both women, and we've had to fight for the right to marry, so we want it to be a bit of a big deal. It just wouldn't feel special enough to get married to get PR easier. The practical part of me wants to do it on paper to make it easier, but the romantic part of me would feel cheated hahaha.

 

[Majromax]

I could support her on only my income. She's just not the type of person who likes to sit idly around, unable to work. She likes to contribute and have something to do, even if it's not necessarily needed.

Right, I understand. If it helps any, visitor status is no barrier to volunteer work. If she has an educational interest, study permits are also a possibility, but of course tuition can be a considerable expense. Depending on her skillset and your location, she may be able to independently get a work permit as an ordinary temporary worker.

We've talked about getting married for this, but marriage is really important to us. We're both women, and we've had to fight for the right to marry, so we want it to be a bit of a big deal. It just wouldn't feel special enough to get married to get PR easier. The practical part of me wants to do it on paper to make it easier, but the romantic part of me would feel cheated hahaha.

Visiting status does not exclude "a bit of a big deal" wedding, if you both are at a point in your relationship where you would like one. At the very least, you have a year or so before common law status (which is defined by a year's conjugal cohabitation in a marriage-like relationship). That's plenty of time to consider what ceremonies you want and when.

In the meantime, if you do decide to go the common-law route I would recommend establishing as integrated a life as possible. CIC looks favourably upon things like shared bank accounts and presenting yourself to others as a couple as evidence that a relationship is genuine. American/Canadian relationships tend to get the benefit of the doubt, but there's little harm in ensuring documentation whilst you're still developing it.

 

[KelseyTVS]

Right, I understand. If it helps any, visitor status is no barrier to volunteer work. If she has an educational interest, study permits are also a possibility, but of course tuition can be a considerable expense. Depending on her skillset and your location, she may be able to independently get a work permit as an ordinary temporary worker.

Visiting status does not exclude "a bit of a big deal" wedding, if you both are at a point in your relationship where you would like one. At the very least, you have a year or so before common law status (which is defined by a year's conjugal cohabitation in a marriage-like relationship). That's plenty of time to consider what ceremonies you want and when.

In the meantime, if you do decide to go the common-law route I would recommend establishing as integrated a life as possible. CIC looks favourably upon things like shared bank accounts and presenting yourself to others as a couple as evidence that a relationship is genuine. American/Canadian relationships tend to get the benefit of the doubt, but there's little harm in ensuring documentation whilst you're still developing it.

Thank you so much for all the advice . We definitely plan to consolidate as much of our lives as possible. We'll join bank accounts and of course add her name to my lease. What do you mean they get the benefit of the doubt? Do Canadian/American applications tend to be approved more often with less proof?

 

[Majromax]

Thank you so much for all the advice . We definitely plan to consolidate as much of our lives as possible. We'll join bank accounts and of course add her name to my lease. What do you mean they get the benefit of the doubt? Do Canadian/American applications tend to be approved more often with less proof?

CIC's interest is in avoiding marriage fraud, where people mock up a relationship for immigration purposes. This tends to not be a concern for American/Canadian relationships for a few reasons:

• Americans generally have the same quality of life as is available in Canada. There's little reason for someone to go to great, fraudulent lengths to seek a "better life" in Canada than they could get in America. Or, as I have put it to my family in the past, people aren't lining up to pole-vault the St. Lawrence River.
• American and Canadian courtships generally follow the same norms. People meet under friendly circumstances, have a deepening relationship based on shared interests, and generally are expressive in public. This contrasts with other cultures which practice arranged marriages or strictly supervised courtships, to the point where a less-than-educated CIC agent can't easily tell if a relationship is normal or a fabrication. At the greatest extreme are couples where a wedding was arranged entirely in advance, where the bride and groom meet in person for the first time at the wedding. Then there may simply be no hard, physical evidence to distinguish a marriage of convenience from one of sincerity.
• Few if any language barriers between the couple and CIC. Few if any of us in this thread will have trouble putting down our feelings or statements in a way that can be understood by CIC agents, unlike couples with little English or French proficiency. We also will typically not need certified translations of documents. (Similarly, there is less likely to be a language barrier within the couple. CIC will rightly wonder how someone who speaks only English can have a valid relationship with someone who speaks only a few words of the language, for example.)
• Last but not least, racism. Although CIC policy is officially race-neutral, I'm sure that not every agent fully shares that view on a subconscious level. Even with the best intentions, a stereotypical 'furriner' couple may see greater scrutiny than would one sufficiently white-bread Canadian. Government rhetoric that emphasizes the "danger" of certain immigrants (niqab ban at the citizenship ceremony, the "Barbaric Cultural Practices" bill, and so on) likely does not help.

Speaking very generally, I do not often recall seeing (on these forums) relationships between US citizens and Canadians being denied on grounds of supposed insincerity.

Best of luck to you both, both as a couple and as a future PR sponsor/applicant!

 

[Caribou]

Thanks for replying!

I could support her on only my income. She's just not the type of person who likes to sit idly around, unable to work. She likes to contribute and have something to do, even if it's not necessarily needed.

Yeah, I can definitely see how it would look a little shady to the government if we did that, so we might have to avoid it.

We've talked about getting married for this, but marriage is really important to us. We're both women, and we've had to fight for the right to marry, so we want it to be a bit of a big deal. It just wouldn't feel special enough to get married to get PR easier. The practical part of me wants to do it on paper to make it easier, but the romantic part of me would feel cheated hahaha.

I so understand your situation.
I literally forced my partner to not go back to US and encouraged online business or freelancing from US company. If you wanna do common law, her going back and forth may not be looking good on paper when you submit your application. We eventually got married cuz it's was not only the right timing and just solved so many legal issues including crossing border every 2 weeks and so forth.
Before we got married, there were always couple of questions asked when crossing border, and now after marriage, NONE. Plus, small things like yWCA family membership or taking advantage of anything family membership is a breeze now.
If you wanna have family eventually, marriied life is awesome.

 

[KelseyTVS]

Thanks for all the help and for explaining everything! People here are so awesome, I'm shocked at how easy it is to get questions answered.

Sometimes I wish we could get married to make it all easier. But since I want a really special marriage, and she's one of those "I won't marry someone until I've been dating them for 7+ years" type of people, common law might have to be the best route for us. Unless I can convince her to do it sooner