US spouse - visitor record at the border? anyone with experience?

[Caribou]

Hi,
I'm sponsoring US spouse and still haven't decided inland vs outland. (got documents ready but haven't sent)

With new rule re: work permit in 4 mo, I'm tempted to start inland so we can save money on two rents.

For US spouse, I heard from many sources that you can go to the cbsa office at the border and ask for visitor record for 1 yr to bring your spouse.
(I actually talked to someone who is US spouse at cic office while waiting for my new pr card, and he told me he had no problem staying in Canada and crossing the border to visit family in Texas. The couple applied inland and waited for 2 yrs)

Can you ask for visitor record at the border if you're applying for outland? The lease is almost up for my spouse, so I want to make decisions soon.
Anyone with experience in visitor record for their US spouse? Was it inland or outland? Did you bring the car too?
Please share any experience you had, and I'd appreciate it.
TIA!

 

[AmericanGirlinLove]

Hi,
I'm sponsoring US spouse and still haven't decided inland vs outland. (got documents ready but haven't sent)

With new rule re: work permit in 4 mo, I'm tempted to start inland so we can save money on two rents.

For US spouse, I heard from many sources that you can go to the cbsa office at the border and ask for visitor record for 1 yr to bring your spouse.
(I actually talked to someone who is US spouse at cic office while waiting for my new pr card, and he told me he had no problem staying in Canada and crossing the border to visit family in Texas. The couple applied inland and waited for 2 yrs)

Can you ask for visitor record at the border if you're applying for outland? The lease is almost up for my spouse, so I want to make decisions soon.
Anyone with experience in visitor record for their US spouse? Was it inland or outland? Did you bring the car too?
Please share any experience you had, and I'd appreciate it.
TIA!

Hello!

I can only speak on my behalf but I got a pretty good understanding of the process. I am American and being sponsored by my spouse. We applied Outland. I got my first visitor record in October 2013. It lasted 6 months and I simply renewed it at the border. At the time I was living in Windsor and could simply drive to the border within minutes. I was working in the US (Detroit, MI) and crossing everyday with ease. Just showed my passport and visitor record (when crossing back into Canada) and they let me in. About a 20 second process. When my second visitor record expired in October the customs officer renewed it for a year since all my paperwork was sent into CIC.

Sorry if that was too much, but it is a fairly simple process. Just go to the border and ask for one. Explain you situation. I have never had to pay for one so I don't think there is a fee. Hope that helped!

 

[Caribou]

Hello!

I can only speak on my behalf but I got a pretty good understanding of the process. I am American and being sponsored by my spouse. We applied Outland. I got my first visitor record in October 2013. It lasted 6 months and I simply renewed it at the border. At the time I was living in Windsor and could simply drive to the border within minutes. I was working in the US (Detroit, MI) and crossing everyday with ease. Just showed my passport and visitor record (when crossing back into Canada) and they let me in. About a 20 second process. When my second visitor record expired in October the customs officer renewed it for a year since all my paperwork was sent into CIC.

Sorry if that was too much, but it is a fairly simple process. Just go to the border and ask for one. Explain you situation. I have never had to pay for one so I don't think there is a fee. Hope that helped!

Thank you so much for sharing.
I guess my only worry is that my spouse is not working at the moment and wants to stay in Canada for 3 months at least.

 

[rhcohen2014]

Thank you so much for sharing.
I guess my only worry is that my spouse is not working at the moment and wants to stay in Canada for 3 months at least.

there is no reason to ASK for a visitor's record. asking for a visitor's record is asking to be red flagged and put into the CBSA system, which means anytime she crosses, she will probably be sent to secondary.

US citizens can cross without the need to ask for a visitor's record. if she's only planning to stay 3 months, then it's probably not going to be an issue. either wait, cbsa may ask for her to prove ties to the us (This is standard, and they usually only care about employment/housing). IF she plans to go back and forth between the US and CAnada, then she must apply outland. Applying inland as a us citizen right now is not a smart idea. there is still NO proof it "only" takes 4 months to receive an OWP. it is still unknown WHEN the 4 month wait begins. is it when CIC receives the app or when CIC acknowledges the receipt of the app? that is a big difference. until the timeline is accurately proven, it is a bad idea for visa exemptapplicants to apply inland. if she applies inland, she is suppose to stay in canada for her entire process (currenly 2+ years). there is a risk to traveling and leaving (even if it's small), because if she is denied entry, it essentially voids her application. with outland, the process is quicker and there is no issue with traveling. APPLY OUTLAND. don't ASK for a visitor's record. LEt CBSA decide if it's the appropriate action to take. that is their job. it is not your job to say "hey, can you please put me in your system and track my stay in canada because I applied for pr and want to visit my husband." That's essentially what you are doing when you ASK for a visitor's record. to me, that's ridiculous and is not necessary. if your wife is prepared at the border and uses the right language (ie: says she's "Visiting", not "living" or "moving"), then she will probably not have issues at the border. CBSA is more lenient on those who have PR applicaitons in the system. Once she's in canada, she can apply to extend her stay if she wants to stay longer than what she was given. IF her passport is not stamped, then she has a 6 mo. entry.

 

[Evadyrrehs]

IF her passport is not stamped, then she has a 6 mo. entry.

RH, I was under the belief that a US citizen whether their passport is stamped or not at the Canadian border will still have up to a 6 month stay when let through. When my wife (then girlfriend) first came here they did not stamp her passport, she stayed 6 months and we extended another 6 months. This last time she arrived here in Canada on Sept 13/2014 and they stamped her passport with that same date. Her 6 months is up next week on March 13/2015 and we have applied to extend her stay another 6 months which we are waiting to hear on.. Anyhow when we applied to extend her stay this time around I read that if your passport is stamped you are only entitled to a 3 month stay, and my heart sank as we read that well after her being here 3 months already, but then it reads as only for visa required countries that it applies too. So as I read it a US citizen is entitled to a max six month stay still even when the passport is stamped. Hopefully this is true or we are in trouble :'(

 

[rhcohen2014]

RH, I was under the belief that a US citizen whether their passport is stamped or not at the Canadian border will still have up to a 6 month stay when let through. When my wife (then girlfriend) first came here they did not stamp her passport, she stayed 6 months and we extended another 6 months. This last time she arrived here in Canada on Sept 13/2014 and they stamped her passport with that same date. Her 6 months is up next week on March 13/2015 and we have applied to extend her stay another 6 months which we are waiting to hear on.. Anyhow when we applied to extend her stay this time around I read that if your passport is stamped you are only entitled to a 3 month stay, and my heart sank as we read that well after her being here 3 months already, but then it reads as only for visa required countries that it applies too. So as I read it a US citizen is entitled to a max six month stay still even when the passport is stamped. Hopefully this is true or we are in trouble :'(

i've never heard of if your passport is stamped, it's only for 3 months. where are you reading that? if the passport is stamped, then there will be either an entry or exit date. if there is an exit date, then the person needs to leave canada by that date or apply to extend their stay. if there is no date, it is assumed the stay is for 6 months. be careful about where you get your information. there are many misinformed people sharing wrong information. if you are that concerned, then all you need to do is call a CBSA office at one of the borders and ask them. you are worrying about nothing in my opinion. like you said, the information you read was about countries that require a visa. a us citizen doesn't require a visa, and if the passport stamp does not have an exit date, then the stay expires 6 mo. from the date of entry.

 

[Evadyrrehs]

i've never heard of if your passport is stamped, it's only for 3 months. where are you reading that? if the passport is stamped, then there will be either an entry or exit date. if there is an exit date, then the person needs to leave canada by that date or apply to extend their stay. if there is no date, it is assumed the stay is for 6 months. be careful about where you get your information. there are many misinformed people sharing wrong information. if you are that concerned, then all you need to do is call a CBSA office at one of the borders and ask them. you are worrying about nothing in my opinion. like you said, the information you read was about countries that require a visa. a us citizen doesn't require a visa, and if the passport stamp does not have an exit date, then the stay expires 6 mo. from the date of entry.

Thanks RH. No I'm not worried about it as there is only an entry date on my wife's passport so she was good for 6 months. I meant when I read it for the first time that if your passport is stamped it's only valid for three months, which worried us at the time but then we noticed it didn't apply to US citizens. I read about it on a gov site and am trying to find it again to link it..

 

[AmericanGirlinLove]

Thank you so much for sharing.
I guess my only worry is that my spouse is not working at the moment and wants to stay in Canada for 3 months at least.

No problem. Just sharing my experience. Haven't since October when I moved to Toronto, but I traveled across the border in December for the holidays. I don't think you have much to worry about.

 

[mitchpace]

Hi All,
I am looking for some help and If you can share your experiences, that'd be great!
I got married to a US citizen earlier this year.
She has been with me here in Canada for the past 8-10 months. We did take some trips though in the middle ( International travel from Canada to Dubai for 2 weeks in July) and trips to USA her home state (2-3 times by road and spent 2-3 days) but came back to Canada.
I applied for her Canadian PR in May but we haven't heard back yet.
In Sept, we found out she is Pregnant and since her home state is Arizona, we had to get her an OBGYN in nearby distance clinic in NY state since it is easier to commute. Please note she doesn't have health card in Canada.
Now we have to visit her Dr every 3-4 weeks but recently we are being asked why is she spending so much time in Canada. I am afraid that she might get entry denied specially that we have to cross border every 3-4 weeks for the next 6-7 months.
PS: she has no family in USA and she is dependent on me for emotional support
She works a remote US job from Canada
She owns her house in Arizona( her own property)

Question: how can we ensure she has smooth entries to Canada everytime we cross land border and that she can legally live in Canada while we wait for her PR approval?
Appreciate all the responses!