Visitor Record questions

[bkk707]

Hi, my GF (Thai) and I will soon be living together - the rough plan is 7 months in Canada and 5 months in Thailand. She has a 10 year visitor visa and I'm aware that the maximun she can stay is 6 months but that she can also apply for an extension (visitor record). What exactly is the criteria for obtaining a visitor record? She simply wants to stay an extra month. Does she need a more specific reason? Wanting to know if I can more or less count on the visitor record being approved? (presuming she applies on-time). Also do they just give you 1 month, or can you ask for more? I'd be inclined to ask for a 2 month extension just to give us some flexibility.
Thanks

 

[scylla]

Hi, my GF (Thai) and I will soon be living together - the rough plan is 7 months in Canada and 5 months in Thailand. She has a 10 year visitor visa and I'm aware that the maximun she can stay is 6 months but that she can also apply for an extension (visitor record). What exactly is the criteria for obtaining a visitor record? She simply wants to stay an extra month. Does she need a more specific reason? Wanting to know if I can more or less count on the visitor record being approved? (presuming she applies on-time). Also do they just give you 1 month, or can you ask for more? I'd be inclined to ask for a 2 month extension just to give us some flexibility.
Thanks

You can certainly ask for more than 1 month in the extension. It's really up to IRCC how long the extension is approved for (and if it's approved) based on your reasons for extending, the evidence of funds you show to support your longer stay, etc.

Also keep in mind that the six months is not guaranteed. How long she is allowed into Canada will be up to CBSA when she arrives. The default is six months, CBSA will sometimes give people shorter visits. She needs to make sure she has a return ticket when traveling to Canada. Additionally, she will want to make sure it looks like she is only coming to visit and not to live here.

 

[bkk707]

Hi, thanks for this information. I wasn't aware that 6 months is not guaranteed. So how do you book a return ticket if you don't know how long you'll be allowed until you actually arrive?
Also the last time she visited Canada she wasn't stamped in. There is no indication in her passport how long she was allowed to stay. Does this mean she was allowed 6 months?
So supposing it's her desire to stay 7 months and she books her flight accordingly (her return would be booked on the presumption she'll be allowed 6 months and also be granted a 1 month extension). Is that ok?

 

[albloshi_sa]

Hi, thanks for this information. I wasn't aware that 6 months is not guaranteed. So how do you book a return ticket if you don't know how long you'll be allowed until you actually arrive?
Also the last time she visited Canada she wasn't stamped in. There is no indication in her passport how long she was allowed to stay. Does this mean she was allowed 6 months?
So supposing it's her desire to stay 7 months and she books her flight accordingly (her return would be booked on the presumption she'll be allowed 6 months and also be granted a 1 month extension). Is that ok?

By default, the stay is 6 months granted. If there is no stamps in the passport, it is 6 months.
IRCC stamp the shorter stays explicitly and in rare cases.

 

[Naturgrl]

Hi, thanks for this information. I wasn't aware that 6 months is not guaranteed. So how do you book a return ticket if you don't know how long you'll be allowed until you actually arrive?
Also the last time she visited Canada she wasn't stamped in. There is no indication in her passport how long she was allowed to stay. Does this mean she was allowed 6 months?
So supposing it's her desire to stay 7 months and she books her flight accordingly (her return would be booked on the presumption she'll be allowed 6 months and also be granted a 1 month extension). Is that ok?

You book a refundable ticket to return home in 6 months. That is how long she can stay if her passport is not stamped. Don’t book a 7 month return ticket because then CBSA knows she is planning to overstay. CBSA may then stamp her passport with only a few week stay.