Waiting for PR - Visitor Record from the USA will expire

[VermiciousKnish]

Hey Fellas,

3 month visitor record stapled into passport is expiring soon. Applicant is from the USA (Outland) and visits/stays with hubby and children while she's here. Must she apply for change of conditions (extension) while she's here? Or should she just let it lapse? Do things restart once she goes back to USA or will they give her a hard time when she tries to re-enter next? Seems that because US citizens do not need a visa to enter that she can just leave Canada and 6 months will restart for her. True?

 

[ChellyCat]

Do not let it lapse- she will be out of status. It is true in theory that she could leave and reenter, but you never know what will happen at the border. To be safe, I would apply for a visitor visa online. You can tell them you have a PR app in progress and there's usually never any issues with that. I am on my second visitor visa from US. The second one I only asked for 6 months and they even gave me a year because of my PR app processing!

 

[VermiciousKnish]

Better safe than sorry I guess. How does one go about applying online?

 

[Aquakitty]

Better safe than sorry I guess. How does one go about applying online?

Since she was only here 3 months, they probably would not come down hard on her for just going to the border to extend her stay, especially since she has a PR in progress and can prove it. However, it is easier and less stressful to apply online. In the future she should apply online a month before her status expires. Here is the link: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/visitor.asp

 

[VermiciousKnish]

Thanks Fellas,

Also, how long does it take to process the application? What if she has to travel back to the USA in the meantime?

 

[VermiciousKnish]

And finally,

If she leaves before it lapses, would that pose no problem at all? Presumably they would let her re-enter back into Canada on the next trip and possibly issue her a new visitor record? Or is the point of the visitor record to prevent her from doing just that?

Is a US citizen not allowed to enter and exit Canada freely provided that they do not overstay their limit?

 

[scylla]

And finally,

If she leaves before it lapses, would that pose no problem at all? Presumably they would let her re-enter back into Canada on the next trip and possibly issue her a new visitor record? Or is the point of the visitor record to prevent her from doing just that?

Is a US citizen not allowed to enter and exit Canada freely provided that they do not overstay their limit?

There will be no issues if she leaves before it lapses.

No - US citizens are not allowed to enter and exit Canada freely. Only Canadian citizens and permanent residents have this priviledge. It's entirely possible for a US citizen to be refused admission to Canada. It doesn't happen often - but it can happen if the CBSA officer feels the US citizen is abusing visitor priviledges by spending too much time in Canada and/or has insufficient ties to the US.

 

[VermiciousKnish]

There will be no issues if she leaves before it lapses.

What about if she leaves and return before the official expiration date of September 30th?

This latest VR was issued at the border and only valid for 1 month. The officer said this will give her sufficient time to renew it online and she specifically told the officer she would be leaving within the month anyway. The first VR was issued for 6 months but expired (or maybe cancelled when she left the country 4 months into it). She will be leaving the country before this current 1 month VR expires but may return to Canada a few days before it expires as well (Or may return after it expires. Driving in and so no return ticket). She travels back and forth between USA and Canada quite often, all while waiting for PR to be approved (one of the benefits of Outland Application if I recall the thread correctly).

Is it a waste of time and money to renew online?? It says it takes 114 days to process at this point in time anyway. Or is it safer to renew and then when asked at the border, she can say that she applied to renew AND is waiting for PR in the meantime?

Why the heck do they want her to renew it if she will leave Canada so often? Do all these things not lapse once she re-enters Canada??