What to do next?

[brvclwy]

Hello. My girlfriend and I are at a loss of what to do next.

She came here in September to visit, but had to leave by November 1. We applied for an extension for her flight date, in the end of February. She was granted it, but must leave by March 1. We both want her to stay longer.

What should we do? We've considered the following:
1) She leaves when she has to and hopefully can re-enter without problem and stay for the full 6 months a visitor has. The problem with this is if she cannot re-enter Canada if she leaves and cannot re-enter for x time.
2) We reapply. She'll be able to stay for as long as the application is processing, until the end of April/beginning of May. We don't know if she will get approved again, so she might be forced to leave and barred re-entry for x time.
3) Apply for a different visa, on the basis that we are in a relationship together. The problem with this is that a relative of the same last name as me recently applied to bring her SO into Canada got denied. We're afraid this will happen to us, especially since her last name (and mine) is now in the system.

What's our best course of action? Is it another/different option than we've discussed? Thanks for your help

 

[scylla]

Option #1 and #2 are both possible.

For Option #3, there is no temporary visa available based on the fact that you're in a relationship together. However if you are either married or common law (have lived together for at least one full year), then you could sponsor her for permanent residency.

I would personally apply for an extension to her visit from within Canada rather than leaving and trying to re-enter.

 

[brvclwy]

Thanks for the quick reply!

What is the worst that can happen if we reapply for her to stay and it gets denied? Will she get deported and/or barred for re-entry for 6 months/1 year?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

What is the worst that can happen if we reapply for her to stay and it gets denied? Will she get deported and/or barred for re-entry for 6 months/1 year?

If she is refused, she will be told to leave Canada within a certain amount of time. If she leaves in that time, there is no action taken. If she doesn't leave and stays in Canada illegally, she could eventually be deported and banned.

 

[poppyweise]

And maybe apply via paper application instead? Because it takes longer to process and during that processing time she'll be under implied status that will allow her to stay in Canada legally until a decision has been made.