Hello,
I am facing a dilemma and would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice.
Some details of my situation is as follows; I am a Canadian citizen who is planning a two week trip in May to China to take some pre-wedding photos and marry my girlfriend who is a Chinese citizen. The main wedding ceremony is planned sometime in November of this year, also in China. We have planned that at the end of the trip my girlfriend/wife
will come back with me to Canada. Note, she has a valid business type Visa from her previous job but she has come here for personal fun before. She is planning to stay for around 2 months because she has to return and plan the wedding and also because her father has cancer. While she is here we plan on doing a small reception, register our marriage here, start the sponsorship process and just spend time together.
Now for my dilemma or maybe I am just overthinking things.
When we arrive in Canada would it be better to speak to the custom officer together and state that we have just gotten married in China and plan to do the things I mentioned above and that she will leave in 2 months because she would have purchased a round trip flight.
Or
Pretend not to know one another and go through customs separately and meet up when we are outside.
Our biggest fear is that if we tell them that we just got married, the custom officer might deny her entry because they are afraid she will not leave the country. But if we pretend not to know one another and if she gets pulled aside by immigration and they find out that she is not here only to sight see but that she is here to see and stay with me, that they might send her back right away and also put a ban on re-entrance.
I have read some conflicting advice on some similar situations but I still don't know what is the best thing to do.
Thanks in advance.
PS. She has been to Canada many times before, for work and when she visited me twice last year (1 week, 3 months) but she said she was here as a tourist and not to see me specifically.
I am facing a dilemma and would greatly appreciate any feedback or advice.
Some details of my situation is as follows; I am a Canadian citizen who is planning a two week trip in May to China to take some pre-wedding photos and marry my girlfriend who is a Chinese citizen. The main wedding ceremony is planned sometime in November of this year, also in China. We have planned that at the end of the trip my girlfriend/wife
will come back with me to Canada. Note, she has a valid business type Visa from her previous job but she has come here for personal fun before. She is planning to stay for around 2 months because she has to return and plan the wedding and also because her father has cancer. While she is here we plan on doing a small reception, register our marriage here, start the sponsorship process and just spend time together. Now for my dilemma or maybe I am just overthinking things.
When we arrive in Canada would it be better to speak to the custom officer together and state that we have just gotten married in China and plan to do the things I mentioned above and that she will leave in 2 months because she would have purchased a round trip flight.
Or
Pretend not to know one another and go through customs separately and meet up when we are outside.
Our biggest fear is that if we tell them that we just got married, the custom officer might deny her entry because they are afraid she will not leave the country. But if we pretend not to know one another and if she gets pulled aside by immigration and they find out that she is not here only to sight see but that she is here to see and stay with me, that they might send her back right away and also put a ban on re-entrance.
I have read some conflicting advice on some similar situations but I still don't know what is the best thing to do.
Thanks in advance.
PS. She has been to Canada many times before, for work and when she visited me twice last year (1 week, 3 months) but she said she was here as a tourist and not to see me specifically.
