@sgp1986 Here is the update you asked for! Short version - crossing the border went incredibly smoothly, I was granted a 12 month visitor visa (didn't ask for it, they asked me if I wanted one), and we're busy answering the gajillion calls we get when there are three family members in self-isolation and both the province and the federal government are checking in on you.
To give more details:
- We got a plane ticket back to the US for the baby and I, we left belongings with my parents in the US, and had a copy of bank accounts etc in the US to prove ties to US if needed. The car my husband was importing and all the belongings that weren't obviously mine or the baby's (i.e. women's/baby clothes, her toys) were listed as goods accompanying him only, not me. We made sure the lease only lists him etc and had a copy of that and our correspondence with the province about their covid entry registry that showed him listed as moving to the province, and the baby and I as visiting him as additional documentation that she and I intend to leave as required for visitors.
- The actual crossing started out a bit rough when the officer at the hut (I don't know if that is the right name for it or not - the first officer we talked to) told us the 1 year old needed a covid test result too, and when we said it says under 5's don't need a test she went "Well I've never heard that." and then tried to tell us that we'd have to do all the paperwork for my husband importing his car and his belongings as a returning citizen outside in the rain. Fortunately, we got shunted to a better informed and much more helpful and friendly officer in secondary who confirmed that the baby didn't need a covid test result to enter Canada and we could do the paperwork inside.
- In terms of allowing me to enter, I was upfront with both the agents that I have a PR application but am entering as a visitor (basically said "Because my PR application is in process and the baby's citizenship certificate is in process we are coming to help my husband move in, and visit him before leaving in October." The officer we interacted with the most (the helpful friendly one, thankfully), asked me a bit about the application (what stage it is at) and I asked for a 6 month visitor record or at least a stamp in the passport, and he said that he would have to check what IRCC said the application status was to give me a visitor record, but that he could definitely give a stamp. He then later asked if I was planning to return to the US in October because I had to go back for some reason there or just because I knew I couldn't stay past 6 months, told him it was the latter, and he asked if I would like a 12 month visitor record instead. I happily and gratefully agreed.
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@armoured had said they may treat the baby's entry differently than mine because she is the child of a citizen, and in fact, she entered Canada as a citizen because she had her birth certificate listing her Canadian parent, her US passport, and her Canadian parent's Canadian passport was present as well. (The officer mentioned that in the future she could do so again, even with just a photocopy of my husband's passport).
- Although we didn't need all the back up documents we had I am glad we had them because while we ultimately had a very helpful officer who made it all go very smoothly and didn't bat an eye at the situation, I suspect that if the first officer had been the one we worked with for all that it would have been much rougher. Better to be over prepared than under prepared!
- I am curious how much CBSA can see of what IRCC has because they clearly did go and check something and when I was given the 12 month record he said "This lets you stay for 12 months but everything looks really good with IRCC and like it should be wrapped up before then, but you can always extend if for some reason it gets delayed." Definitely not getting my hopes up that it will be fast, but it was an interesting comment.
@sgp1986 hope this was helpful to you!
