So confusing....

[Hohn]

Ok I will give as much history as possible and please if someone can give us some advice that would be great. There is so much conflicting and confusing information and I just want some straight answers.

Met my girlfriend last September. She is American. I am Canadian. We have visited multiple times over the past year both ways. She has a degree and is in the process of applying for express entry but hasn't submitted an application yet but will soon when her FBI information comes in. The backup plan is to do the 1 year common law family sponsorship but in order to do that we need to 'establish a life together.' To that end we recently rented an apartment together with both of us on the lease. She is currently visiting for 1 month and will be going to a wedding down there after which she intends to return for 6 months, and then apply for another 6 months close to the end.

Her parents will be giving her 5000USD and I will be giving her the rest so she has 12000 in her account for the application.

She was a contract employee for 2 or 3 years but ended her contract this summer as her intention was to come here for 1 year. She has been doing part time work and works online a little bit doing personal emails and stuff for people.

Unfortunately she made a small mistake last time she came in (2 weeks ago) when they asked her how she had so much time off from work she said she was still employed full time. She was on the spot and didn't know what to say.

After the wedding she is intending on driving her car up with her parents and visiting for the 6 months and they will return after a couple weeks.

What do we do and say to be as honest as possible to get her in for the six months?

Do we need to pre apply?

What documentation does she need in order to be approved at the border?

Does a stamp at the border automatically qualify you for a 6 month stay?

What should we say our intentions are?

Are we screwed as far as what she said mistakenly last time?

Can/should we tell them that I am intending to pay for most of her expenses while she is visiting?

I make more than enough money for both of us but I want to maximize the chances of our backup plan working if her express entry application gets denied while minimizing the start time of our 1 year common law period as well as minimizing the chances of her getting denied at the border or in the ban list for a year.

Thanks for all the help

 

[truesmile]

"Unfortunately she made a small mistake last time she came in (2 weeks ago) when they asked her how she had so much time off from work she said she was still employed full time. She was on the spot and didn't know what to say."

From the above, are you saying she was denied entry?? Seems to me that she was but you're not explicitly clear on that.

You otherwise seem to be on top of things, and vividly aware of what type of "mistake" might make you "screwed".

 

[Hohn]

No she wasn't denied. Need some answers to the other questions asap anyone

 

[scylla]

How long a visit she is given is up to the CBSA officer she encounters at the border. The default is six months, however it's entirely possible to be given a shorter visit. If she simply gets a stamp with no date written - then she can stay for six months. If a date is written in, the she has been granted a shorter visit.

There is nothing she can pre-apply for. The decision of whether she will be allowed into Canada and for how long will be made at the border.

In terms of what paperwork, she should bring whatever evidence she has that proves she has ties to the US. I know she can't show employment evidence. Can she show anything else? Property rental agreement? Utility bills?

 

[perry.w1224]

Ok I will give as much history as possible and please if someone can give us some advice that would be great. There is so much conflicting and confusing information and I just want some straight answers.

Met my girlfriend last September. She is American. I am Canadian. We have visited multiple times over the past year both ways. She has a degree and is in the process of applying for express entry but hasn't submitted an application yet but will soon when her FBI information comes in. The backup plan is to do the 1 year common law family sponsorship but in order to do that we need to 'establish a life together.' To that end we recently rented an apartment together with both of us on the lease. She is currently visiting for 1 month and will be going to a wedding down there after which she intends to return for 6 months, and then apply for another 6 months close to the end.

Her parents will be giving her 5000USD and I will be giving her the rest so she has 12000 in her account for the application.

She was a contract employee for 2 or 3 years but ended her contract this summer as her intention was to come here for 1 year. She has been doing part time work and works online a little bit doing personal emails and stuff for people.

Unfortunately she made a small mistake last time she came in (2 weeks ago) when they asked her how she had so much time off from work she said she was still employed full time. She was on the spot and didn't know what to say.

After the wedding she is intending on driving her car up with her parents and visiting for the 6 months and they will return after a couple weeks.

What do we do and say to be as honest as possible to get her in for the six months?

Do we need to pre apply?

What documentation does she need in order to be approved at the border?

Does a stamp at the border automatically qualify you for a 6 month stay?

What should we say our intentions are?

Are we screwed as far as what she said mistakenly last time?

Can/should we tell them that I am intending to pay for most of her expenses while she is visiting?

I make more than enough money for both of us but I want to maximize the chances of our backup plan working if her express entry application gets denied while minimizing the start time of our 1 year common law period as well as minimizing the chances of her getting denied at the border or in the ban list for a year.

Thanks for all the help

1. If the stamp does not have a written end date then that's an automatic 6 month stay. She can always apply for a visitor extension visa but that would not guarantee her re-entry if she chooses to exit Canada.
2. Only answer questions they ask. Never give more than what they ask. If she was asked the purpose of visiting just say she's only visiting for 'x amount of time' and visiting boyfriend. That's it. Since she didn't submit any application she's just a 'visitor' to the border.
3. You should be honest but only answer what they ask. I doubt they'll bring up the 'mistake' she made but if they do just be upfront and honest. "In the near future I plan to apply for common law but for now I just want to visit my boyfriend for 6 months" If they ask her about her job just say the recently left the company and want to take time off and visit you.

She wasn't denied entry that time so obviously the border didn't consider her suspicious. You'll be fine