I'm a US citizen who has been making frequent trips to Toronto for fun (about 10 trips in 2015, I have some friends up there, like going to a certain bar night so I go up for it, and pretty much hate where I currently live so I seize any excuse to go somewhere else). Most of the trips are 4-6 days, but there's been a couple 2 week trips in there. All in all I spent 67 days in Toronto in 2015.
I've actually been trying to move to Toronto (Made an EE profile, got a PT from ONIP, and also looking for jobs in Toronto to get hired under a NAFTA visa in the interim.) and think I've finally landed a position there. So, I'm going to Toronto this week to finalize things/do some paperwork. I'm not doing any actual work, or getting paid for this (they aren't even paying for the trip - that's out of my pocket!).
My concern is what should I tell the customs person - I'm concerned about setting off any red flags. I'm a bit cautious as I was hassled by a custom's person once before who I believe thought I was working there without a permit due to my frequent trips. The trip was originally planned just as a "fun" trip, and the signing paperwork for the job was added after the fact. If I say something like "to start the process of accepting a position and applying for a work visa, but no work or payment is occurring this trip" should I expect to run into any trouble? What is the best thing to tell them? I do *NOT* plan on getting the visa this trip, as the company hasn't completed the necessary paperwork yet.
I've actually been trying to move to Toronto (Made an EE profile, got a PT from ONIP, and also looking for jobs in Toronto to get hired under a NAFTA visa in the interim.) and think I've finally landed a position there. So, I'm going to Toronto this week to finalize things/do some paperwork. I'm not doing any actual work, or getting paid for this (they aren't even paying for the trip - that's out of my pocket!).
My concern is what should I tell the customs person - I'm concerned about setting off any red flags. I'm a bit cautious as I was hassled by a custom's person once before who I believe thought I was working there without a permit due to my frequent trips. The trip was originally planned just as a "fun" trip, and the signing paperwork for the job was added after the fact. If I say something like "to start the process of accepting a position and applying for a work visa, but no work or payment is occurring this trip" should I expect to run into any trouble? What is the best thing to tell them? I do *NOT* plan on getting the visa this trip, as the company hasn't completed the necessary paperwork yet.