Im an american poker player that relocated to canada last year for a bit less than 6 months. I flew in and told them what i was doing and had no problems with it. Showed bank statement and what hotel i was staying at etc and i was allowed in. It was lot easier than i thought it would been. I left canada then for close to 1 month then took a bus back to canada and this time i was asked lot of questions. Eventually i was allowed in again for up to 6 months, i had mentioned i was planning to come back 3-6 months. While i was there for the 1st month or so, i found out a close friend of mine was going to get married and so i would have to come back to the usa for it. So after 3 months i left canada to come back to my friend wedding and i been here for 1 month already.
Im planning to go back to canada again. Does anyone know if i would have any issues with this? When i took a bus back to canada for my 2nd time into canada, i was questioned a lot but the lady eventually let me in. She put something on my passport where im not allowed to work etc so it didnt bother me at all because i play poker on the computer. However, i was a bit worried i might not be let back in a 3rd time.
Note if my friend wasn’t going to get married, i was going to stay longer. Does anyone know if i might have any issue with this?
Before you leave discuss it with someone in immigration, or even at the border.
Immigration officers have wide discretion, and if Officer A says there won’t be any problem, that doesn’t mean Officer B won’t give you any problem.
The correct answer is “yes.” You MIGHT have issues with this.
The truth is that nobody can really predict how things will go for you. You’re a foreigner asking to stay for a longish period of time in a country you can only enter if that country feels like letting you in. Furthermore, poker is a murky area in terms of whether or not it constitutes “work,” and it makes you look shady to some people (not me, but let’s be honest, it’s not the most well understood of professions amongst most folks.) Border officials are not necessarily trained on all the subtleties of the law and spend 99% of their time with clear cut cases and so, as jtur88 points out, you could get two completely different answers from two officials.
The only really good advice I’d offer is to be honest and consistent. If they say “well, why did you leave Canada last time” and you say “For a wedding” they might ask you why it took an entire month for you to attend a wedding. Have a truthful answer ready. On the other hand they may barely ask you any questions at all. Have your documentation ready, be as forthright and honest as possible, and you’ll probably be allowed in.
My understanding is that while Canadians and Americans can cross back and forth with only a passport, for situations like described here there are ways to make it easier. Namely, getting a multiple entry Visa from a Canadian consulate prior to going to Canada. You may even be able to apply online/through mail. The multiple entry visa is basically pre-approval for you to go into Canada, stay for up to 6 months, leave, come back, rinse repeat and it stays valid for 10 years. If you have one of those to show the Canadian border guards it will probably expedite things for you quite a bit.
Okay i did not mention this. But i have a imm 1442 that is put in my passport. Mentions the date i came in was march 31 and i have to leave by september 30 of this year. Does this mean i will have a huge problem getting into canada and gettnig 3 months? I had just noticed this. I mean i saw this paper was put into my passport a while back when i came in.
Can someone tell me if this would be a huge issue and thus i wont be allowed in? I left canada last month but does this mean this means i cant stay after september 30? The first time i stayed in canada under 6 months, i came back in with no issues but 2nd time i got this IMM 1442 stamped into my passport
Basically its like this. Came to canada september 2013, left march 2014. Then came back late march 2014 and got asked lot of questions, allowed in but got this IMM 1442 into my passport and asked for 6 months and got it. It says i entered march 31 and have to leave by september 30 2014. However my big issue is that i left canada like around june 20.
Does this mean if i come back, basically if they allow me back in , there is zero chance i could stay past september 30? Or does it mean me exiting canada june 20 make this IMM 1442 not valid b/c i left canada in june 20?
Looking for a really quick response. Thanks.
Also another question i have is i will be taking a bus into canada. I will be buying a 1 way ticket to canada but buy another return ticket one way back. I make sure i buy a refundable one though for the return ticket but does that mean to make things safe, make the refundable return ticket september 29th because if my return ticket is 3 months from now, it would be after that date?
Because i want to go back and get another 3 months but because of that imm 1442, im not 100 percent sure how this process would work. I thinknig they let me back in, but i still have to leave by september 30 unless i apply for an attention once i get back to canada?
If they let me in, does that mean i will get a new stamp and this stamp from march 31 to september is not valid anymore? Im thinking they say if i want an extention, then i have to apply for attention online and make sure i do this before september 30?
Anyone?
Really, you need to speak to a lawyer experienced in Canadian immigration law. From where I’m sitting, it looks like you are trying to find ways around their rules, and I think you can assume that one of their border guards will notice this sooner or later.
Although I know nothing about Canada specifically, consider this: assuming you are a US citizen you can enter the UK without a visa for up to six months provided you’re there for a visit and not to work or claim welfare benefits. But if you repeatedly show up, stay for your six months, leave, and then return one month later for another six month visit, well, eventually you’ll be told to go away. I imagine Canada has similar rules.
Yeah, you need to talk to Border Services or a lawyer. I had thought that, similar to what PaulParkhead said, you could only be in Canada for six months per year, but I’m not sure how the clock resets once you leave. You might be nearing your max considering you aren’t under a work visa or anything.
The general concern of Canadian Customs is whether you are planning to live in Canada illegally, or even live in Canada on the installment plan without a residency permit. (Much like US customs looks for in their visitors)
The problem is, you are missing a lot of the indicators that you have a stable life and job back home so are likely just visiting. They look for a steady job, a decent bank account and regular income, a return time, return ticket, a purpose in Canada that has a definite end, a family back home, a house or other permanent residence, etc. These are all indicators that this is just a visit and you will leave on schedule. Vague plans and no “employment” are just the opposite of this - they make it look like you have no incentive to return to the USA, you could stay as long as you want. If you have no stable relationship, for example, they might suspect you are planning to move in with an internet girlfriend…
Huge, huge red flag.
If you’re good at internet poker, dude, shell out for a return ticket.
That, and keeping people with serious criminal records out. Infamously, Canada considers a single DUI to be a serious criminal record (the US doesn’t), and every year a few people get denied entry for that.
So if you drive up to the border with evidence of a regular income, a home back in the US, and an interest in doing touristy things and then going home, you will almost certainly get in.