07-23-2006, 09:57 AM
Hey guys,
I've lurked here for about a year and made a few occasional posts. I am a college student on a F-1 (student) visa in Texas. with my parents, also on F visas. We pretty much have no hope for U.S. green cards. Over two years ago we applied for Canadian PR based on my mom's work experience. Our immigration visas came in April 2006, and we decided to drive to Montana land at Couttes border station.
Our original intentions were to land in Canada now to obtain our PR, and then use the two out of five years grace period to decide what we were finally going to do. I was planning on going to a Canadian university for my Master's degree after two more years of undergrad in Texas.
We made a big mistake at Couttes. We thought the Canadian traffic gate was the U.S. side, and told them that we were "visiting Canada for 7-10 days" instead of landing as immigrants. The officer at the gate looked at our passports and told us to go inside - that's when we realized that we were actually at the Canadian border station. Inside, a very unfriendly immigration officer again asked us what our purpose in Canada was - we told him to land as immigrants. Then he asked us why we had told the first person that we were only visiting Canada. We explained that we were confused and thought the first person was a U.S. officer - but he obviously didn't believe us. He then asked us if we had residence in Canada - we didn't, we were staying with a friend.
So you're not acutally moving to Canada this trip?
No, we're visiting a friend for a few days.
When are you planning to actually move to Canada?
Maybe in two years.
Why should I give you permenant residence if you're not actually moving Canada right now?
And so on. We were refused entry. He told us that we've got until October 27 to "figure out what we're going to do", because that's when our visas expire.
Now for Mistake #2.
After coming back to the U.S. we were not in the best of moods and that's probably why we made this next idiot decision - we were going to try to land again at another border station about 50 miles down the border.
At this second border station, we told them that we were landing as immigrants in Canada and staying with our friend until we've settled, probably about 3-5 months. The officer was very friendly at first, and took our paperwork inside, where evidently he discovered on our record that we had attempted to land at the first border stastion and were refused. He called the first border station and talked to the officer who refused us.
He asked us why we tried to land again after being refused at the first station, and why our story had changed. We explained that we were confused at the first station - we thought it was the U.S. side, and we didn't know what to say. I don't know if he believed us. In the end he said that he "didn't feel comfortable changing the decision of another officer" and refused us entry. He advised us that the next time we come we should bring as much documentation proving that we were going to establish residence in Canada as possible - and that we should cross at the first border station, because no one else is going to change the decision to refuse us entry the first time except them.
Strike two.
It is now 4:37 a.m. I just got home to Texas after driving for two straight days from the Montana border. We think that our chances of getting into Canada are slim to nil, because Canada Immigration have lost trust in us. But we still want to give our only hope one last try before our visas expire in October.
So dear friends...realistically, next time we attempt the landing, will they let us through if we prepare all the documentation - letter from a realtor in Calgary that we're looking for a house there, maybe a offer of temporary employment from our friends who manage a supermarket there, documentation proving that I have applied to transfer to a Canadian university, and even maybe documentation from our realtor in the States that we have put up our house for sale? Or do you think that they've basically lost their trust in us and that no documentations are going to help?
If there is still hope, what would you recommend is our best option now? Should we call the border station who refused us to ask what documentation they require for us to cross, or will that only deepen their mistrust in us? When should we attempt our next landing - should we do it as soon as we have all documentation in order, or should we wait a few months (we've got untill October) when maybe they've sort of forgotten this first incident?
Thanks for reading this darkly comical and outrageouly absurd story. I've lived in the U.S. for 12 years without a green card - I've been through it before, all the opportunities that other people have but I don't. For the past two years Canadian immigration was the hope that I lived on. I hope that no matter what happens this time I will gain from this experience and become a more mature person. Maybe there's a different path for me. I don't know. I will try to be strong and continue to live my life.
Thanks,
nowhereman
I've lurked here for about a year and made a few occasional posts. I am a college student on a F-1 (student) visa in Texas. with my parents, also on F visas. We pretty much have no hope for U.S. green cards. Over two years ago we applied for Canadian PR based on my mom's work experience. Our immigration visas came in April 2006, and we decided to drive to Montana land at Couttes border station.
Our original intentions were to land in Canada now to obtain our PR, and then use the two out of five years grace period to decide what we were finally going to do. I was planning on going to a Canadian university for my Master's degree after two more years of undergrad in Texas.
We made a big mistake at Couttes. We thought the Canadian traffic gate was the U.S. side, and told them that we were "visiting Canada for 7-10 days" instead of landing as immigrants. The officer at the gate looked at our passports and told us to go inside - that's when we realized that we were actually at the Canadian border station. Inside, a very unfriendly immigration officer again asked us what our purpose in Canada was - we told him to land as immigrants. Then he asked us why we had told the first person that we were only visiting Canada. We explained that we were confused and thought the first person was a U.S. officer - but he obviously didn't believe us. He then asked us if we had residence in Canada - we didn't, we were staying with a friend.
So you're not acutally moving to Canada this trip?
No, we're visiting a friend for a few days.
When are you planning to actually move to Canada?
Maybe in two years.
Why should I give you permenant residence if you're not actually moving Canada right now?
And so on. We were refused entry. He told us that we've got until October 27 to "figure out what we're going to do", because that's when our visas expire.
Now for Mistake #2.
After coming back to the U.S. we were not in the best of moods and that's probably why we made this next idiot decision - we were going to try to land again at another border station about 50 miles down the border.
At this second border station, we told them that we were landing as immigrants in Canada and staying with our friend until we've settled, probably about 3-5 months. The officer was very friendly at first, and took our paperwork inside, where evidently he discovered on our record that we had attempted to land at the first border stastion and were refused. He called the first border station and talked to the officer who refused us.
He asked us why we tried to land again after being refused at the first station, and why our story had changed. We explained that we were confused at the first station - we thought it was the U.S. side, and we didn't know what to say. I don't know if he believed us. In the end he said that he "didn't feel comfortable changing the decision of another officer" and refused us entry. He advised us that the next time we come we should bring as much documentation proving that we were going to establish residence in Canada as possible - and that we should cross at the first border station, because no one else is going to change the decision to refuse us entry the first time except them.
Strike two.
It is now 4:37 a.m. I just got home to Texas after driving for two straight days from the Montana border. We think that our chances of getting into Canada are slim to nil, because Canada Immigration have lost trust in us. But we still want to give our only hope one last try before our visas expire in October.
So dear friends...realistically, next time we attempt the landing, will they let us through if we prepare all the documentation - letter from a realtor in Calgary that we're looking for a house there, maybe a offer of temporary employment from our friends who manage a supermarket there, documentation proving that I have applied to transfer to a Canadian university, and even maybe documentation from our realtor in the States that we have put up our house for sale? Or do you think that they've basically lost their trust in us and that no documentations are going to help?
If there is still hope, what would you recommend is our best option now? Should we call the border station who refused us to ask what documentation they require for us to cross, or will that only deepen their mistrust in us? When should we attempt our next landing - should we do it as soon as we have all documentation in order, or should we wait a few months (we've got untill October) when maybe they've sort of forgotten this first incident?
Thanks for reading this darkly comical and outrageouly absurd story. I've lived in the U.S. for 12 years without a green card - I've been through it before, all the opportunities that other people have but I don't. For the past two years Canadian immigration was the hope that I lived on. I hope that no matter what happens this time I will gain from this experience and become a more mature person. Maybe there's a different path for me. I don't know. I will try to be strong and continue to live my life.
Thanks,
nowhereman
but getting back to the issue at hand, I do see the need for PR's to fulfill their residency requirements, and to tighten policies and stop allowing Canada to be used as a doormat.