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U.S. border keeps young family apart

December 30th, 2007
by VJ News

As a Dungeons and Dragons player, Sean Buller of Burnaby is used to fighting imaginary foes.

But nothing prepared him for his real-life fight with the most formidable of opponents: U.S. red tape.

Buller, 31, met an American woman playing the online fantasy game three years ago, and within months, she flew from Avon Park, near Orlando, Fla., to meet him.

They obviously hit it off.

Eight months later and eight months pregnant, Kim, 37, quit her job as a specialized pediatric nurse and moved to Canada in time for their first child, Jonathan, to be born on Aug. 23, 2005.

“Pretty much, we decided to settle down here in Vancouver. But [six months later], she got a phone call from her old boss offering her job back with a huge raise,” said Buller.

Kim had been promised only two shifts a week at local hospitals, and her Florida pay was more than Buller earned as an inside sales representative in the industrial refrigeration business.

The pair moved back to Florida, where they could buy a 241-square-metre house with a pool for $275,000 US, less than a third of what it would cost them here.

“Seriously, it [was] a no-brainer,” Buller said of the move.

Not wanting to overstay his six-month visitor visa, Buller returned to Canada in July 2006 to properly apply to emigrate, with Kim by then pregnant with their second child.

A Florida immigration lawyer had said they’d have an easier time if they married, advice that they took — on June 23, 2006 — but which Buller now considers bad advice.

“If I hadn’t been married, it would have taken four to six months to return on a fiancé’s visa,” he said. “Now, we’re closing in on two years, which is absolutely ridiculous.”

He tried to drive through the Peach Arch crossing on Sept. 23, 2006, and was warned by the U.S. Customs agent that he could be banned from entering the U.S. for five years if he tried it again.

He’s applied for the proper visa to join his family, which he’s told will take at least eight months, but is getting frustrated that his son, now 21/2, is growing up without him. And he’s only seen baby Victoria, born Jan. 23, once — when his wife and children flew to Canada this past summer.

“[The spousal visa] takes a long time,” said Seattle immigration lawyer Carin Weinrich.

Added her boss, Paul Soreff: “The process is very frustrating for couples who are separated by borders that don’t reflect the reality of their love.”

Buller will spend Christmas alone in his parent’s Burnaby home while they’re in Australia celebrating his brother’s wedding.

“They’re flying through San Francisco and it’s illegal for me to go through the U.S.,” he said.

But Buller is looking forward to celebrating his daughter’s first birthday on his family’s planned visit in January. And he hopes to join them in the spring.

U.S. border keeps young family apart

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