don't know where to start

[jackobean 0]

if anyone can give me any insight it would REALLY help me.

my boyfriend live in buffalo NY and i'm in canada. we will most likely eventually be married but right now that's not an option.

my question is, is it possible for me to somehow live in US but still work in canada since its nearly impossible to get a visa without being marred or engaged?

I can't apply for the NAFTA visa because i'm just a hairdresser and that profession is not on the occupation list for that visa.

is there ANYTHING i can do? and if it is possible to live there and still work in canada, i don't have a problem crossing the border everyday since i have a nexus card but will border officials be able to deny me entry eventually since i would be crossing everyday?

on another note, if i just lived right on the other side of the border, still in canada, would i still be able to cross the border everyday to visit him as long as i'm still living in canada? or would they be curious as to why i cross everyday?

Also, him moving here is not an option right now because he was charged with a criminal offense here in canada and can't cross the border. we're also working on getting that resolved.

PLEASE HELP MEEE!!! I'M DESPERATE!!!

[william_wallace 8]

if anyone can give me any insight it would REALLY help me.

my boyfriend live in buffalo NY and i'm in canada. we will most likely eventually be married but right now that's not an option.

my question is, is it possible for me to somehow live in US but still work in canada since its nearly impossible to get a visa without being marred or engaged?

I can't apply for the NAFTA visa because i'm just a hairdresser and that profession is not on the occupation list for that visa.

is there ANYTHING i can do? and if it is possible to live there and still work in canada, i don't have a problem crossing the border everyday since i have a nexus card but will border officials be able to deny me entry eventually since i would be crossing everyday?

on another note, if i just lived right on the other side of the border, still in canada, would i still be able to cross the border everyday to visit him as long as i'm still living in canada? or would they be curious as to why i cross everyday?

Also, him moving here is not an option right now because he was charged with a criminal offense here in canada and can't cross the border. we're also working on getting that resolved.

PLEASE HELP MEEE!!! I'M DESPERATE!!!

I dont think it matters whether you live 1 mile or 1000 miles from the border. Its up to the IO at the border at the end of the day. Going over every day will be a bit odd and will raise a flag by time i would think.

If you dont mind me asking, whats the reason you cant apply for the K1?

[Kathryn41 3,207]

if anyone can give me any insight it would REALLY help me.

my boyfriend live in buffalo NY and i'm in canada. we will most likely eventually be married but right now that's not an option.

my question is, is it possible for me to somehow live in US but still work in canada since its nearly impossible to get a visa without being marred or engaged?

I can't apply for the NAFTA visa because i'm just a hairdresser and that profession is not on the occupation list for that visa.

is there ANYTHING i can do? and if it is possible to live there and still work in canada, i don't have a problem crossing the border everyday since i have a nexus card but will border officials be able to deny me entry eventually since i would be crossing everyday?

on another note, if i just lived right on the other side of the border, still in canada, would i still be able to cross the border everyday to visit him as long as i'm still living in canada? or would they be curious as to why i cross everyday?

Also, him moving here is not an option right now because he was charged with a criminal offense here in canada and can't cross the border. we're also working on getting that resolved.

PLEASE HELP MEEE!!! I'M DESPERATE!!!

I wish I could say yes, that you could do that but unfortunately, without a proper visa it isn't possible. You are not allowed to live in the US without a visa. You could try visiting for an extended length of time but you would run into the problem that the border guards would notice your frequency of crossing - especially during weekday work hours - and catch on that you are staying in the US. They would either decide that you are not allowed to cross the border again until you get a visa, or require you to show proof that you are living in Canada. If you are not living in Canada, then you would not have that proof, and again you would be denied entry. The US immigration/border mind-set is that every person who presents themself at the border for admission to the US is an intending immigrant unless they prove otherwise. Proof entails copies of a lease or mortgage for a Canadian address, letter from your employer verifying your employment, copies of utility bills for your Canadian residence, automobile insurance, etc.

You could consider moving right next to the border and then crossing regularly, but again you will be required to prove your Canadian residency and it is up to the border guard each time to decide whether they will allow you into the US or not. Frequency of crossing - such as daily - is an indication that you may have a Canadian address but you are physically 'living' in the US and could end up with a refusal to be allowed to re-enter the US without a visa. You could probably get away with spending the weekend in the US and maybe a night a week, but anything more than that and you are asking for trouble. The border guards will ask you why you are visiting, why you are visiting so often, and ask about if you have applied for a visa or anything yet. Each time you crossed you would run the risk of being denied entry.

I speak from experience - I had a long term relationship with an American for 9 years - we were both in border communities so visited back and forth regularly. I had to carry proof of my Canadian residency - strong ties - every time I crossed to the US and that was just most weekends and an occasional week day. (As he had joint custody of his young sons it wasn't always practical for him to cross into Canada.) There was a number of times that I know the strength of my proof was the only reason I was allowed in. Even though the border guards knew me and I had established a routine of returning to Canada, I was still challenged to prove I wasn't living in the States fairly regularly.

[luv2teach77 41]

you cannot legally live in the US without having been granted a visa that allows you to do so. From what I read of the Nexus program, Nexus cards are issued to people who reside in either Canada or the USA and who the CBP see as having a low risk of remaining in the non-resident country beyond what a typical visitor would be legally allowed.

For this reason, I am almost certain that living in the US and travelling across the border every day would cause the CBP to question your trips and the constant crossing of the border. Also... a visitor needs to show that they spend more time in their country than in the US. Spending more than 50% of your time in the US without a valid immigrant visa will raise flags regarding your immigrant intent and could cause problems if you choose to apply for a visa to move to the US at some point in the future.

I understand that you want to be together and that your Fiance moving to Canada at the moment isn't an option but there are ways to do it and I don't think that your plan is either legal or will work for any length of time.

Sorry I don't have more positive news.

Mark

[pushbrk 14,355]

you cannot legally live in the US without having been granted a visa that allows you to do so. From what I read of the Nexus program, Nexus cards are issued to people who reside in either Canada or the USA and who the CBP see as having a low risk of remaining in the non-resident country beyond what a typical visitor would be legally allowed.

For this reason, I am almost certain that living in the US and travelling across the border every day would cause the CBP to question your trips and the constant crossing of the border. Also... a visitor needs to show that they spend more time in their country than in the US. Spending more than 50% of your time in the US without a valid immigrant visa will raise flags regarding your immigrant intent and could cause problems if you choose to apply for a visa to move to the US at some point in the future.

I understand that you want to be together and that your Fiance moving to Canada at the moment isn't an option but there are ways to do it and I don't think that your plan is either legal or will work for any length of time.

Sorry I don't have more positive news.

Mark

When your boyfriend becomes your fiance, he can petition for a K1 visa for you. In the meantime you are not allowed to reside in the US, only visit. You will always be at the mercy of the border officials but entering every day is a pretty good indication you are leaving just as often as you arrive.

Edited May 12, 2008 by pushbrk

[~Laura and Nick~ 5]

I would continue to work in Canada and save money, visit him when you can and when the time is right, file for a K1 visa.

You'll get through and you'll be together, it's hard and frustrating but oh so worth the wait!!!

Best of luck!