Visiting your fiance during the immigration process

[Rye's Angel 0]

Hello,

I am so very happy that my fiance and I found this website. I'm wondering if someone might have an answer to my question as I have found conflicting reports on the internet. My question is this... I live in Canada. Can I visit my fiance in the U.S. while the K1 visa is being processed? I have heard that I would be allowed into the U.S., but I would have issues returning back to Canada.

Thanks so much for any help that you can give me.

[Rhiannercakes 14]

Yes, you can visit.

It's actually a really good idea to. From what I've read at the interview they look for evidence that you have an ongoing relationship during the process.

If your fiance can, get him/her to send you a copy of the NOA1 or the actual NOA1 itself. I think it'd be helpful at the border because it proves you have to stay single for the visa and that you won't marry and adjust status to stay in the US.

Other people have suggested a copy of an apartment lease or a letter from your employer to state you still have a job to come back to.

Edited August 10, 2009 by Rhiann

[rsn 135]

Hello,

I am so very happy that my fiance and I found this website. I'm wondering if someone might have an answer to my question as I have found conflicting reports on the internet. My question is this... I live in Canada. Can I visit my fiance in the U.S. while the K1 visa is being processed? I have heard that I would be allowed into the U.S., but I would have issues returning back to Canada.

Thanks so much for any help that you can give me.

You can certainly try to visit your fiance during the process, but you might be denied entry if the immigration officer does not believe that you will return to Canada before your tourist visa expires. The possibility of you not returning to Canada may become a bigger issue at the border since you have already filed a visa that shows you intend to immigrate to the U.S. I've never tried this, so this is just speculation. I'm sure someone who has done this can shed more light on this issue. I've seen lots of threads about this exact topic.

I can't imagine why you would have a problem returning to Canada though!

Edited August 10, 2009 by rsn

[Wis-Can 0]

Hello,

I am so very happy that my fiance and I found this website. I'm wondering if someone might have an answer to my question as I have found conflicting reports on the internet. My question is this... I live in Canada. Can I visit my fiance in the U.S. while the K1 visa is being processed? I have heard that I would be allowed into the U.S., but I would have issues returning back to Canada.

Thanks so much for any help that you can give me.

Hi there, I am from Nova Scotia, Canada and my honey is from Wisconsin. I visited him while in the process. You need to show ties to Canada. I had a copy of my property deeds, a letter from my employer saying I was on authorized leave and expected back, etc. I didn't have any major issues. Answer the questions they ask at the border, don't lie, but I didn't elobarate either. But remember in the end its up to the officer at the POE whether to let you in or not. Good luck.

[Jauque 1]

Hello,

I am so very happy that my fiance and I found this website. I'm wondering if someone might have an answer to my question as I have found conflicting reports on the internet. My question is this... I live in Canada. Can I visit my fiance in the U.S. while the K1 visa is being processed? I have heard that I would be allowed into the U.S., but I would have issues returning back to Canada.

Thanks so much for any help that you can give me.

So long as you are a citizen of Canada the Canadian Border will never be closed to you. The American one is the one you might have trouble getting through. Bring a return flight and your NOA1. Tell the truth and check out the guides, theres a section dedicated to Canadians visiting Americans during the process.

Good luck to you!!

[jomegared 0]

Is there a source for this information? Where can I find out if she can visit with absolute certainty?

Thanks

[Kimbear 53]

there is no certainty really..the cbp officers have 100% discretion on whether to let someone into the usa or not. take a look at me.. i went down to chicago to see my faince in september for a week. went back in october stayed for 2 months..tried to go back for xmas and was denied at two diff poe's. reasons given were "insuficient ties to canada" i even have a copy of the refusal paper that i had to give to the CDN guards to let me cross back into canda.

if you do not have a job or an apartment / lease / house/ kids that stay behind when you visit they can deny you entry. they did it to me.. i even brought back proof with me the 2nd time i tried to cross and they still refused me. i was treated like a criminal my fiance and i were interogated for hours while my dogs sat in a car in december, and i was photographed and fingerprinted. they even took the keys to his car..and then had the nerve to give me ###### for not leaving the window open on the car...and i got really ticked off at that point and wanted to punch the jerks, since there was no way i knew i was going to be in there that long, and coudln't even go to my car cuz i was not allowed to leave, let alone they had my freaking keys !

anyways..you can always go to their site for more info..www.cbp.gov. or google search. chances are you can find a bunch of ppl on this very site who have experience the same thing.

maybe mine was a worst case scenario..who knows..but it was on my bday..the day i will remember as it was the day i was forced to be separated from my love until i see him again when i get my visa.

Edited August 10, 2009 by Kimbear

[inhopeofglory 0]

Kimbear, what evidence did you take the second time you were refused entry? Did they elaborate on what they meant by "insufficient ties" in your case?

On a more positive note, I see you received your NOA2 a few days ago. Congratulations! :-)

[sara..... 371]

Is there a source for this information? Where can I find out if she can visit with absolute certainty?

Thanks

i hate to say it but u dont stand much of a chance of visitor visa because of where ur s/o is.

even with a lot of proof they can flat refuse to even look at it since u have a k1 petition going.

perviz is a doctor and had so much evidence that showed he would have to return to kashmir but they refused to look at it.

sara

[jomegared 0]

there is no certainty really..the cbp officers have 100% discretion on whether to let someone into the usa or not. take a look at me.. i went down to chicago to see my faince in september for a week. went back in october stayed for 2 months..tried to go back for xmas and was denied at two diff poe's. reasons given were "insuficient ties to canada" i even have a copy of the refusal paper that i had to give to the CDN guards to let me cross back into canda.

if you do not have a job or an apartment / lease / house/ kids that stay behind when you visit they can deny you entry. they did it to me.. i even brought back proof with me the 2nd time i tried to cross and they still refused me. i was treated like a criminal my fiance and i were interogated for hours while my dogs sat in a car in december, and i was photographed and fingerprinted. they even took the keys to his car..and then had the nerve to give me ###### for not leaving the window open on the car...and i got really ticked off at that point and wanted to punch the jerks, since there was no way i knew i was going to be in there that long, and coudln't even go to my car cuz i was not allowed to leave, let alone they had my freaking keys !

anyways..you can always go to their site for more info..www.cbp.gov. or google search. chances are you can find a bunch of ppl on this very site who have experience the same thing.

maybe mine was a worst case scenario..who knows..but it was on my bday..the day i will remember as it was the day i was forced to be separated from my love until i see him again when i get my visa.

Wait a minute......

Insufficient ties to Canada?

But your a Canadian citizen, that's messed up.

[rsn 135]

there is no certainty really..the cbp officers have 100% discretion on whether to let someone into the usa or not. take a look at me.. i went down to chicago to see my faince in september for a week. went back in october stayed for 2 months..tried to go back for xmas and was denied at two diff poe's. reasons given were "insuficient ties to canada" i even have a copy of the refusal paper that i had to give to the CDN guards to let me cross back into canda.

if you do not have a job or an apartment / lease / house/ kids that stay behind when you visit they can deny you entry. they did it to me.. i even brought back proof with me the 2nd time i tried to cross and they still refused me. i was treated like a criminal my fiance and i were interogated for hours while my dogs sat in a car in december, and i was photographed and fingerprinted. they even took the keys to his car..and then had the nerve to give me ###### for not leaving the window open on the car...and i got really ticked off at that point and wanted to punch the jerks, since there was no way i knew i was going to be in there that long, and coudln't even go to my car cuz i was not allowed to leave, let alone they had my freaking keys !

anyways..you can always go to their site for more info..www.cbp.gov. or google search. chances are you can find a bunch of ppl on this very site who have experience the same thing.

maybe mine was a worst case scenario..who knows..but it was on my bday..the day i will remember as it was the day i was forced to be separated from my love until i see him again when i get my visa.

Wait a minute......

Insufficient ties to Canada?

But your a Canadian citizen, that's messed up.

If all you needed was citizenship in your home country to prove that you will return, then no one would ever be denied a tourist visa. How exactly does being a citizen of a country prove that you will return to said country?

[Kimbear 53]

Kimbear, what evidence did you take the second time you were refused entry? Did they elaborate on what they meant by "insufficient ties" in your case?

On a more positive note, I see you received your NOA2 a few days ago. Congratulations! :-)

yes i finally got my noa2..after getting my conressmen involved. ty

as for proof..they wanted to make sure i was going to go back to canada..and my return ticket was not enough.. they told me they wanted copies of my bank account. they wanted proof of my enrollment in school, and utility bills, showing i had a monthly obligation, i even brough a letter from my sister stating i lived there and paid rent. i showed them the appointment letter with the drivers licence office in january that stated i had to go get my licence switched over. none of it made a difference. they kep tasking me i fi owened a house..sadly no..i sold it and moved provinces.

they told me if i had a job, owned a house had kids it might not look so bad. shrug the first time was scary but the guy wasn't as bad..the 2nd time..it was a sick pimply little kid who has the nerve to deny me and he woudln't even let me see the supervisor.

but alas it matters not now..i have my noa2

[grinchus 11]

I asked the same question back in June as to whether my fiance from Italy could come visit me. Thanks to this website I learned that he could, and I followed the advice here to have him bring copies of his apartment lease, a letter from his boss saying he was expected back to work on September 1st, and a copy of our entire K-1 Visa application and the NOA1.

He said that he got through the customs part really easily. He doesn't speak English very well (yet!) so he said as simply as possible that he was here on vacation, he gave them my name and address, and they smiled, stamped his passport and waived him through.

I'm in California and he flew through New York so he had to go through customs there. He almost missed his connection, but that didn't have anything to do w/ our pending visa, it's just that his flight arrived late from Milan, and he got singled out of the security line for a longer search. This was random, though, and again didn't have anything to do w/ the immigration process. Like I said, the immigration process itself was the easy part!

So I'm happy to report that he's been here since August 1st and that we get to be together for the whole month of August. We are having a wonderful time!

I don't know whether our experience is normal or not, I just wanted to share that it all went pretty smoothly, at least from a customs point of view. Good luck to all of you w/ your potential visits!

[ashenflowers 5]

I am a Canadian, visiting my US fiance as we speak, so that in itself should tell you that we CAN do it. I had no problems crossing the border, but just in case I DID bring with me a letter from my employer, which they didn't need. I didn't have a lease or anything, given my living situation, so I'm glad they didn't ask for one. They did ask me who I was visiting, where I was going, for how long, where I worked, what I was bringing with me and so on... I was lucky, and all things considered, it was smooth, but it very well could be hard. Just be prepared, honest, stay calm and it will be fine.

Just to clarify what some others have said... as you probably know, Canadians do not need a visitor's visa to come into the US. But we can not stay for longer than 6 months, and can NOT work while we are here (that includes remotely to a Canadian job from the US).

Edited August 10, 2009 by ashenflowers

[Kimbear 53]

exactly Ashen, it's the JUST IN CASE part..

like i said..i was probably the worse case scenario. but there have beena few canadians who were refused in the last year or so.