Proof of ties to Canada

[Luni 3]

Hello there!!!

With the Holidays arriving, my Canadian Husband is a few weeks away from visiting for 2 weeks (yay! Our first anninversary too!). Needless to say, I am hella excited cause it's been since January. I wanted to be sure to give him enough ties to Canada so we wouldn't have any problems with customs.

ANYWAYS, aside from giving him a copy of our NOA1 (or possibly a copy of our approved I-130 that I'm waiting to get in the mail?), I want to have him get a letter from his company that he will be returning home within 2 weeks. Now, should the letter from his boss say anything specific? I imagine the date they expect his return, but I would appreciate it if anyone can give me some tips on what else to include or direct me to some examples of what to give his employer.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!!!

Edited December 6, 2010 by Luni

[matalie 1]

My letter's from my employer always had the date of my return, a number to contact my employer if they wished to confirm, signature and title of my boss and sometimes, I included a copy of the next week's schedule showing me back on it (if your hubby has a schedule and not regular hours that is!). I made sure it was on company letterhead and have never had any problems crossing the border! Good luck and enjoy the visit from your husband!

[JeannieL 44]

Hi,,,,,

I had my letter done on company letterhead....All that it said that I was employed with the company for so many years in good standing. And then he put that I was traveling to the US for vacation and was expected to return to work on the specified date. That was fine for me, they took it without any problems.

Make sure that he has a return ticket too. That is one thing that they ask for.

I'm at the airport now waiting to board back to Canada :-(

Best of luck!

[CanadianRedneck 8]

Employer letter with specifics on when he needs to return to work, evidence of an apartment lease or where he's living..i'd say throw in a utility bill, and possibly two or three paystubs from his work. If they pull him in for secondary inspection, they're gonna ask him what you do, what he does, blah blah..when he's returning and how much money he has..US and Canadian. Make sure he tells them that he's ONLY going for a visit.

They pull me over every time...I tell them I'm only going for a visit, to see my wife and kids..visit family, and that I'm waiting for the process to take it's course. At POE they've given me the talk about making sure I come back or it could jeopardize my application...dont do anything stupid.

Most people dont get pulled over..they just pull me over everytime because I dont have a job and I'm living with my parents and I previously lived and had a business in the states up until march 2010. So they wanna make sure that I'm not going to try to work illegally in the states..which I wouldn't and can't.

Just giving you the best case scenario and worst case scenario.

[Krikit 1,164]

This link has good information. Visitation FAQ's It specifically mentions K-1's but it's applicable to all.

You may also wish to talk to the Can/Ams in the Canada Regional Forum.

[Wayne and Claudia 40]

Isn't is silly that two countries, as advanced as the US and Canada, being good neighbors, can play twiddle-dee and twiddle-dum at the border? I love my Canadian neighbors and miss the days when we just flashed a driver's license. I was in Buffalo not too long ago and could not believe the grilling I got for wanting to jump over to see the Falls from Canada. Sorry to hear that ya have to face the same for jumping over for a few days.

[CanuckChick 7]

Hello there!!!

With the Holidays arriving, my Canadian Husband is a few weeks away from visiting for 2 weeks (yay! Our first anninversary too!). Needless to say, I am hella excited cause it's been since January. I wanted to be sure to give him enough ties to Canada so we wouldn't have any problems with customs.

ANYWAYS, aside from giving him a copy of our NOA1 (or possibly a copy of our approved I-130 that I'm waiting to get in the mail?), I want to have him get a letter from his company that he will be returning home within 2 weeks. Now, should the letter from his boss say anything specific? I imagine the date they expect his return, but I would appreciate it if anyone can give me some tips on what else to include or direct me to some examples of what to give his employer.

Thanks again and Happy Holidays!!!!

Hello! I've crossed the border a few times. I always take a folder with my I-130 application material and lots of proof of ties (incl. return ticket/s, employment letter, printouts of my calendar with post-return appointments, bank statements, pay stubs,and lease). Twice, they've looked at it carefully. I've only had difficult questions on 2 occassions - once by an officer who wanted to know how many vacation days I get since I travel to the USA so often (so now I take a printout of my vacation allocation), and once by an officer who thought I needed advance parole to enter (in spite of the I-130 being in front of him) - he let me in anyway but now I carry the info from the USCIS site that states that advance parole is only needed for people applying from within the USA on an I-131 (just in case there's a note on my file somewhere). I've learned that it's usually easy, but the officers do have complete authority to turn you back and they sometimes make mistakes so it pays to be prepared. I hope this helps. Good luck and safe travels!