Almost denied entry this past weekend

[~Nini~ 2]

I'm so glad you got through, Misty. Good on you for being so prepared! I bet those immigration officials felt like they had egg on their face when you went through. Some of them are just so unnecessarily mean.

[DeadPoolX 9]

You can never be too prepared, that's the truth. It's amazing how little our families (on both sides) seem to understand this fact. Both Americans and Canadians who never have to go through this grueling process seem to think it's a "no brainer" and all you have to do is "walk on through." If you say it's any tougher than that, they claim you're "making things more difficult than they need to be." No, we're not -- customs is is!

I always worry whenever my fiancee has to go through U.S. Customs. But to be perfectly fair, Canadian Customs is not picnic either. I've dealt with some really difficult (and overly paranoid) customs officers on the Canadian side. Because of this, I bring every little bit of evidence proving my ties to the United States. It works both ways.

I honestly think that, if at all possible, both the American and the Canadian in the relationship should become dual-citizens. Sure, it's a hassle -- it takes extra time and money, but when all is said and done, you never have to go through U.S./Canadian Customs again as a potential "immigration risk" and have your vacation ruined because some officer had a bad day.

[TrueNorth 0]

I honestly think that, if at all possible, both the American and the Canadian in the relationship should become dual-citizens. Sure, it's a hassle -- it takes extra time and money, but when all is said and done, you never have to go through U.S./Canadian Customs again as a potential "immigration risk" and have your vacation ruined because some officer had a bad day.

I don't think it is that easy to become a citizen of Canada. I'd have to apply for and get permanent residence which would take 9 - 18 months and cost over $1K and also stay in Canada I believe it's 3 out of 5 years or something like that. Getting the citizenship just isn't easy.

Everyone in America always says to me, "They have universal health care in Canada!," too. It's like they're watching Michael Moore's movies too much. They think I can prace up here and get health care when that's NOT the case. I'm not even qualified to get it because I'm married to a Canadian citizen. They don't just hand you health care.

[trailmix 77]

I don't think it is that easy to become a citizen of Canada. I'd have to apply for and get permanent residence which would take 9 - 18 months and cost over $1K and also stay in Canada I believe it's 3 out of 5 years or something like that. Getting the citizenship just isn't easy.

Everyone in America always says to me, "They have universal health care in Canada!," too. It's like they're watching Michael Moore's movies too much. They think I can prace up here and get health care when that's NOT the case. I'm not even qualified to get it because I'm married to a Canadian citizen. They don't just hand you health care.

You're right, not easy but fun. We have skiing and snowball fights etc etc

My Husband has been here 7 years are we are just applying for his Canadian citizenship now. The thing with PR is that once you get it, as long as you are living with the Canadian Citizen (no matter where in the world you are) you maintain your PR status - living with the Canadian spouse is considered residency for PR purposes. But yes, I can see it would be a hassle if you didn't really want to live in Canada and wait for your PR.

[DeadPoolX 9]

I honestly think that, if at all possible, both the American and the Canadian in the relationship should become dual-citizens. Sure, it's a hassle -- it takes extra time and money, but when all is said and done, you never have to go through U.S./Canadian Customs again as a potential "immigration risk" and have your vacation ruined because some officer had a bad day.

I don't think it is that easy to become a citizen of Canada. I'd have to apply for and get permanent residence which would take 9 - 18 months and cost over $1K and also stay in Canada I believe it's 3 out of 5 years or something like that. Getting the citizenship just isn't easy.

Everyone in America always says to me, "They have universal health care in Canada!," too. It's like they're watching Michael Moore's movies too much. They think I can prace up here and get health care when that's NOT the case. I'm not even qualified to get it because I'm married to a Canadian citizen. They don't just hand you health care.

From what I've read and heard, the process to become a Canadian permanent resident and citizen is less complex than to become an American permanent resident and citizen. None of the immigration processes are "easy," but the United States makes it unnecessarily difficult.

1. For instance, in the case of Family Sponsorship in Canada, the sponsored person may reside within Canada while being sponsored. You can't do that while applying with the U.S., even with the K1 Visa! Sure, with the K1 you and your fiancee can be together during some of the process, but in Canada, you and your partner can be together during all of it.

2. There are no financial requirements that need to be met if the person requiring sponsorship is the "spouse, common-law partner, conjugal partner, or dependent child" of the Canadian sponsor. Try making that case with U.S. immigration and they'll laugh at you!

3. While waiting for their Canadian Immigration Visas, sponsored persons are allowed to work and/or study in Canada after their Sponsorship Application has been approved by Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Contrast this rule with the myriad regulations applied to the various U.S. visas, none of which allow a sponsored person to work and/or study as soon as the Canadian counterpart. Some U.S. visas go so far as to disallow legal employment for months at a time.

4. On average, the wait time for a Family Sponsorship to process (in relation to a U.S. spouse) is around six months, not "9 - 18 months." Of course, it is good to remember that the number given is an average and some people wait longer and some people wait less. Overall though, the usual wait time is around six months.

Canada also changes the speed of their processing depending on where the sponsored person is -- if he or she is within Canada (with the sponsor), then then Canadian Immigration services tend to take their time. They figure the couple is already living together, so there's no rush. If, however, the two are living apart in separate countries, the process is sped up so they can be reunited. The U.S. does nothing of the sort, since it's become apparent the U.S. government couldn't care less and in some circles, would actually love to prevent Americans from marrying those who aren't Americans.

5. As long as a Permanent Resident remains with his or her spouse, he or she is considered "residing within Canada" even if he or she (and his or her spouse) is outside the country. There's no such provision like this on the U.S. side, so it doesn't matter who the U.S. PR is with if they're outside of the United States. To the U.S. government, they're still counted as "outside America."

6. Canada extends Family Sponsorship to same-sex couples, because the country recognizes those marriages as legal and legitimate. The U.S., on the other hand, does not recognize this on a national level. Only one state (Massachusetts) acknowledges right of same-sex couples to marry and then only a handful of other states permit same-sex civil unions (California, Hawaii, Connecticut, Maine, New Jersey, Vermont, Washington state, Washington DC, and New Hampshire and Oregon, both of which will begin allowing these procedures on January 1, 2008) to occur. For many people, this isn't really an issue, but it's just another sign of how restrictive the entire process is on the America side.