Another Newbie!

[envy_me 18]

welcome to the jungle..

i mean VJ..

[Ana&D 0]

Welcome Christina and good luck on your journey!!!!

[antda 13]

Hi Christina,

Welcome to VJ, Christina! Hope you find it especially helpful to you too, as the "immigration process" can be overwhelming at times. And well, without the friendly and helpful community of VJ, one would simply be lost in this complicated, long, and somewhat frustrating at times, immigration process....

Don't worry, take it one step at a time, read the information on VJ, and you'll be ok there. Glad you are "soaking in as much as possible", and as you continue to read, you'll learn and know more, indeed!

The other piece of advice I would suggest is: , as that definitely helps here on VJ!

Nice to meet another fellow Canadian and Torontonian too! Likewise, I used to live in Toronto too, and have moved here to New York State, which is close to the border too. So I understand where you come from, in terms of saying that "Canadians are so close", (lol..."Yet so far" at times...). Funny, I moved only a few hours and a few hundred kms/miles away from Canada to the USA, and yet, I have to go through the process of "immigration", sigh....

I've never really had problems at the border before (except that POE time, when the US border officials questioned us for 2hrs, see my timeline on my signature below for more info). And likewise, my boyfriend (now husband) never had any big problems at the border when he came to visit me in Canada before, though they did question him sometimes as he bought stuff over and made many trips over several years. And now when we both cross together to visit Canada from the USA (me as a US Permanent Resident/Canadian Citizen and my husband as a US Citizen), and the other way around, we never had problems either (10 mins, in and out usually, no problems).

But either way, when one visits either country, they should bring as much information as you can showing that you have "ties" back to the country they are living in, no matter how many trips one takes. Otherwise, they're going to be questioned even further at some point or other, especially when crossing frequently.

The many visits won't hinder any visas and/or immigration appliations you will apply for in the future. However, these frequent border crossings are somewhat hard to prove, as land crossings between Canada and the USA don't necessarily require visas. Overall though, if anything, frequent visits will help, as it shows that it is a genuine relationship. And besides (more importantly so), when two people love each other, they want to see each other more, especially if they live so close together, right?

Hope this helps Good luck on the rest of your immigration journey, too!

Ant (A Canadian/American, that used to be "Close and Far Away....")

Hey everybody! Another newbie here!

Im Christina, from Toronto, Ontario, currently in Columbus Ohio, with the boyfriend Ive been here off and on over the summer, and now were just trying to figure out our best options! Originally we were just trying to find the easiest way to find a work visa of some sort, but from what Ive been reading, a K1 or K3 just might be easier. Unfortunately due to my occupation, I don't qualify for a TN-1 visa so that was roadblocked. Now were looking into the K1 or K3.

Finding this site was a blessing and a half, but Ill admit, now Im so overwhelmed by the amount of work we have in front of us! I must have been so naive to believe that it would be easier for me as a Canadian since I was so close! I've been combing through the forums, soaking everything in like a sponge, but any advice or tips or anything would be much appreciated!

I look forward to hearing and reading more as I go along!

Christina

thanks everybody! This site is really helping my SO and I decide what were gonna do So much info to take in!

I am kind of confused tho...since April he and I have been going back and forth between the two countries...we hardly ever have trouble at the border, Im always coming to visit for about a week or so, and he the same. I understand that each time I enter the US my 6 month visit status is restarted...this is the longest Ive stayed (Since Jul 29th) and am actually heading home at the end of this month (god knows for how long tho) Im wondering if all this back and forth visiting will actually hinder whatever visa we apply for?

For the record....Canadians are SO much nicer at the border! we get questioned about our intentions and how long were staying, but other than that, nothing! One time they asked us how much value we had approximately and he just sputtered out "priceless"....heh the official rolled his eyes and passed us through! lol

Edited October 10, 2008 by AntandD

[Beautiful_years 0]

Hello Christina,

Welcome here... Enjoy your stay here.