my situation..would love advice and info

[Autumnal 25]

This was the way that I ended up adjusting (in Chicago, no less). My now-husband and I were living together in Canada, and the job market for IT was really poor in our area. A family friend in Chicago put him in contact with a recruiter and within 3 weeks, he had a job offer he couldn't refuse. I was still in university and didn't know if I was ready for an international move.

So I went down to the US as a visitor, seeing other friends along the way and going to Chicago. I intended to stay about a month or so. Squarely one month almost to the day after I arrived in the US, my car spun out in winter weather and got shaken up enough by the accident to realize, you know what? I want to marry this man, and I want to marry him now. One of those moments where you reassess everything. That was about 1 March.

We got married on 8 April. I filed for immigration around 10 July, refiled because of RFE/cheques in wrong place on 22 July. I've been waiting since, but currently have my EAD and AP.

[nina1 0]

okay, i am a canadian citizen. And i also entered as a visitor with only my Canadian citizenship card (no visa/i94 or whatever).. My ticket was for 2mths during the summer vacation. I ended up finding my love in a diff state and marrying him a mth later. We did my adjustment of status less than 2 wks later after marrying.

I personnally wish i had gone back to canada and started up on the fiancee forms... At least like that, i would have more peace of mind. Instead, i stayed and have been TRYING to adjust status since august 2004.

Just curious.. As u were trying to enter borders, did they ask you if you have a bf/husband? It's just kind of odd why you would want to enter the US 7 times in the same yr, AND UPON YOUR LAST ENTRANCE, u said you were only staying for 1wk. Why only 1wk VISIT, unless you said you were a business woman? In my mind, if i was an officer, i would think you're going to visit a bf (potential husband/you might have immigrant intent).

Once again, if i could change things around, i would have gone back to canada and done exactly what i just told u..

BTW, if you plan on staying, which i think there should be no real worries if you do so, KEEP YOUR PLANE TICKETS, AND ANYTHING YOU HAVE THAT PROVES YOU WERE ON THAT PLANE ON THAT DAY OF THAT YEAR!

Im saying this bcz they sent me an RFE asking for an I94. That's sooo stupid bcz im a CANADIAN AND I entered AS A VISITOR WITH NO IMMIGRATION INTENT.. So they told me to send any proof i had that i was on that plane and that i entered legally..

keep us posted on what you're going to decide!

[canadabunny 0]

Dmartmar: you seem a little bitter. How does my story contradict itself? That makes no sense..YES, i had my return ticket printed-i wouldn't have been allowed through customs if i didn't.I had to go *back* to the airline counter-then re-enter customs. The only thing that should "raise a red flag" for me is that amount of times i have come in and out of the US in the past year. Telling them that i was only coming for a week, isn't a red flag. Not having a visa isn't,either. I am from CANADA. I don't need a visa to come to the us, and i can be here for 6 months. So, my plans changed and instead of a week, it's been 3 months. Still nothing wrong with that..in and of itself.

"A 2nd flag was then raised when you disobeyed the officer's order to return to the airline counter to get a return ticket printed. I wouldn't put it past him walking over to the counter as soon as you left, asking the clerk whether or not a return ticket had been requested by and handed to you. Believe me, this fact will be eventually used against you, "assuming" the officer entered this in the computer system. He basically gave you an opportunity to either confirm, or disprove his suspicions of your immigrant intent (depending on how you interpret it).

In other words, you showed immigrant intent by not only disregarding the officer order for you to get a return ticket printed "in front of him," but also by overstaying your tourist intent claim of a week."

All i have to say to that is... ?????

Anyway, thanks to everyone who has responded with legitimate info and non-judgmental advice! And to nina1: Yes, everytime i went through customs i was honest as to why i was visiting- they know about my boyfriend-everything from his name to his job to his age,etc. They once asked me if him and i were going to get married, and i laughed and said no. (was completely absurd at that time, and i also at that time knew nothing of immigration and the seriousness of that question)

[Buttons 0]

i would appreciate if you can tell me what procedure you did for filling your status, i have the same case but im in b1 visa, and already married here few days ago and my visa is about to expired.

How Do I Become a Lawful Permanent Resident While in the United States?

http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/legpermres.htm

I am a Canadian Citzen who lives near the Fort Erie Border, I am married to a Americain Citzen. I have a I130 penidng and a I129F pending. Even though it sucks to be away from my husband , I drive 4 hrs every two weeks just to spend time with him. To see people trying to mess with the system really pisses me off, I'd Love just to stay but when I crossed they ask you how long do you intend to stay. Maybe it's people who try to take the shortcuts who mess everything up for the ones who do it the right way. Go back to Canada and file properly, like the rest of us.

[chocolaterie 0]

canadabunny, you can adjust with a tourist visa. When you entered the usa previously can you show proof that you had ties to Canada? (a lease, having a car, etc?) When I had an immigration attorney, she told me the ideal time to wait to get married was 90 days from the time of entering (but you're past that). If you're worried, get in contact with some legal help. But otherwise I think you can do this on your own. Being questioned doesn't mean you will automatically get a denial. To Buttons, If you truly entered the states without intent to immigrate you haven't done anything wrong. This is a legal way. And it's not necessarily a short cut because you end up taking more time to adjust then if you lived outside the US.

[ceriserose 1]

i would appreciate if you can tell me what procedure you did for filling your status, i have the same case but im in b1 visa, and already married here few days ago and my visa is about to expired.

How Do I Become a Lawful Permanent Resident While in the United States?

http://uscis.gov/graphics/howdoi/legpermres.htm

I am a Canadian Citzen who lives near the Fort Erie Border, I am married to a Americain Citzen. I have a I130 penidng and a I129F pending. Even though it sucks to be away from my husband , I drive 4 hrs every two weeks just to spend time with him. To see people trying to mess with the system really pisses me off, I'd Love just to stay but when I crossed they ask you how long do you intend to stay. Maybe it's people who try to take the shortcuts who mess everything up for the ones who do it the right way. Go back to Canada and file properly, like the rest of us.

First of all, you're replying to Meauxna, a USC who is happily married and living in the US with her permanent-resident husband. So I doubt she's skirting the system.

As for the person also quoted on a B1 visa who got married, there is nothing illegal about what she's done. Nor is there anything illegal about a Canadian citizen coming to the US without immigration intent, who spur-of-the-moment marries and remains in the US while adjusting status.

If you're talking to the OP, it might be best to quote and reply to the OP. I honestly don't recall the exact circumstances of her situation, but I did just read that she's informed the POE officers of her boyfriend and her actions and it's their judgment as to whether or not she's allowed in. It's also their judgment, based on her staying longer than she stated she would, whether next time they allow her in. How the POE officers operate has little to do with or bearing on the specific workload of the USCIS officers moving your paperwork around. Apples and oranges.

If she stays, marries, and adjusts status from within the US, the onus is on her to prove her lack of initial intent to enter and remain...and the consequences if she doesn't is that she cannot appeal the decision. Pros and cons to each way of doing things.

If you're looking for a scapegoat for waiting times, I'd look to the slow cogs of typical government services. Coming from Canada myself, I know that's not a foreign concept to you.