See if you can solve this puzzle

[Turtoise 0]

Len, glad you had a good laugh. And for sure I know that people like you don't care. It doesn't bother me. I just posted here to see if there was a solution other than having to pay the huge amount of money for having our stuff shipped here. Why you had to become so hostile is beyond me.

For all others, thanks for your responses. Sorry, I didn't really realize that I was a criminal. Nice story to tell to my grand kids one day...

Oh, I care more than you will ever know. However, it irates me that people have the b@lls to break the law, knowingly as you did, and then expect lovey dovey advise.

Now carry on.

Thanks, didn't know I needed your permission. Wish you all the best!

[canadian_wife 1,822]

From your story you are not likely to be granted a waiver and you currently have a substantial ban - at least 10 years

I would play it safe, and cheap, and just spend your money shipping your stuff to Canada.

Good luck.

[Turtoise 0]

You will not 'convince' them of anything. You will not get them to 'erase' anything. A deportation is serious and the US takes is seriously

You will have to fill out the I-212 for application for readmission after deportation.

http://www.uscis.gov/files/form/i-212.pdf

How long was your overstay? You say you lived in the US for 15 years, how much of that was illegal?

Canadian Wife, thanks for the link.

From your story you are not likely to be granted a waiver and you currently have a substantial ban - at least 10 years

I would play it safe, and cheap, and just spend your money shipping your stuff to Canada.

Good luck.

Oh, OK, just saw this. Yes, you might be right. Thanks anyway. Time to hunt for shipping companies.

Take care.

[JERIII 8]

OP-

You should probably read the instructions for the I-212, carefully, and you should certainly talk to the US consulate in Canada that would be in charge of issuing your Visitor Visa. If you need to file an I-212, it will go to that consulate. According to the instructions, you can apply for a Visa without a waiver five years after your deportation.

My guess is that you will have a hard time getting a visa, but I don't know.

And neither does anyone else posting here, I suspect. Few, if any, of us have ever been through a post-deportation process. Few, if any of us, have any data about how many waivers are filed, or granted - especially in the case of waivers/visas for visitors after deportation, since almost all of the experience on this site is about marriage immigration-related cases.

Make an appointment and go talk to the consular officer. In this case, they have a better chance of knowing what is going to happen than we do.

ps. In two years, when your child turns 18, just send her to get your stuff. She's a American citizen, right?

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

Actually, it seems odd to me that it's seen as a crime, but I guess it is considered a crime. Reason why I don't see it as a crime, is because we tried to become legal residents. When it didn't happen after trying 3 times, we left. Yes, we were forced to leave, but we cooperated.

[La Souris 19]

What are the chances for us to get a waiver? I heard that a waiver is only granted in extreme situations. Once our child turns 18, can she appeal for us? Should we just wait it out for the remaining 6 years (if it was a 10 year ban), and in the meantime figure out other ways to get our stuff here? It costs about $17,000 for a shipping company to get it to us. We can't afford that. It would cost us about half or less than half of that amount to go and get it ourselves. What to do?

How much stuff do you have? This is way over any quote I've heard of for Canada-USA transport... Don't you have friends in Canada who could do the drive for you, I'm sure if you gave them only a quarter of 17K it would cover for a week out of work for most people... If your goal is to move your stuff, I think you should shop around for a cheaper solution - I am not sure you trying to get it yourself is the best or cheapest solution. Look at the moving thread in the Canada Forum and you'll find some moving companies listed. Did you get a quote from Air Canada Cargo only?

[Turtoise 0]

Actually, it seems odd to me that it's seen as a crime, but I guess it is considered a crime. Reason why I don't see it as a crime, is because we tried to become legal residents. When it didn't happen after trying 3 times, we left. Yes, we were forced to leave, but we cooperated.

Not sure why Charles is rolling his eyes, but I suppose he thinks I'm a criminal too. Look, just because we tried to become legal residents and it didn't work out for us, does not make us criminals. We didn't go into hiding after receiving notice of our removal process. I don't care if the whole of USA thinks of all illegal immigrants like that, but as long as we have not tried to fool the system, we didn't produce false papers to become legal, we were not abusing your government, we were working and paying our taxes all the way till it was time to leave, etc., we don't think we are criminals, no matter what anyone else might think. Some people have no idea how lucky they are to have been born in a better country or to have been able to become legal residents. Not everybody has such favourable circumstances. I know how grateful I am to have been accepted by Canada as a legal resident.

Thanks Jer11 for your kindness. I should call the Embassy here to find out what my options are. Maybe my daughter can go there in 2 years to get our stuff. The kids are US citizens.

To answer La Souris' question, yes, it was going to cost us about that much. And no, I didn't even contact Air Canada Cargo. I called several shipping companies at the time, and they were all quoting such high prices. We do have a lot of stuff. We had to leave everything behind, but I'm sure a lot of the stuff we can get rid of. However, that's something we would have to sort out for ourselves, but without being able to go there, we can't. I'm going to try and find a cheaper shipping company. Otherwise I'm sure there will be some other solution (my daughter maybe).

Anyway, I was just looking for some answers here, not for pity or contempt. Sorry, if some people feel I have not respected their country's immigration system or laws. I'm no longer in your country, right? I'm just trying to come back for my stuff and close that chapter in my life for good.

[bantam 0]

Hi Turtoise,

Im sorry that some of the users here have to be incredibly disrespectful. I recommend you ask your question at http://immigrate2us.net/, they have some people who know a lot about deportations and the waiver process.

Edited May 9, 2009 by bantam

[iLoveAPolishGirl 0]

Yea, batam is probably right

As per whether u are hit at the border, I guess, depends on the state of US immigration software used at the border, so ... would you be hit? I don't know.

Based on what I read about your situation here, you probably *should* be banned as per immigration law, but I have no idea if that will or will not actually happen. You might just want to go ahead and give it a try... it would only be wasted gas, I suppose, if you are turned back at the border. I doubt anything more serious would happen ... but I don't really know ... ?

Best of luck!

dvc

[wowswift 3]

Actually, it seems odd to me that it's seen as a crime, but I guess it is considered a crime. Reason why I don't see it as a crime, is because we tried to become legal residents. When it didn't happen after trying 3 times, we left. Yes, we were forced to leave, but we cooperated.

Not sure why Charles is rolling his eyes, but I suppose he thinks I'm a criminal too. Look, just because we tried to become legal residents and it didn't work out for us, does not make us criminals. We didn't go into hiding after receiving notice of our removal process. I don't care if the whole of USA thinks of all illegal immigrants like that, but as long as we have not tried to fool the system, we didn't produce false papers to become legal, we were not abusing your government, we were working and paying our taxes all the way till it was time to leave, etc., we don't think we are criminals, no matter what anyone else might think. Some people have no idea how lucky they are to have been born in a better country or to have been able to become legal residents. Not everybody has such favourable circumstances. I know how grateful I am to have been accepted by Canada as a legal resident.

Thanks Jer11 for your kindness. I should call the Embassy here to find out what my options are. Maybe my daughter can go there in 2 years to get our stuff. The kids are US citizens.

To answer La Souris' question, yes, it was going to cost us about that much. And no, I didn't even contact Air Canada Cargo. I called several shipping companies at the time, and they were all quoting such high prices. We do have a lot of stuff. We had to leave everything behind, but I'm sure a lot of the stuff we can get rid of. However, that's something we would have to sort out for ourselves, but without being able to go there, we can't. I'm going to try and find a cheaper shipping company. Otherwise I'm sure there will be some other solution (my daughter maybe).

Anyway, I was just looking for some answers here, not for pity or contempt. Sorry, if some people feel I have not respected their country's immigration system or laws. I'm no longer in your country, right? I'm just trying to come back for my stuff and close that chapter in my life for good.

ok you broke the law. people who break the law are considered criminals. no one is saying you're a violent criminal, but no matter what you are. so calm down. you are what you are. you can't change it.

but, i read an article, which i believe was posted in the canadian forum, where some canadian overstayed for years, and got deported. he was able to go back and get his belongings though. so maybe do a search, or of someone else finds it, they might post. i have no idea what he did to g t permission to do that, but it must be possible. but as others have said, yes you will need a waiver, but someone stated the other day, the waiver lasts forever. but, I think you should find out how long you're banned for first. It is probably 10 years, but only you can find out. maybe start there.

as far as shipping costs, that is ridiculous. if i paid someone to move my stuff from newfoundland to california, it was less 5k, so unless you lived in a mansion, you are getting bad quotes. I'm pretty sure if I threw in our two cars, it would've been less than 10k. easy.

Edited May 9, 2009 by wowswift

[Jauque 1]

Now I'm wondering, how will I convince a US Embassy officer to grant us a 1 -2 weeks special permit, or to get a waiver to erase that stupid deportation? I'd rather go this way than risk getting in trouble at the border.

Any suggestions how to convince an officer for granting us either a waiver or a special permit? We don't have any crime in our history, otherwise we would not have been allowed into Canada.

I wouldn't worry about being detained and jailed at the border. If your flying you'll go through customs before you ever land on american soil, if they arn't going to let you in then they will just turn you around. If your driving they'll jsut tell you to turn your car around.

Canadian citizens who are considered immigration risk are given i-92's which mandate a date for them to leave the country. However based on your previous history with immigration I'm not sure they'd trust you enough to provide you with said form.

Theres no harm in calling an embassy or calling the border crossing authority. If theres a list your likely already on it and chances are if you're just asking a question they arn't likely to ask your name. You might also consider asking them how to find out how long your 'ban' was for. If it was 3 years then you have nothing to worry about, if its 10 years than you would probablly be wasting your money to try and book a trip to the united states until you've consulted Immigration about your options.

At this point I wouldn't take anyones advice except for the border crossing authority themself. You'll be no worse off than you are now by calling them.

Link to relevant CBP information

Good luck =D

[ZARQA 0]

Hi Turtoise,

Im sorry that some of the users here have to be incredibly disrespectful. I recommend you ask your question at http://immigrate2us.net/, they have some people who know a lot about deportations and the waiver process.

Immigrate2us.net they know all about waivers and also it is a free chat with a lawyer I believe every week, good luck to you

[Turtoise 0]

Hi Turtoise,

Im sorry that some of the users here have to be incredibly disrespectful. I recommend you ask your question at http://immigrate2us.net/, they have some people who know a lot about deportations and the waiver process.

Thanks Batam, you're very kind. I'll post my question at that forum. And thanks to all of you for trying to help.

As for the "crime" matter: I do take offense that it's labeled a crime for wanting to build a better life in a better country, while doing your best to become a legal resident of that country, even if you have stepped on the law a few times while doing so. Laws are like rules; everybody breaks a rule once in a while. A criminal in my eyes is someone who's doing bad things to harm other people. If a country is going to label someone a criminal for trying to become a legal resident of that country, then it's a sad world. I accept the term illegal resident or even illegal alien, but I'm not a criminal. By the same token more than half of the world is a criminal because everyone must have violated a traffic rule at some point of their lives. I find criminal a harsh word for such illegalities. That's my opinion, and I refuse to be labeled a criminal. The day I really do something bad, such as a robbery, a theft, a murder, child-abuse, etc., then I'll accept that term. So far I've been a good citizen in my home country, a good, but illegal resident in the US, and now a good legal permanent resident and soon to be citizen of Canada. When I was filing my papers to come to Canada there was a section asking if I had been deported from any country, and I answered yes. There was another section in the papers asking if I had committed any crimes, and I said no. That's all.

[rooster 1]

Hi Turtoise,

Im sorry that some of the users here have to be incredibly disrespectful. I recommend you ask your question at http://immigrate2us.net/, they have some people who know a lot about deportations and the waiver process.

Thanks Batam, you're very kind. I'll post my question at that forum. And thanks to all of you for trying to help.

As for the "crime" matter: I do take offense that it's labeled a crime for wanting to build a better life in a better country, while doing your best to become a legal resident of that country, even if you have stepped on the law a few times while doing so. Laws are like rules; everybody breaks a rule once in a while. A criminal in my eyes is someone who's doing bad things to harm other people. If a country is going to label someone a criminal for trying to become a legal resident of that country, then it's a sad world. I accept the term illegal resident or even illegal alien, but I'm not a criminal. By the same token more than half of the world is a criminal because everyone must have violated a traffic rule at some point of their lives. I find criminal a harsh word for such illegalities. That's my opinion, and I refuse to be labeled a criminal. The day I really do something bad, such as a robbery, a theft, a murder, child-abuse, etc., then I'll accept that term. So far I've been a good citizen in my home country, a good, but illegal resident in the US, and now a good legal permanent resident and soon to be citizen of Canada. When I was filing my papers to come to Canada there was a section asking if I had been deported from any country, and I answered yes. There was another section in the papers asking if I had committed any crimes, and I said no. That's all.

1st: No matter how you justify it in your mind, you did break the laws here in the US. Granted, in the big picture, it is really a minor offense. I agree that abuse, murder, and such ARE major offenses. One thing you have to understand, most of the people on here have been going about the process through fully legal means. The tolerances for those who tried to go around the law is somewhat limited. My opinion as well.

2nd: It is my understanding that there have been cases where the illegal alien voluntarily left the US and NO ban has been implemented. I would advise you, as someone else said, to contact the nearest US Embassy and see if there is a ban on you. As you have not supplied us with your original country, it would be impossible to speculate on other problems that could arise based on your home country. If you are from a "high fraud" country, there could be things associated with this that could impede your visit here, even if you have not had any ban placed on you.

Good luck

[Turtoise 0]

Let's agree to disagree on this matter of illegal alien = criminal/crime. I can understand how it irritates those of you who are doing it the right way, but in my opinion that still doesn't give anyone the right to label me as a criminal. Especially since you don't know how much we tried to become legal residents. We didn't sneak into the country, we arrived as visitors, because we had no clue how to start an immigration process. We thought that you do that once you are in the country. Back then Internet was still something new and I had no access to a computer and didn't know how to surf the net. We did contact a lawyer well within the time frame that our visitor's visa and allowed time as a visitor expired, and he advised us to apply for political asylum instead of advising us about other options as well.

How is it my fault that I trusted the lawyer and wasn't lucky enough to find a good lawyer all the three times that we did take their help? At least we were trying to become legal, we spent money on lawyers, all the while working with a work permit, which we admittedly let expire after many years, but up till then we were in the country legally actually, and even after that we still tried to become legal. You can't just give up and leave everything behind that you have built up, just because you're suddenly an illegal. That's being a coward actually. We considered other options, other ways to still become legal. It didn't work out. Good thing we didn't have to go back to the country we had left behind. No, it's not a high crime country, but it's still a developing country, hard to make a living, etc. Good thing we had started our immigration process to Canada, so that we only had to go back to our country for the interview and then arrive in Canada as permanent residents. We couldn't be legal residents in the US, but we succeeded in Canada. I'm proud of our achievement. And I love Canada forever! I will make sure to be a great contributing resident of this beautiful country.

However, you're of course entitled to your opinion, as is everyone else, including me. Thanks for the good wishes, though. I wish you all well in your individual journeys, and hopefully you will never find yourself in a situation where you may have to break a rule or a law... no matter how minor, or else you will burden yourself with this label you are so eager to put on another.

Good luck to you too.