Can I visit my spouse in Canada while waiting for his Visa

[charity1214 3]

I apologize in advance if this has been answered, but I was wondering about visiting my spouse while waiting on the Visa. I am from the US, and he is from Canada. If we get married down here, he is returning home to Canada while we start the immigration process (planning on going the CR-1 route). While I am perfectly content on being patient for the Visa, I am wondering if we'll be able to see each other inbetween. Would it be easier for me to travel to Canada to visit him? Would it be difficult for him to visit down here (from what I have been reading, I'm guessing that would be "no")? We are talking about 4-5 day visits, nothing very long.

Thanks in advance and I can't wait to start sharing our journey with you all!

*Charity*

PS- How do you all get those cute countdowns and the Visa timelines on your signatures LOL?

[soon2batexan 3]

I understand your hesitation having had the same round of questions myself in recent months. In my case, I'm the Canadian Fiancé...they may be more sticky at the border with these things when it comes to spouses, I don't know.

I've visited my Fiancé twice since we filed the paperwork and never had an issue. I made sure to hand the CBP officer inspecting me a copy of my itinerary along with my boarding pass and passport so that they wouldn't have to ask (I figured that would be one less question they ask, plus this way they see proof of my return ticket). My other advice is for him to bring copies of ties to Canada, ie a letter from his employer stating the dates he'll be away on vacation and the date he is returning to work, copy of title/lease agreement for his permanent residence, electric bill, a bank statement showing he has money to support himself while he visits, etc). If they do ask questions, he should answer honestly but he doesn't need to elaborate unless they ask.

As far as you visiting him in Canada, I don't see that being a problem since I've heard they don't scrutinize quite as much coming this direction. People travel between Canada and the US all the time, so this type of thing is expected. As long as you can demonstrate that you're not going to overstay and you're taking steps to do things legally, you should be fine. It's important to be able to spend time with your loved ones while you wait out this process, so while there is probably a very, very slim chance you might encounter difficulty, it's worth a shot..just my opinion.

[charity1214 3]

Thank you so so much!! I don't mind who visits who, but as long as i know i can see him once or twice inbetween, then I can survive the time apart. I mean, we've gone this long apart haven't we?? What's a few more months of dotting our i's and crossing our t's to make sure our future together comes quickly and smoothly right?

Looking forward to more replies/suggestions/experiences that might be out there!

[AB2CO 1]

I am the Canadian spouse, married my US wife in Oct 2009, filed I-130 on Nov 2009, and have travelled down to visit over half a dozen times since then (quick weekend trips to 2 week visits, all by air flying out of Calgary), and have not had any problems. Frankly, it seems I get less questions entering US than I do returning to Canada! Go figure?! So, I would hope you wouldn't have any issues.

As for the "a few more months" . . . hate to be a pessimist, but I am 9 months in since filing the I-130 and seem to be stuck waiting for my Montreal interview (case completed at NVC on June 28). Hope your process moves faster!