Entering the US with the purpose of getting married

[DominiqueL 0]

Quick question:

Now I know lying at customs is a big fat no-no, but I am curious as to whether anyone who was going to eventually pursue a CR-1 ever entered the US with the purpose of getting married and said so to the customs agent. I'm assuming as long as you have your return ticket/proof of ties to your country everything should be fine, but I was curious.

[JohnR! 5,495]

IMHO you might not have an issue if you were to acknowledge to the CBP officer that you know that entering the US with the intent of getting married and AOS is considered immigration fraud and that your intention is to get married and return to Canada to do the CR process there. You can also explain why you're planning to marry in the US and offer to sign a statement to that effect if you feel the officer is doubting your intentions. No one can promise you any specific outcome, but you'll never know until you try.

Good luck!

[carocaro 22]

You had better be able to show in hand your significant ties to Canada, including a job, owning a home, car, etc. etc.

[mallafri76 1,012]

Lots of people do that, myself included. It's perfectly legal to enter the US as a tourist with the intent of getting married as long as you leave within the approved time fram.

I entered under the VWP. When asked by the CBP officer why I was coming to the US, I said to visit my fiancé and get married. The CBP just told me congratulations and I was on my way. Mind you, he could see that I had been flying over every three months for the past two years leading up to our wedding and always left within two weeks. I had also with me a letter from my employer and papers on ownership and mortgage of my home in Sweden along with the return ticket. The only thing the officer asked though was when I was planning on flying back home.

Just bring strong proof of ties to Canada and you should be fine.

[ChristinaG 91]

I drove across the border (Windsor/Detroit Tunnel) and told the US guard I was getting married that evening... she asked a bunch of questions, looked in the trunk of my car, and told my daughters they'll look so beautiful in the blue dresses she found back there..... This was on a Thursday.... hubby and I took a short honeymoon to northern MI and I was back in Windsor (Canada) Sunday night. Coming back into Canada was no issue either.... I was honest, told the guard I'd gotten married and had nothing with me to declare. He said congrats and sent me on my way..... No one asked me for my ties to Canada, though I had a folder with me (it included a recent receipt for my rent & my daycare that the girls attended, a letter from my employer, copy of bank statement, and a couple other things....)

Rule #1 - always be honest!!!

[DominiqueL 0]

Thanks for all the replies! All extremely helpful

[NikLR 13,227]

FYI you are supposed to declare any engagement or wedding rings.

But just state, hey I'm going down to get married, have your proof of ties, I've posted a link before and a pic before too showing what they look for. Just answer all the questions honestly and concisely.

Don't pack too much is the one piece of advice I have!

[DominiqueL 0]

Ha! Sometimes I pack TOO light for the Canadian customs agents' tastes (apparently girls should have more than an overnight bag when they visit their boyfriend for the weekend). But I'm pretty much a customs master I travel so frequently, and since we live relatively close to each other (6 hour drive, 8 hour Greyhound), I usually just stay for the weekend so I don't think I ever look too suspicious to CBP. But I was curious to know how testy they could get if one crosses over to get married.

We're also likely not doing rings (we're still in the very early stages of all this, but I'm a planner), but if we change our minds that's good to know!

I'll hunt down your pother posts to find that link

Edited April 9, 2015 by DominiqueL