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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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 Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 8:06 am Post subject: Korean Coming to Canada. Visa Run?? |
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Hello,
My girlfriend is gonna live at my house in Canada for like 5 months this fall (August to Xmas). Then we're planning to travel Central America for a few months of the winter. After that, we'll come back to Vancouver when it's warm for my Mom's retirement party and seeing the West coast summer for a month or two.
I want to know whether this is legal. In other words, is it possible for a Korean to come to Canada as a tourist and use up their 180 days, go to another country, and then come back to Canada on a new visa stamp?
Thank you very much for your advice. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 4:11 pm Post subject: Re: Korean Coming to Canada. Visa Run?? |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
Hello,
My girlfriend is gonna live at my house in Canada for like 5 months this fall (August to Xmas). Then we're planning to travel Central America for a few months of the winter. After that, we'll come back to Vancouver when it's warm for my Mom's retirement party and seeing the West coast summer for a month or two.
I want to know whether this is legal. In other words, is it possible for a Korean to come to Canada as a tourist and use up their 180 days, go to another country, and then come back to Canada on a new visa stamp?
Thank you very much for your advice. |
Yes, it is legal and a non-issue provided she can show proof of onward passage when she hits the immigration desk in Vancouver each time.
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:40 am Post subject: |
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Do you recommend a way to show proof of onward passage? Has anyone else or your friends/gfs gone through that?
I can't imagine what would qualify as proof, you can walk across the border or take a car quite easily. In fact I was hoping we'd drive down to Seattle at least once. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:05 am Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
Do you recommend a way to show proof of onward passage? Has anyone else or your friends/gfs gone through that?
I can't imagine what would qualify as proof, you can walk across the border or take a car quite easily. In fact I was hoping we'd drive down to Seattle at least once. |
Get a refundable ticket from Canada to Korea and cash it in when you get there. Only a 30k won service fee if you get one from Korean Air. Save the printout to show the border agents when you go back and forth between Canada and the states.
The airline will also give her grief at boarding time (in Korea) when she tries to check-in/board if she doesn't have onward/return passage from Canada.
It is usually a non issue returning from the States to Canada (by ground) but USCIS may make an issue out of it as well if she can't show intention to depart the US (e-ticket from Canada to Korea works for that too) within her allotted time frame.
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:24 am Post subject: |
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| Awesome. You're amazing Tom, thanks for the help. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 3:39 am Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
| Awesome. You're amazing Tom, thanks for the help. |
I should ADD that if you buy the refundable ticket by credit card it will be refunded (credited back to the card) in about 3 working days.
If you use cash it will take up to 30 days to process the refund.
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 2:13 pm Post subject: |
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I just wanted to bump this because our situation changed.
If she spends 6 months in Canada and then we go to Mexico together to a resort for a week, and come back into Canada, will that give her another 6 months? Providing she has proof of onward passage 6 months later?
Ive heard that for people visiting the US, going into Mexico or Canada will not get them a new stamp. They have to leave the continent. I was wondering if that rings true for Canada as well... haven't been able to find the information online. I don't want to risk things. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 3:57 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
I just wanted to bump this because our situation changed.
If she spends 6 months in Canada and then we go to Mexico together to a resort for a week, and come back into Canada, will that give her another 6 months? Providing she has proof of onward passage 6 months later?
Ive heard that for people visiting the US, going into Mexico or Canada will not get them a new stamp. They have to leave the continent. I was wondering if that rings true for Canada as well... haven't been able to find the information online. I don't want to risk things. |
The stamp is a non-issue. Canada does not have passport control at "EXIT" points so there is no exit stamp.
Same with Mexico - they simply take your "exit card" and away you go.
She will however get her passport scanned when she re-enters Canada and the 6 months starts again.
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 7:38 pm Post subject: |
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My friend was telling me about a story of coming back into Canada from the US with his Korean gf, and the immigration officer berated her, made her cry and tore her student visa out of the passport in front of her. She had 7 days to leave Canada. Apparently he didn't believe she was going to be studying in Canada and was just instead trying to be with her boyfriend (which was true I guess). So I wondered...
Anyway thanks for the info Tom. With regards to a stamp, I was thinking of an entry stamp. What if they just don't want to let her in again because they've seen she was just in Canada for 165 days or something? Then there is no possibility of getting an entry stamp. I wasn't worried about an exit stamp.
We'll probably go to Mexico for a week in the winter so that she can get a little extra time in Canada as a tourist, beyond the first 180 days. |
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ttompatz
Joined: 05 Sep 2005
Location: Kwangju, South Korea
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| Posted: Thu Jul 12, 2012 8:30 pm Post subject: |
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| chungbukdo wrote: |
| My friend was telling me about a story of coming back into Canada from the US with his Korean gf, and the immigration officer berated her, made her cry and tore her student visa out of the passport in front of her. She had 7 days to leave Canada. Apparently he didn't believe she was going to be studying in Canada and was just instead trying to be with her boyfriend (which was true I guess). So I wondered.... |
I do NOT believe that.
Defacement of a passport is, internationally, a criminal offense.
I can see them marking it (the visa) void and/or issuing an exit order but not defacing a passport (the property of a foreign government) or tearing pages out.
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