SSJ

Good Day! I’m a Canadian citizen who’s been visiting my USC boyfriend every 2, 3 months for 2 years. Never had any problem at US/Canada border crossing. Each time I told them I was visiting my boyfriend, and I never stayed longer than I said I would.

Now I’ll go see him for the 5th time this year for 10 days during Thanksgiving. I’ll be 5 1/2 month pregnant. I have no intention to stay in US, since I have a wonderful job and full medical benefit to return to. I’m putting together some documents to increase my chance to get thru the custom: employment letter proving I’ve been working full time for same company for 5+ years; letter from my physician stating it’s safe for me to travel; bank statements to show my assets; Extra travel/medical insurance for this trip; and of course my Canadian passport. Is there anything else that I might need? Or is it likely they’ll turn me down no matter what? Thank you!

Jennifer Ho

I'm also a Canadian citizen. I now live and work in the US. When I
was traveling back and forth between the US and Canada, I never had
any problems with US customs rejecting my visits. I didn't even have
all the documentation that you had. I think your documentation should
be enough. You could just tell a white lie and just say you're
visiting a female friend. I did that. That way, they don't think you
have any reason to overstay your visit.

SSJ wrote in message news:...
    > Good Day! I'm a Canadian citizen who's been visiting my USC boyfriend
    > every 2, 3 months for 2 years. Never had any problem at US/Canada
    > border crossing. Each time I told them I was visiting my boyfriend, and
    > I never stayed longer than I said I would.
    > Now I'll go see him for the 5th time this year for 10 days during
    > Thanksgiving. I'll be 5 1/2 month pregnant. I have no intention to
    > stay in US, since I have a wonderful job and full medical benefit to
    > return to. I'm putting together some documents to increase my chance to
    > get thru the custom: employment letter proving I've been working full
    > time for same company for 5+ years; letter from my physician stating
    > it's safe for me to travel; bank statements to show my assets; Extra
    > travel/medical insurance for this trip; and of course my Canadian
    > passport. Is there anything else that I might need? Or is it likely
    > they'll turn me down no matter what? Thank you!
    > --

Stuart Brook

Jennifer Ho wrote:
    > I'm also a Canadian citizen. I now live and work in the US. When I
    > was traveling back and forth between the US and Canada, I never had
    > any problems with US customs rejecting my visits. I didn't even have
    > all the documentation that you had. I think your documentation should
    > be enough. You could just tell a white lie and just say you're
    > visiting a female friend. I did that. That way, they don't think you
    > have any reason to overstay your visit.

Somebody else with crap for brains telling people to lie to enter the
US!

Get caught in a lie and you have far more serious problems.

Jennifer Ho

    > Somebody else with crap for brains telling people to lie to enter the
    > US!
    > Get caught in a lie and you have far more serious problems.

So I'm telling the INS I'm visiting a "friend" instead of a
"boyfriend". Big deal. I'm not doing anything illegal and I'm not
overstaying my visit. It's better than being interrogated because
they think you going to stay forever.

Stuart Brook

Jennifer Ho wrote:
    > > Somebody else with crap for brains telling people to lie to enter the
    > > US!
    > >
    > > Get caught in a lie and you have far more serious problems.
    > So I'm telling the INS I'm visiting a "friend" instead of a
    > "boyfriend". Big deal. I'm not doing anything illegal and I'm not
    > overstaying my visit. It's better than being interrogated because
    > they think you going to stay forever.

You said "tell a white lie". Now what you're actually describing is
"not volunteering information" - there's a difference.

As to whether you're doing anything illegal ... As long as you're going
to "visit" your boyfriend, as opposed to "live with your boyfriend",
then fine, but if you're going to spend time in a "live with him"
arrangement, then that's another matter.

Jennifer Ho

I have a close friend who entered the US with a TN visa and was
working as an engineer. To further his career, he enrolled in a
full-time MBA program, and continued working. He also bought a house
because it was a good investment. He would go to the US-Mexico port
of entry to renew his work permit because that was the quickest and
easiest method. When it came time to renew his work permit, he again
went to the port of entry. He also felt that it was necessary to give
the INS his entire autobiography. His TN renewal turned into a 8 hour
interrogation with the outcome of him being processed for expedited
removal, and deported to Mexico. The INS claimed that he was
misrepresenting himself by re-applying for a TN visa instead of a
student visa since he was now a student and education was his main
priority. They did not even consider that he was still working for
the same employer. They also said that he intended to stay in the
U.S. permanently since he had bought a house. I ended up driving him
to an airport in Mexico where he caught a direct flight to Toronto
because he was not permitted to land in the U.S., even for a flight
connection. He was also banned from entering the U.S. for 5 years.

My point is, information that is not pertinent and relevant need not
be discussed with the INS. Most INS officers have low-paying wages
and do not have the mental capacity for reasoning and understanding.
Only provide the necessary and required information. It is a pity
that people who are educated, financially secure, and contributing
members of society are treated this way, while nothing is done about
those who are in the U.S. illegally, have no assets, education, or
qualifications.

Joachim Feise

Jennifer Ho wrote:
    > My point is, information that is not pertinent and relevant need not
    > be discussed with the INS.

The point that Stuart made and that I fully agree with is the difference
between lying and not volunteering information.
You are certainly *not* required to tell them anything they didn't ask for.
However, *if* they ask, you have to answer absolutely truthfully. The *worst*
thing you can do is to lie to them, even what you called "white lies" are
a big no-no.
And whining about the unfairness about it all doesn't matter.
Never, ever lie to INS. Period.

Stuart Brook

Jennifer Ho wrote:
    > I have a close friend who entered the US with a TN visa and was
    > working as an engineer. To further his career, he enrolled in a
    > full-time MBA program, and continued working. He also bought a house
    > because it was a good investment. He would go to the US-Mexico port
    > of entry to renew his work permit because that was the quickest and
    > easiest method. When it came time to renew his work permit, he again
    > went to the port of entry. He also felt that it was necessary to give
    > the INS his entire autobiography. His TN renewal turned into a 8 hour
    > interrogation with the outcome of him being processed for expedited
    > removal, and deported to Mexico. The INS claimed that he was
    > misrepresenting himself by re-applying for a TN visa instead of a
    > student visa since he was now a student and education was his main
    > priority. They did not even consider that he was still working for
    > the same employer. They also said that he intended to stay in the
    > U.S. permanently since he had bought a house. I ended up driving him
    > to an airport in Mexico where he caught a direct flight to Toronto
    > because he was not permitted to land in the U.S., even for a flight
    > connection. He was also banned from entering the U.S. for 5 years.

Exactly. There are two lessons here. Don't volunteer information
because, to quote the wartime adage ... "Loose Lips Sink Ships" and
going to the Mexican border to extend a Canadian TN can be an absolute
disaster if things go wrong.


    > My point is, information that is not pertinent and relevant need not
    > be discussed with the INS. Most INS officers have low-paying wages
    > and do not have the mental capacity for reasoning and understanding.
    > Only provide the necessary and required information. It is a pity
    > that people who are educated, financially secure, and contributing
    > members of society are treated this way, while nothing is done about
    > those who are in the U.S. illegally, have no assets, education, or
    > qualifications.

I wouldn't go so far as to say "most INS officers". They have a job to
do and a defined set of rules to follow at the border. What happens
from time to time is that you get an officer who has an agenda of his
own ... like "Foreigners taking US jobs" and unfortunately has the
authority to implement his own agenda within the framework of the law.
Most of the officers I've met have been reasonable people, even when you
make mistakes - maybe unforgiving in not excusing a mistake on the spot,
even if it's obviously a mistake and requiring a formal correction - but
still reasonable.

At the same time, if your friend's primary focus on being in the US was
to study, and work was providing funds for study, then he did not
deserve a TN: he should have been in student status. I can only presume
that instead of accepting the initial decision and withdrawing his
application, he tried to "fix it" and dug himself deeper and argued the
point. I hate to say it, but I would be inclined to say that based on
what you've reported, he certainly didn't deserve the TN, and he was
foolish to not withdraw.

It's a part of knowing how the system works.

Stuart

Yuri Victor

    > Only provide the necessary and required information. It is a pity
    > that people who are educated, financially secure, and contributing
    > members of society are treated this way, while nothing is done about
    > those who are in the U.S. illegally, have no assets, education, or
    > qualifications.

Immigration law just like traffic and other laws are written to have
control, not to be fair. Immigration law is designed to control
immigration, traffic law -- to gain revenues from drivers.

They establish dumb rules, everyone follows. Smartest find the way
around. No place for fairness in jungle.

Yuri.





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Jennifer Ho

My friend's primary focus was not to study in the U.S. He was working
under the TN for 3 years before deciding to start his MBA, and he
would have continued to work even if he did not get accepted in the
program. He would not have stayed in the U.S. just to study.

Anyways...
How is the IT job market in Colorado? I was considering
moving to Denver or Colorado Springs since I now have my permanent
residency.

Stuart Brook

Jennifer Ho wrote:
    > My friend's primary focus was not to study in the U.S. He was working
    > under the TN for 3 years before deciding to start his MBA, and he
    > would have continued to work even if he did not get accepted in the
    > program. He would not have stayed in the U.S. just to study.
    > Anyways...
    > How is the IT job market in Colorado? I was considering
    > moving to Denver or Colorado Springs since I now have my permanent
    > residency.

Absolute crap in COS - I lived there and it was bad before the decline
of 2001 and a disaster since. Maybe marginally better in Denver, but
there are lots of high tech casualties there too.

Stuart (who spent many years in COS and still has friends from Digital
still trying to recover ... and getting no luck in DEN either)