Quote:
Originally Posted by king10clubs87
But telling everyone that you can only come for 6 months out of a 12 month period is wrong. The border agents told me in person that that is a misconception and not true. If someone wanted to do a 9 month stint in Canada as a visitor they could pull it off with no problems.
Unless you're filing the correct paperwork and getting approved, for someone travelling with just a passport you are only entitled to a 6 month visit. The border guards can say and do whatever they want obviously. A random American without a criminal record is literally of almost no concern at all when it comes to length of stay in Canada. I don't think anyone at all is arguing about that. Obviously a person could very easily stay 9 months in Canada. At 6 months no one shows up at your door and asks you to leave or threatens to throw you in jail.
All of that is irrelevant with respect to the law. If you're staying longer than 6 months, have a long term lease on an apartment, are working, etc. you're no longer visiting Canada and you almost certainly are breaking the law. If you were investigated I can guarantee you that all of that stuff will come up.
I mean all of this conversation is irrelevant. Almost no one will bother to actually go through the proper channels to make their stay legal. And of those people that do, very few of them (that are not students) will actually be allowed to legally obtain residency in Canada. Also, for what it's worth a border guard letting you in doesn't mean **** with respect to the law. When you enter a foreign country, the onus is on you to understand and adhere to their laws. The only thing they currently really care about is drug trafficking. As I mentioned earlier, although it's unlikely it happens, if a problem were to arise out of this it wouldn't be some border guard raking you over the coals. You'd be contacted, then interrogated, and your story would be investigated further. Depending on what happens next any number of things could happen. At the very least you would be flagged, and more than likely asked to leave and potentially not attempt to re-enter the country unless you manage to obtain paperwork allowing it.