Landing in Florida for 4 Month Visit

[Lifemagician]

Since my last post in this thread, I have been wondering how many of those who gave advice on the other forum, actually live outside of North America and have travelled to North America in the last decade. Or are they still talking about what they heard folk were doing many years ago.

What makes you think the Canadian border control are not aware of the rules. They won't break them. They work in closely with US law enforcement. The date you are to leave North America is stamped in each passport on entry to the US (and you can't alter that), and will be adhered to by Canadian border control.

You need to be a lot more clever if you think you are going to fool them. We have given you alternatives, which you are obviously not interested in accepting.

Lifey

[Lifemagician]

Four months is longer than you can be in North America under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Not if you go to Canada FIRST!

Problem is, you went ahead and planned a trip without getting all the information. In days gone by, travel agents would have made you aware of that. The do it yourself travel planning means that you have the obligation to get all that knowledge and information which travel agents have, before you start planning a trip.

It is not too late now, to change, and do Canada first. The cost of that would be much less than the cost you could encounter by sticking to the above plan.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

The other forum really disagree with your take on the issue:

"the information that you got on the other forum is just plain wrong.

Sorry, I was out of the country myself when you originally posted this, but there is one huge fact that needs to be pointed out about the flaw with the above post.

The information people on another forum are telling you is "just plain wrong" is taken directly from the US embassy's website. Essentially, they're not tell you that we're wrong, they're telling you that the US embassy is wrong!

I would never recommend taking legal advice from anyone on any internet forum - including the RTA Forum! That's why everyone has recommended you contact the embassy YOURSELF.

[troltuu]

Hello again everybody.

As much as I do appreciate your concerns on the overstaying front I really was hoping this time around to actually get some tips and suggestions on the route we are considering hence I made a new post – but now the focus is solely on the red tape.

I’m getting a little sad when you as experienced forum contributors make conclusions on my behalf such as “you have not bothered to go to the US embassy/consulate to get your information.” (How could you possibly know that I haven’t) or “We have given you alternatives, which you are obviously not interested in accepting.”

As it turn out I did go to the US embassy/consulate to get information and did consider the given alternatives mentioned. The consulate in Copenhagen that I live very close by cannot or will not answer questions regarding the Visa Waiver Program telling me to contact “U.S. Customs and Border Protection” who has not answered me yet. They did however tell me that I could apply for a 6 months visa – it will cost me quite a bit of cash but will solve my problems. So with that information we have been pushing on with our planning and were ready for some advice from this forum that I had been recommended. As we already had some home exchanges planned in for example Boston it made sense for us to actually leave the US during the first 3 months anyway and stay one month in Canada at the end.

Hoping to not go into the discussion we already had again I wrote in my new post that we would leave US inside 90 days. I guess it had the opposite effect.

Finally I beg forgiveness from all of you for questioning the information givin. I really really doesn’t make any sense to me that US in reality can decide how long time I can stay in Canada !!! I have no intention what so ever to stay in USA for longer than the 90 days. I will get an exit stamp at a Canadian border after less than 90 days, and after this I will not return not even in transit. It still puzzles me that I could risk being “tagged as an overstayer and a liar” as it was put here.

I did, and still do, think that the other forums argument sounds pretty reasonable and that’s why I used it to challenge what I heard here. It really is not straight forward to figure out these rules I think.

I guess now being in bad standing in the forum I have to go elsewhere to get input.

I wish you all the best.

Morten.

[Midwest Michael]

It's not that you're in bad standing, it's more like the phrase "except for the murder of your husband, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

When you tell us that you're moving forward with a plan to stay in North America for 4 months, when the US embassy writes pretty clearly that you have to leave North America within 90 days (and which is what other visitors to this forum have told us they have been told by customs), the details of your plan become pretty insignificant.

The first time I read that you had to leave North America within 90 days, I had the exact same reaction you did, why should the US care when I leave a different country, but that is the rule. I will try to find you another thread where this exact same situation came up a few months ago.

I looked at what you posted on LP, and you didn't make it clear that the advice you were getting here was being quoted from the US embassy, which lead them to declare that it was wrong. I would be curious what their reaction would be if you reposted it, saying it was from the Embassy in Copenhagen. I would hope they would be less likely to declare it as "just plain wrong."

The overstayer and liar comment appeared to be a direct response to one of your plans to switch your plane tickets, hoping they don't catch you, to get around the rules.

If you get a response from customs and are told something different that what others have reported, and what is written on the Embassy's website, we'd love to hear that too. If you decide to move forward with the tourist visa, that would work too, although I'll warn that from others have reported, that's quite difficult to actually get approved. I'd bet switching your plan to visit Canada first would be far less costly and time consuming.

[Midwest Michael]

This is the post where someone else, also from Denmark coincidentally, was hoping to spend 90 days in the US and then head onto Mexico, and was told by the embassy that their plan would not work without a full visa.

As you'll see in the thread, my reaction was one of surprise, as I didn't think it would be a problem at first either.

[Lifemagician]

If you are going ahead with applying for a full visa, I wish you good luck. Hopefully you will be able to fullfil their criteria.

One of the first things you will have noticed in the information for the application is not to purchase a ticket or make any travel arrangements until the visa is granted. They warn that they do not take any responsibility for moneys spent if the visa is not granted.

That is also what I have been told each time I applied for the visa, even though the last time was simply for a renewal. They would not guarantee that I could get the renewal.

Until you have your visa, any travel advice, route suggestions or anything else is irrelevant.

Lifey

[LSMNJACFL]

Have you checked with the US consulate in your region? Normally tourists are permitted 90 days in the US. And if these 90 come before time in Canada, then that time is included.

Being from Denmark, a country we have a visa waiver agreement with, its highly unlikely they would be allowed in the U.S. for only 90 days. Most probable is they will received admission into the U.S. for 6 months. If they exist the U.S. and go into Canada, they can re-enter the U.S. and receive up to another 6 months; and, could apply for an extension after that 6 months. Additionally, if they enter the U.S. on a Visitor's admission, no one will come looking for them if they overstay their time.

[Lifemagician]

Being from denmark, a country we have a visa waiver agreement with, its highly unlikely they would be allowed in the u.s. For only 90 days. Most probable is they will received admission into the u.s. For 6 months. If they exist the u.s. And go into canada, they can re-enter the u.s. And receive up to another 6 months; and, could apply for an extension after that 6 months. Additionally, if they enter the u.s. On a visitor's admission, no one will come looking for them if they overstay their time.

Unfortunately, you too have not studied the US embassy website in Copenhagen. You will find that your statement is quite erroneous. When did you last travel to the US, and tried to stay for more than 90 days?

It is having this kind of erroneous information posted which causes all the confusion. All the information I posted above is gleaned direct from the US Embassy website in Denmark. Maybe if you check that site, and read the requirements, you may be able to post correct information.

If you read right through this thread you will note that in the end the original poster was advised by the embassy to apply for a six month visa for this trip.

The exit to Canada to gain extra time in the US is long gone. It was abolished after the attack on New York in 2001. Since then the entry control has been steadily getting more and more strict.

True, they may not come looking for you, but it will be on your travel record worldwide for the rest of your life.

Lifey

[Midwest Michael]

Being from Denmark, a country we have a visa waiver agreement with, its highly unlikely they would be allowed in the U.S. for only 90 days. Most probable is they will received admission into the U.S. for 6 months.

Welcome to the RTA Forum, but I'm sorry, You clearly have no knowledge of what's involved with the visa waiver program. No one from ANY WVP country is allowed to visit the US for 6 months without getting a full tourist visa. Everything you posted is completely inaccurate, and I have to agree with Lifey, posting this kind of "advice" only serves as a disservice for those looking for help.