Crossing at Border - Stamping passport

[Millac]

Hi all,
Just a question about crossing the border. I\\\'ve learned so much from so many of your posts -thank you again.
I didn\\\'t realize that if the border guard doesn\\\'t stamp your passport - there\\\'s no record of how long you have been in Canada. Which makes it difficult to apply for extensions since there is technically no record.

I never knew that, I thought when they take the passport, they punch in my passport # or something ...I guess not.

So actually, while waiting for my PR paperwork to go through, it\\\'s true that you can buy some time or rather more time if they dont\\\' stamp your passport? So if I stayed for 3 months, came home to US, went back - they don\\\'t have a record of how long I stayed the last time?

[RobsLuv]

They may or may not have a record of how long you stayed - some people believe they track departures and share information, and others dont. But just because they didnt stamp your passport doesnt mean they didnt scan it. Not stamping your passport only means theyve not given you what you need to enable you to apply from within Canada to extend your stay. I dont know if they do this on purpose, or if they figure its just not necessary unless its brought to their attention, but either way - every time you come to the border requesting to enter the country youre going to have to demonstrate that you intend only to stay temporarily. If they believe you, they let you in. If they dont - or if they see that youve made several trips in rapid succession and you dont have a valid explanation (other than that youre in love with a Canadian) - they could start to doubt your ties to home and not believe you will go back. And then they have the only excuse they need to turn you around. Best thing to do - have a return trip itinerary and be able to prove that you have a home and a job to go back to.