Travel to Canada for PR Activation, F-1 Visa Expired, Second Masters / CPT

adityagandhi.7

New Member
Hi All - I am currently in the US on an F-1 visa, and am considering visiting Canada in November/December to activate my PR. However, the issue is that my F-1 visa expired in June 2016. Also, I am on my second Masters in the US, and have used OPT in the past, and also am currently on CPT (been working > 1 year) on CPT. I would like to know if traveling to Canada now to activate my PR can have risks such as:

1. Risk of F-1 automatic re-validation being denied during re-entry to the US because of working on CPT for > 1 year.
2. I was stopped for a secondary check while entering the US last time (in early 2016). This was because of a confusion in my OPT unemployment days. The officer made a mistake, and then they allowed me to enter. Will this cause any issues?
3. Traveling to Canada for the purpose of being a Permanent Resident might not qualify as grounds for F-1 revalidation, as it's only for short-term travel purposes. Depending on the immigration officer, they might argue this or might not even be aware of automatic revalidation. Note: I plan to be back in the US in under a week.
4. Would you advise traveling by air or by car? I've heard that some airlines might not allow me to board a plane back to the US due to an expired visa, and might not be aware of automatic revalidation.
 
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