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Girlfriend of Aussie man who overstayed US visa by an hour shares her anguish.

With AAP.

Baxter Reid and his girlfriend Heather Kancso were trying to cross the US border into Canada after a long, “exhausting” day.

However, their bad luck with car trouble turned into a nightmare when the Australian man was arrested for overstaying his visa for about an hour.

Kancso has told News.com.au for her anguish as the 26-year-old remains in a US detention centre more than a week after he was arrested on April 24.

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“It’s been 10 days and this is ridiculous,” the American hair stylist told News.com.au.

“The whole situation feels very surreal. I want this nightmare to be over.”

She told ABC Reid’s first court appearance has been scheduled for 10 May.

Kancso, who has returned to New York for work, said this is the longest time the pair have been apart after six months of living and travelling together.

“I would trade places with him in a heartbeat,” she told the news site.

“Baxter is one of the most amazing human beings. He’s happy and positive, and always there to help and always has a smile on his face.”

Baxter Reid. (Image via Facebook.)

Kancso has raised more than $9000 after setting up an online fundraising campaign to help cover legal bills for her boyfriend, who has served in the Australian army and is reportedly being held at the Buffalo Federal Detention Centre.

She says Reid, originally from Sydney and Canberra, had only been in the US for a few months and the couple planned to make regular trips out of the country so his visa would remain valid.

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But when they made their first trip travelling through upstate New York to Canada on April 23, a trip that would normally take seven hours from New York to Buffalo took 15 because their car broke down.

The couple made it to the border with two hours to spare on the visa, but Kancso border officials "started giving us a bit of a hard time" and spent hours asking questions.

Baxter Reid has been detained in the US. (Image via Facebook.)

"After wasting over four hours there, they sent us to the US border patrol because they refused to let Baxter through," Kancso wrote on her GoFundMe page.

"The US border patrol ended up taking Baxter away, because after waiting for hours with the Canadians, he technically violated his Visa requirements and was illegally in the US for a SINGLE HOUR.

"We were both completely shocked," Miss Kancso told News.com.au.

"I couldn’t stop crying as soon as they put him in handcuffs."

His father Tom Reid told Fairfax Media his son "seems to be in good spirits".

"He's a kid with a sense of adventure; travelling overseas and living life so he doesn't deserve this."

Kancso said her boyfriend risks being charged even though he was trying to comply with US laws.

"This is going to make a criminal out of an innocent man," she said.

Have you been caught out overstaying your visa?