do i need to(or how do I) show that my visits to Canada were all very short?(hours)

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Ned50

New Member
Since I became holder of the greencard, I have visited Canada(Quebec and Ontario only) around 5 or 6 times. Each visit was 4 to 8 hours long, at the most. Just short sightseeing and / or shopping trips.

When it's time for my naturalization interview, should I be prepared to document these visits? If so, how do I do this? I crossed the border by car and showed only my greencard to US and Canadian officers, which is why there are no passport stamps... (but I do have the shopping receipts and gas receipts) :)

All replies appreciate! :)
 
Ned50 said:
I do recall the U.S. border agent in the booth swiping my greencard... so
the USCIS or CBP must have a record of my re-enter the US from Canada?
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That is tricky... I am sure someone with this experience will surely respond.
 
Ned50 said:
I do recall the U.S. border agent in the booth swiping my greencard... so
the USCIS or CBP must have a record of my re-enter the US from Canada?
Click to expand...

Every time to re-entered the US they swiped your card and the information is entered in to IBIS. It's best to document all visits, no matter how short they were since the IBIS record will be verified by the IO at the interview. You'll have a chance at interview to tell the IO about those short trips so don't worry about not including them on your original application.
 
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Jackolantern said:
Look at page 4 of the N-400. You don't have to list trips of under 24 hours.
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Thanks for the clarification Jackolantern. Ned50 had already sent in his application and I believe he was concerned if these short trips would be questioned during his processing since IBIS is readily available by the IO at the interview. There is no need to disclose it on the application, but the IO may always ask about it at the interview.
 
Bobsmyth said:
Thanks for the clarification Jackolantern. Ned50 had already sent in his application and I believe he was concerned if these short trips would be questioned during his processing since IBIS is readily available by the IO at the interview. There is no need to disclose it on the application, but the IO may always ask about it at the interview.
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I am in a similar position in that I have many short trips to Mexico. I didn't document all of these, so I included a general statement in my N-400 regarding these short trips and indicated that while most of them were less than 24 hours, and hence not reported on the N-400, some of them may in fact have been longer. I estimated the number that may have been longer and gave the maximum duration of no more than 1-2 days.

If your trips really were less than 24 hours then you should be fine. You didn't need to report them on the N-400 but you can mention them if they come up. Many times in crossing at a land border, they will not swipe your GC or passport. There are cameras that record your license plate number (both directions, since Canada and the US share information) and these can tell an inspector how long the vehicle has been gone. I used a pedestrian crossing for most crossings into Mex, so there is no record of exit, and in many cases no record of re-entry if they did not swipe my GC.

Regarding the IBIS, I have a question for you guys: if the IO has access to the IBIS then why bother looking at passport stamps, which many IOs do? Seems that the IBIS would have all the records that they need.
 
yummyk said:
Regarding the IBIS, I have a question for you guys: if the IO has access to the IBIS then why bother looking at passport stamps, which many IOs do? Seems that the IBIS would have all the records that they need.
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Perhaps they verify passport for any entry that wasn't recorded by IBIS or to confirm the travel dates you mention in application.
 
Trips to Canada

Hi,

I did not mention a trip to Canada that lasted a few hours in my application. During the interview, I was asked about any other trips, and I volunteered this information. The Officer just wrote it down in my app. When I tried to concentrate to remember the exact date, she brushed it off saying it didn't matter.

Since you ask, I would suggest that during your interview, you truthfully mention all the trips you can remember...it is a "last chance" to get your file updated.

All the very best.
 
lonestar1 said:
Hi,

I did not mention a trip to Canada that lasted a few hours in my application. During the interview, I was asked about any other trips, and I volunteered this information. The Officer just wrote it down in my app. When I tried to concentrate to remember the exact date, she brushed it off saying it didn't matter.

Since you ask, I would suggest that during your interview, you truthfully mention all the trips you can remember...it is a "last chance" to get your file updated.

All the very best.
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This is good advice, since it shows you are making best efforts to capture all trips outside the US. Before I filed my application, I consulted an attorney about this very issue and she said that if you can't remember exact dates etc. for short trips then it is fine to just include a general statement in your N-400. That is more or less what I did, and it mentioned in general terms trips that were greater than 24 hours as well as the fact that most of them were less than this duration.
 
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