Can i travel back to Canada and return to USA?

J

jnj

Registered Users (C)
Got married but need to get some of my original paperwork back in Canada.
I also want to renew my DL up there just in case i dont get the greencard here...What is the best way of going to canada and returning to USA with the least amount of problems?
Is it ok to fly up to canada and return to usa by ground/car?
What do they ask for at the airport these days?
My canadian passport has been expired for a while and my one and only non expired id is my citizenship card?I am wondering because i dont have 2 valid id's if i will be grilled and whether US customs or tsa will grill me?As well as will canadian customs agent grill me when i arrive in canada and will this info be shared with usa officials and will it show up in a background check???

Thank you
 
jnj said:
I am wondering because i dont have 2 valid id's if i will be grilled and whether US customs or tsa will grill me?
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I'd be more curious as to answering why you are coming to the US, how long you will be staying and evidence of your ties to Canada.
 
From what I understand, it will be considered "abandoning your application if you leave the US without AP! :eek:

You will be able to get proper ID once you get your EAD and Social Security Card.
 
if you didn't file any paperwork yet then I don't think that would be a problem

once you file that paperwork you are stuck here until you get the AP.

once you are able to go back you will need a VALID passport to return. Just go to your local consulate and get one.
 
Isnt your departure from an airport more stictly recorded?and also canadian immigration is more strict at airports than if i were to return via land crossing in a car,right?
Also, i havent filed my forms yet but isnt leaving the usa a violation anyway?
 
jnj said:
and also canadian immigration is more strict at airports than if i were to return via land crossing in a car,right?
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Why are you worried about Canadian immigration?

Also, i havent filed my forms yet but isnt leaving the usa a violation anyway?
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No, what would you be violating? Are you subject to the 3/10 year bars?

Again, I'd be more concerned with gaining re-entry to the US.
 
I have been in the usa for 6yrs and with the wife for 3yrs but we got married only 3 months ago...

I am worried about candian immigration because if they ask how long i was out of country etc...also dont they report this to usa officials?

also how bad is airport security if i only have 1 valid photo id while therest are expired?will this be reported to ins?thanks
 
The only thing canadien officials should be saying to you is "welcome back" whether you violated another country's laws is none of their concern.

to avoid any delays or anyone stopping you to ask any questions get your passport renewed.

you are lucky because cananda is one of those special countries that allows for dual citizenship.

so as long as you present a valid canadien passport I don't see how any official would give you any hassles.
 
i cant get my passport renewed in 3 or 4 days and besides if i used a renewed passport to enter canada it might be entered into the system and us officials could see that i had travelled outside the usa.
 
jnj said:
i cant get my passport renewed in 3 or 4 days and besides if i used a renewed passport to enter canada it might be entered into the system and us officials could see that i had travelled outside the usa.
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Why are you so concerned about leaving the United States? There seems to be something here you are not telling us.
 
i have to renew my cdn drivers license-its been expired for a while and i have to do it now-no exception...and since getting a gc here is not garanteed i dont want to chance not renewing it...i have lived down here for a while and they might reject me for gc.
 
jnj said:
i have lived down here for a while and they might reject me for gc.
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Are you subject to the re-entry bars?

Seriously, you need to provide a clear picture of your situation so that we can understand what the potential consequences are, instead of giving us partial information and wondering how you can get across the border without being noticed.
 
have lived here continuously since 2000 and not returned up north since then.

lived here in the early 90s and had an apt and phone in my name for 2yrs

had a family illness and then travelled back and forth til about 2000.

used to have a california dl and had a not valid for employment ss card...

have bank accounts and credit cards here in usa....

I am worried about what data will be shared by us/canadian officials when i travel up to canada and renew my license...and will my cdn dl renewal be entered in us system?
 
I don't know why it's so hard for you to make your situation clear.
Answer the following question and then people here may be able to help.

1. What is your current status ? If no status, when did status expire ?
2. Did you file I485 ?
3. If 2 is yes, did you have AP ?
 
I agree with mr canadien

how were you originally admitted to the US?

The only time you cannot leave the country is if you have a pending application. From what you have told us thus far you have not yet filed anything and you simply overstayed some kind of visa. Unless you are hiding something this is hard to flesh out.
 
i got married but i have not filed papers yet the 325 forms...i have no status i guess and cdns dont need visas to visit here...your allowed 6 months per year
 
ok I think I understand what the confusion is.

please correct me if I'm wrong

let's assume you didn't come here on any type of visa

then you either crossed illegally or came here as an ordinary tourist and just stayed too long. Canadien citizens are allowed to hop back and forth.

back then it was way easier to get a drivers license and a ss card.
they didn't care what status you were.
now his dl here is expired and they probably want him to provide some kind of legal status when in fact you are here illegally and never had any permanent or temporary status.

am I right?
 
Also is it better to cross land border or go by air...I mean which one is less hassle for returning to canada?Is it true that if you by air all travellers in the usa airports are entered into a database that is accessed by ins?
For instance if ins does a background check of me can they find that i travevelled outside the country when i said i was here?
 
"now his dl here is expired and they probably want him to provide some kind of legal status when in fact you are here illegally and never had any permanent or temporary status.
"

no my canadian drivers license is expired and needs to be renewd...
i used to have a california dl but they stopped reissuing those back in 2000 or something....
I guess i am an overstay...
 
ok because you are married to USC you have some options

all of which entail some inconvenience and waiting on your part.

because you have an expired passport you may not be able to get back to the US.

my suggestion was to renew the passport here go to canada renew your license and head on back as a tourist.
now if you can get to canada on the expired passport why not renew the passport in canada and then come back that way.

if you do that do not tell any official, US or canadien, that you are married to a us citizen. They won't let you come back if you show intent to immigrate.

or you can do the super duper proper legal way and that is to go back to canada and wait for your wife to sponsor you and come here on an immigrant visa, but that is so not recommended because it takes too long.

as long as you present a valid passport at the US border I don't see how they could turn you away.
 
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