Enter US from Canada by train

D

Djack

Registered Users (C)
Hello everyone,

I am a DV winner and got my visa few months ago. I planned to enter US from Canada by train with my family. My questions are:

1. Has anyone done that before and what was your experience?

2. Do you think it's a good idea to make our first trip to US by train?

3. Will the Canadian custom officers stamp our passport when we depart Canada?

4. We plan to stay in US for only 2 weeks, so we will not get the physical green card before we leave. Will the temporary I-551 stamp that the US CBP put in our passport be sufficient to re-enter Canada?

Thank you all for your reply.
 
You're not Canadian, but you want to enter by train from Canada? Why? Is your family Canadian? Are you working in Canada?
 
Jackolantern said:
You're not Canadian, but you want to enter by train from Canada? Why? Is your family Canadian? Are you working in Canada?
Click to expand...

Thanks Jockolantern for stoppin by.

No I am not Canadian. I hold a valid study permit and my wife a working permit. We plan to go to US to validate our green card and chose the train as means of transportation. Since we are staying for just 2 weeks, we will not get the physical green card before we leave US to come back to Canada.

So I am wondering if the stamp which represents a temporary permanent residence permit in US for one year will be enough for us to come back to Canada. I heard that green card + passport can enter Canada without asking for a visa.
 
The green card or I-551 stamp can be used to enter Canada as a tourist, but not to study or work. To go back to Canada you and your wife will have to use a study visa, work visa, or some other relevant document that allows entering Canada to work/study, unless you'll be ending your working/studying before you return to Canada.
 
Jackolantern said:
The green card or I-551 stamp can be used to enter Canada as a tourist, but not to study or work. To go back to Canada you and your wife will have to use a study visa, work visa, or some other relevant document that allows entering Canada to work/study, unless you'll be ending your working/studying before you return to Canada.
Click to expand...

I have a study permit and my wife a working visa all valid until end of 2014. Since we will be granted a I-551 stamp upon entry to US, we want to use this stamp in our passport to come back to Canada to continue our activities (study for me and work for wife) until our permits expire. Will that works?

My understanding is without a green card or I-551 stamp we will need a valid visa to enter Canada from US or another country. Is that correct?
 
Only temporary visitors to Canada can enter with just a green card. If you plan to either work or study in Canada you will need a visa. Do you have a Canadian student visa stamped on your passport?
 
Djack said:
I have a study permit and my wife a working visa all valid until end of 2014. Since we will be granted a I-551 stamp upon entry to US, we want to use this stamp in our passport to come back to Canada to continue our activities (study for me and work for wife) until our permits expire. Will that works?

My understanding is without a green card or I-551 stamp we will need a valid visa to enter Canada from US or another country. Is that correct?
Click to expand...

You're missing the point. With a green card or I-551 you can only enter Canada as a tourist -- NOT to work or study. If you use the green card/I-551 to enter Canada and then proceed to work or study there, you would be violating their immigration laws. You'll need a Canadian student/work visa or another appropriate travel document which authorizes you to enter Canada for the purpose of work/study, and you must show that visa or document to the Canadian immigration officers at the border or airport.
 
Wait, this is all getting a little mixed up.

The OP says he and his wife have a work and study permit valid until 2014. This lets them work and study in Canada.

Now to the OP: you would NOT use the I551 stamp to enter Canada, but to re-enter the US. The question is, to what address will the card be sent? A friend's? You can use the stamp for up to a year, so pick up the card before the stamp expires.

Also, do you plan to go back and forth to make sure you don't stay out for more than 6 months at a time, or apply for a re-entry permit?

You also ought to check if Canada requires a re-entry permit with a work/study visa. Some people, depending on nationality, require one to exit and re-enter Canada.

Finally, I've heard that sometimes it takes a while to process immigrants at the border. Would the train wait? I'd say a drive, or a direct flight, might be more appropriate.
 
cafeconleche said:
Wait, this is all getting a little mixed up.

The OP says he and his wife have a work and study permit valid until 2014. This lets them work and study in Canada.
Click to expand...

Correct, but maybe it doesn't necessarily authorize entering Canada for the purpose of work/study.

I'll give an example of the US-equivalent scenario: suppose somebody changed from F-1 to H1B within the US. Although they can use the resulting document from the change of status to continue working while inside the US, they wouldn't be able to use the same document to reenter the US and resume working. They'd have to get an H1B visa at a US consulate (with the exception of Canadians who can enter with H1B status by showing the approved H1B petition) and use the visa at the port of entry.

OP needs to clarify a couple things: (1) Does he really mean to ask about reentering the US with the I-551, not reentering Canada, and (2) regarding the work/study permits he and his wife have -- are those permits actually visas or visa-equivalents which authorize entry into Canada in addition to authorizing working/studying within Canada?
 
Thank you all for your contribution. You all shed some light on the trickiness of immigration process in both countries US and Canada.
The thing is me and my wife have valid study/working visas and we want to travel to US to validate our green card. But we are not planning to move permanently in US until next year when I finished my studies. We will travel to US for 2 weeks and then come back to Canada. So these are points:

1. Do we need a visa to come back to Canada or the I-551 will suffice?
2. We are aware of the fact that we can't stay outside of US for more than 6 months. Our physical green cards will be mailed by our friend whose address was mentioned on the DS-230 and will be confirmed at the border. So we will travel again to US in December 2013 to apply for re-entry permit.

I was freaking so bad when I read your replies that I called Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to have peace of mind. According to CIC I don't need a visa to come back to Canada as long as I just go to US and my study/working permit is still valid, even without a green card or I-551. But if I travel outside of Canada to a country rather than US, then, I will need a visa to re-enter Canada in order to continue working or studying.

This is what I was able to grab from CIC. I asked them for evidence and they sent me a reference about this issue. I hope this helps others in the same situation.
 
Again, the I551 has nothing to do with Canada for the purpose of your study/work. If CIC confirms you can re-enter Canada with the visas you already have, that is what will let you back into Canada to continue your study/work. Once that expires, your I551 stamp will let you enter Canada as visitors, and back into the US as permanent residents.
 
Djack said:
I was freaking so bad when I read your replies that I called Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to have peace of mind. According to CIC I don't need a visa to come back to Canada as long as I just go to US and my study/working permit is still valid, even without a green card or I-551. But if I travel outside of Canada to a country rather than US, then, I will need a visa to re-enter Canada in order to continue working or studying.
Click to expand...

Do you have a Canadian visa or not? That's what is confusing us. In one place you say you have a visa, but in another it seems like you only have a permit which doesn't allow entry into Canada like a visa would. And if you have a work/study visa to enter Canada, it doesn't make sense that you're asking about using I-551 to enter Canada, for which the main purpose is to enter the US, not to enter Canada (although Canada and Mexico happen to accept I-551 instead of a visa, but they accept the I-551 only for the purpose of entering as a tourist who is not going to work or study).
 
Sorry for not being clear enough for you guys.
Again I actually don't have a valid visa for Canada because the one I had expired couple of years ago (2010). So I can't use it.
According to CIC if someone has a valid Canadian work/study permit and the person travels only to US without visiting another country, that person can come back to Canada without a visa. No need for him or her to apply for a visa.

So I can go to US to have the I-551 stamp on my passport which stands for temporary permanent residence card/document for a year. The only document I will need to come back to Canada is my work/study visa. Upon I return to Canada I can start working or studying with that document. I don't need a visa since my study/work permit is valid and I am returning to Canada from a trip to US.

I-551 stamp or green card would be required only if I am visiting Canada coming from US without a valid Canadian travel document.

I hope I am being clear now.
 
Djack said:
Sorry for not being clear enough for you guys.
Again I actually don't have a valid visa for Canada because the one I had expired couple of years ago (2010). So I can't use it.
According to CIC if someone has a valid Canadian work/study permit and the person travels only to US without visiting another country, that person can come back to Canada without a visa. No need for him or her to apply for a visa.

So I can go to US to have the I-551 stamp on my passport which stands for temporary permanent residence card/document for a year. The only document I will need to come back to Canada is my work/study visa. Upon I return to Canada I can start working or studying with that document. I don't need a visa since my study/work permit is valid and I am returning to Canada from a trip to US.
Click to expand...

My understanding of what you've written:
You and your wife have permits to work or study, but not visas to enter Canada for those purposes, however the permits you have would allow you to reenter Canada without a visa if you're coming from the US.

I-551 stamp or green card would be required only if I am visiting Canada coming from US without a valid Canadian travel document.
Click to expand...
But the I-551 stamp would not allow you to enter Canada for the purpose of working or studying.
 
Yes, Jackolantern, you got my points. Thank you and others for contributing to this thread.

To sum up, anyone with a Canadian work or study visa can visit US from Canada and come back to Canada without any Canadian visa.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top