Question on using US "Green Card" while visiting Canada

S

sk-1

Registered Users (C)
Dear Forum members,

Background:

Canadian PR holders since April 2006; Landed in 2006 and returned back to US same day to continue to work on H1-B visa. Have used Canadian PR to visit Canada for H1-B stamping 2-3 times since then.

Finally obtained US green card in May 2008. Fully intent to continue to reside and work in US. In other words plan to utilize the permanent resident status in US.

I have to travel on work to Canada for a few days in a few weeks, had the following questions:

Q1) I plan to use US green card to enter Canada. Will I have issues as I am a Canadian PR holder as well and have used Canadian PR card to enter in the past.

Q2) Is it recommended to give up Canadian PR status to avoid problems with US PR status? It will automatically lapse in 5 years, but if I should give up Canadian PR status earlier, I am all for it. How does one go about doing it?

Q3) What is the legal answer; can one have both Canadian and US PR cards at same time?

Thanks in advance to all.
Regards.
 
A1: Should not be an issue for ten more months
A2: It will lapse when you fail to reside 2 out of every 5 years
A3: You can have both but you will not be able to satisfy both in the long run
 
Triple Citizen,

Thank you for response.

I had the following follow up questions:

1) You had stated "Should not be an issue for 10 more months"; Will there be an issue after that time period? and if so what?
2) Is there a procedure to give up Canadian PR card other than automatic lapse for not staying 2 years out of 5 years?

Thanks.
 
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sk-1 said:
Triple Citizen,

Thank you for response.

I had the following follow up questions:

1) You had stated "Should not be an issue for 10 more months"; Will there be an issue after that time period? and if so what?
2) Is there a procedure to give up Canadian PR card other than automatic lapse for not staying 2 years out of 5 years?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Do not use the cdn PR - that's the best way to give it up. If you enter Canada using your US GC, that is the best step to renounce your GC - in fact it is viewd upon as you have given up your cdn PR.

Trying to use both could land you in trouble - losing either of them. If it is cdn, then it is okay (as per your intention to retain the US GC), but if you lose your US green card, it is bad.
 
Q1) I plan to use US green card to enter Canada. Will I have issues as I am a Canadian PR holder as well and have used Canadian PR card to enter in the past.
Click to expand...
You will have to abandon canadian PR status if you decide to enter Canada using US GC. However, it does not mean that will happen right at that moment.

Q2) Is it recommended to give up Canadian PR status to avoid problems with US PR status?
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. Just use your US GC while visiting Canada at the border to enter Canada (not Canadian documents), do not work in Canada, do not resign from your US employer. Let Canadian authorities to figure out when and how to take you canadian status away.

It will automatically lapse in 5 years, but if I should give up Canadian PR status earlier, I am all for it. How does one go about doing it?
Click to expand...
You do not have to, but that is good to do it if you do not want to return to Canada to live there.

Q3) What is the legal answer; can one have both Canadian and US PR cards at same time?
Click to expand...
Yes, you can. You have to live in the US to keep US GC. You do not have to live in Canada to keep Canadian PR status for certain time limit. As fa as I remember, that is 3 years. Maybe 4. I mean you could keep Canadian status for that amount of time if you live in the US with US GC. However, visiting Canada on US GC will most likely terminate your Canadian status. You could use your passport to enter Canada, not a US GC, in case you have visa free travel to Canada.
 
Hi ,

If a person uses just US green card to enter Canada (without showing passport), how can Canada revoke your Canada GC ?
What key they have to correlate a US GC with Canada GC ?

Thanks
 
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I do not know when as how exactly they find out. Maybe they compare names, maybe they do not.
As as as they find out, they will consider doing it.
 
dhirendra_sh said:
Hi ,

If a person uses just US green card to enter Canada (without showing passport), how can Canada revoke your Canada GC ?
What key they have to correlate a US GC with Canada GC ?

Thanks
Click to expand...

Why r u assuming that they would allow you to enter by "just" showing your GC and not ask for the passport?
 
A CIC officer can deny entry to a US green card holder. My question is, why is an individual trying to retain both statuses? Why not make a concrete decision about where he/she wants to live and then follow through with that decision.

dhirendra_sh said:
If a person uses just US green card to enter Canada (without showing passport), how can Canada revoke your Canada GC ?
Click to expand...
 
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Sometimes, it is not a good time to make concrete decisions regarding certain matters especially if a person cannot do anything about those matters except to wait for the right time.

I am sure many people must have felt this way many times especially when it comes to immigration matters.
 
Passport is not relevant for a GC holder entry to Canada. But it is easy to identify someone by name and DOB. Only one person per 20,000 in average has the same DOB as yours. Canada is a small country, it is not like China.
 
That's an excellent point.

But my question is :
Why would Canadian officials check a US Green Card holder's first and last name with DOB entry in their immigration database. I can understand they can check every person entering into Canada in their criminal person's database of some sort ?
 
Why would Canadian officials check a US Green Card holder's first and last name with DOB entry in their immigration database
Click to expand...
That should be not specific for US GC holders, but rather for everybody. Just to make sure the person is admissible.
 
Take a look at following scenario :

1). Person stops at Canda-US border and shows a US GC

2). What does the officer do at that time :
a). Take US GC and do a search in their system based on name and DOB
b). What are they looking at : entire history of the person(s) matching that name and DOB ? Does it indicate whether that person has Canada GC as well ?
 
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Very much possible. Why do you doubt it? By scanning my wife's US passport, a CIC official was able to tell that she has a maple card. This was just last month at Pearson.

dhirendra_sh said:
What are they looking at : entire history of the person(s) matching that name and DOB ? Does it indicate whether that person has Canada GC as well ?
Click to expand...
 
Then at US-Border, a person can show Canada GC instead of US GC provided person is attempting to maintain both and tell about temp stay in US
 
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You mean at the entry point to Canada?
And you hope that will never become known to US government?
maybe in some cases it will not, while in others it will?
 
Update on travel experience

All,

Thank you all for the advice. I completed my trip this week, was gone for 3 days. My experience is as follows:

Landed at Montreal airport. At Canadian immigration showed them my passport and US PR card. Was asked the reason for visit and job title. Satisfied with response, Canadian customs stamped passport and that was it.

On return back, the US custom is done at Montreal airport itself. Was asked reason for visit and title. The guy looked over current passport, swiped PR card checked his screen and then stamped passport. In the entry stamp in the passport where it says class he entered ARC and wrote the A# below it. No fingerprinting or photograph was taken.

Does anyone know what ARC means?
 
sk-1 said:
All,

Thank you all for the advice. I completed my trip this week, was gone for 3 days. My experience is as follows:

Landed at Montreal airport. At Canadian immigration showed them my passport and US PR card. Was asked the reason for visit and job title. Satisfied with response, Canadian customs stamped passport and that was it.

On return back, the US custom is done at Montreal airport itself. Was asked reason for visit and title. The guy looked over current passport, swiped PR card checked his screen and then stamped passport. In the entry stamp in the passport where it says class he entered ARC and wrote the A# below it. No fingerprinting or photograph was taken.

Does anyone know what ARC means?
Click to expand...

I also have same situation. I am canadian PR and have US Green Card as well. I am living in US and want to visit Canada.

Based on your experience, is it ok to use US Green Card?
 
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