Visiting Canada with Outstanding Bench Warrant in the U.S.

homelife

New Member
Hi, quick question to everyone:

I have an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to visit Canada. This is a visitor visa that they give to US Green Card holders wanting to visit Canada. I applied for one and already received it.

I have siblings in Canada and my question is:

If I travel to Canada from where I am now (I'm not in the States now), will Canadian Immigration check or find out about my bench warrant in the States?...because I'm thinking they would probably want to see or check my US Green Card since the eTA or visitor visa that they granted me is the one for US Green Card holders.


Thank you.
 
Hi, quick question to everyone:

I have an eTA (electronic travel authorization) to visit Canada. This is a visitor visa that they give to US Green Card holders wanting to visit Canada. I applied for one and already received it.

I have siblings in Canada and my question is:

If I travel to Canada from where I am now (I'm not in the States now), will Canadian Immigration check or find out about my bench warrant in the States?...because I'm thinking they would probably want to see or check my US Green Card since the eTA or visitor visa that they granted me is the one for US Green Card holders.


Thank you.
They will definitely want to see your green card. Are you not currently residing in the US or are you just visiting elsewhere?
I know that the US and Canadian border authorities share information, beyond that I don’t know if they will specifically see about your warrant, maybe someone else can answer that.
 
The US and Canada are two separate nations. Requesting admission into Canada should be just that, but an eTA that was based on a US green card could trigger something deeper. The US and Canada do share information.

Another issue is how long has OP been outside the US on a Green Card, and how is he dealing with the bench warrant?
 
The US and Canada are two separate nations. Requesting admission into Canada should be just that, but an eTA that was based on a US green card could trigger something deeper. The US and Canada do share information.

Another issue is how long has OP been outside the US on a Green Card, and how is he dealing with the bench warrant?
Agree, particularly if he is flying from (and possibly returning to) a country that is not the US. I am from a country that would need a Canadian visa without a green card so I can confirm that they check your green card when you land with an eTA, I’m not sure how much info they get from it though.
 
Knew a few people that got turned back because of criminal records when trying to enter Canada for caribana weekend few weeks back. They are US citizens too. Apparently they see everything.
 
Quick google search shows multiple sites, including immigration law ones, note that US and Canadian authorities do in fact have access to each other’s databases - I wasn’t sure if warrants as well as convictions would be in there, but apparently they are, for example:
Canada and the U.S. share criminal databases, and the Canadian border can see all US state and country wide warrants, and the US border can see all provincial and Canada-wide warrants.

They also noted that bench warrants never expire apparently , so dude needs to fix the problem, it’s not going to go away by itself.
 
Thank you for your inputs.

My next question is: Will Canadian Immigration find out that I've been outside of the States for over a year now? I mean, if they do have a way of checking my Green Card...will they know that I haven't returned to the States since?

I'm guessing they'll find out on my passport...if they actually care to look for that information, right?
 
Question for you: when did you apply for the eTA? Did you provide a US address in your application?
Irrespective of when that was: Basically what you’re saying is you plan to try enter Canada with an abandoned green card (a valid one is required to use your eTA) with an outstanding warrant. If you’re not going to get your US standing in terms of both your criminal background and permanent residence sorted out, it probably makes much more sense for your siblings to come visit you.
 
The best advice for the OP would be to stop looking for loopholes. No good would come out hiding from the law with the over-a-year absence on a green card. Dude, the green card is deemed to be abandoned being outside the US that long, and technically the eTA may subsequently be deemed void too. Entering Canada from a non-US country would give CBSA pause.

Fix the problem; it's not going to go away. Care to share what the bench warrant is for?
 
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