Your experience, please:

M

Michael2002

Registered Users (C)
Hello friends:

Did anybody from you guys go to Canada by car recently? I would like to know about the new procedure at the border, because I have heard that when you enter Canada by car, you will get a special card with time and date and when you return from Canada to the US by car, you will have to show this special card. Thereby the officers can have a better tracking system of all the people travelling to and coming from Canada. Is this information correct? I would be very very thankful for sharing your recent experience with me. I am a permanent resident of the US who likes to visit relatives in Canada. Some of my relatives intend to come with me to the US when I return to America by car. Therefore I am a little bit nervous about possible questions from the officers at the border. Indeed, they have visited the US several times in the past, but since 9/11 I was questioned a lot whenever I returned from a trip abroad. One times they kept me at the airport for several hours and I missed the plane. Of course they did not find anything, because I am a Green Card holder and I didn’t do anything wrong. The only reason was that they couldn’t find my telephone number in the computer system and thereby they thought, my home wouldn’t be in America. I am sharing the phone with my roommate and the number is listed on his name, that’s why my name is not listed in any telephone book. However, since that incident I have noticed that the phone number seems to be an important evidence for proving your residency quickly.

Best regards,

Michael
 
Originally posted by Michael2002
Hello friends:

Did anybody from you guys go to Canada by car recently? I would like to know about the new procedure at the border, because I have heard that when you enter Canada by car, you will get a special card with time and date and when you return from Canada to the US by car, you will have to show this special card. Thereby the officers can have a better tracking system of all the people travelling to and coming from Canada. Is this information correct?
Best regards,

Michael
Click to expand...

Are you talking about the American or Canadian side issuing this card?

There was some talk about this being implimented on the US side several years ago. The law never got through Congress. Essentially, you would go through US Customs before leaving the country.

It wouldn't surprise me if this was re-introduced in the near future. I also believe that if you are a citizen of the five countries on the watch list, you will have to tell *somebody* on the US side that you are leaving.

Brian
 
Hi, Michael, I am so interested in the news of the card.
May I know when and where you learned it?
Joy02
 
During the meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister at the American-Canadian border, U.S. President George W. Bush talked about introducing new procedures for travellers between the two countries. This meeting was shown live on TV a few months ago.

Leroythelion, according to your information this new policy is not introduced yet, right?

Did anyone else visited Canada by car recently and can share us their experience at the border? Thanks in advance, friends!

Regards,

Michael
 
Originally posted by Michael2002
During the meeting with the Canadian Prime Minister at the American-Canadian border, U.S. President George W. Bush talked about introducing new procedures for travellers between the two countries. This meeting was shown live on TV a few months ago.

Leroythelion, according to your information this new policy is not introduced yet, right?

Did anyone else visited Canada by car recently and can share us their experience at the border? Thanks in advance, friends!

Regards,

Michael
Click to expand...

I haven't been to Canada since August (by car), but I will be going next week (by car). I haven't heard of anything of the sorts.

Brian
 
Hi there, Leroythelion, will you share your experience after going to Canada by car?
Thanks
joy02
 
@ LeroyTheLion

Hello Leroy,

you might be back from your trip. Could you please share us your experience? Thanks a lot!
 
I went to Montreal last week and crossed over on the Vermont border. I did not have any such card. I just hsowed them the GC and breezed through.
 
Re: @ LeroyTheLion

Originally posted by Michael2002
Hello Leroy,

you might be back from your trip. Could you please share us your experience? Thanks a lot!
Click to expand...

I've been back twice, now. I just entered by car this morning. I was inspected by Customs, not INS. However, the questioning was more thorough today than most days in the past. This was evident in the huge backlog of cars at a crossing that is not normally that busy. The questioning went on for a couple of minutes and seemed to go in circles. The inspector changed pace and subject matter frequently. It's a tactic I've seen used by Canadian Customs for several years now. If you answer quickly and truthfully, everything will be fine.

Brian
 
Hello Micheal,

You had mentioned your trouble when leaving the US at the airport. I am not aware of such troubles. Most likely the troubles stem from people with GC intending to get back to the US instead.
Can you share us with more details when they kept you at the airport before departure?

I notice that airline are not swiping GC not departing passengers. As for crossing the US/Canadian borders, the system you mentioned could be possible in the future. But may be not now.

Then what were your circumstances when drive back from Canada to the US?
 
Sorry for some typos
--the first sentence of the 2nd paragraph in my last posted message should read:

"I notice that airline are NOW swiping GC FOR departing passengers."
 
When crossing the border to visit Canada, if for some reason you are asked to enter the building for further inspection, Canadian immigration will check your green card. I believe the recorded information will be passed along to US immigration later. Therefore, your departure date will be known by US immigration.
 
JoeF:
Since that incident at the airport I am so afraid of leaving the country. I wanted to sue these guys, because they were just security agents working for a private company which is hired by the airline. But then I thought that it is not worth it. All I could get would be a flight ticket from this damn airline. I never like to fly with this airline again, therefore I am not interested in getting such a ticket eventually. I was delighted to hear that the airline went bancrupt, now :-)))))


JNWong:

I am living with a roommate and everything is registered under his name (phone, apartment etc.). Therefore these airline security agents gave me not only a hard time, but they raped me psychologically and in a certain way also physically without the presence of police. (Oh Lord, please punish them!)
 
I am travelling between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, regularly (I am a US green-card holder) (last time last week-end) and I have seen no such card (yet).
 
It is always important to carry some supporting documents with you at all time when entering, just in case you need to prove your un-interrupted US residency to INS or any other inspectors. I always carry with me a small binder where I put all the latestest and updated credit card bills, bank statements etc together (just in case), although I never have to use them so far.

If you are sharing the apt. w/ friends, just ask your friend to add your name in. For phone bill, you may try the same. The more supporting documents, the stronger your case.

Also, one advice that some attorneys gives is to try to avoid some large POEs where lots of non-immigrants flush in (e.g. NY, LA or SF). That might give you less trouble (possibly). Don't lie to INS in any way.
 
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