Border crossings--Canadians please weigh in

[CanAmCharlotte 0]

I am a Canadian and have a CR1 visa as of 10/15/2006. I will be filing to remove the conditions of my residency next month. Yeah!!! I have only been back to Canada twice since moving to the US. Both times I got a bit of grief going through Customs (once at the Toronto airport and once at the land crossing of Houlton, Maine). I had my current (unexpired) Canadian passport and my permanent resident card (also unexpired) with me on both occasions. Both times the customs official looked at me like I had two heads or something. Seriously, I had to "educate" the officials on my circumstance. It was never elevated to the next level at Customs or anything and eventually I was waved through but they made me feel as if they were doing me a favour (note Canadian spelling)! I'm not sure if they were just playing with me because they were bored or if they really are lacking in their training of permanent resident crossings. Have any other Canadians out there experienced nerve-wracking crossings back into the US? I can hardly wait until I have to use the extension letter to go along with my passport and resident card--NOT!!!

Jo-Anne

[Cassie 8]

I've never had problems travelling back and forth (5 times in the last 3.5 years) with varying levels of ID (GC, GC+ extension letter, etc). Never been questioned as to the legitimacy of my status, nothing. Guess I have been fortunate. I can understand the land crossing at Houlton, but I am surprised at the trouble in Toronto.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

Hmm, I have only returned to Canada once since I left and that was at Christmas 2 years ago. I used my passport and my greencard and had absolutely no problems either coming or going. That was at the Ottawa airport. I will be visiting Canada this summer with my expired greencard and an I-551 stamp in my passport as I never received the NOA extension letter. I am not anticipating any problems although we will be crossing at a land border - the Ivy Lea Bridge between New York and Ontario. I have no suggestions to offer why you experienced difficulties. They should have known how to process you without a problem.

Edited June 18, 2008 by Kathryn41

[YuAndDan 153]

Last winter we traveled into Canada with no problems crossing at Niagara Falls. We showed ONLY my wife's green card, and my US Passport. The Canadian had no issue letting my wife enter Canada with just the green-card, NO non-US passport presented to the Canadian customs officer.

I would just present either green-card OR Canadian passport when entering Canada, not both.

Edited June 18, 2008 by YuAndDan

[Marilyn. 340]

Last winter we traveled into Canada with no problems crossing at Niagara Falls. We showed ONLY my wife's green card, and my US Passport. The Canadian had no issue letting my wife enter Canada with just the green-card, NO non-US passport presented to the Canadian customs officer.

I would just present either green-card OR Canadian passport when entering Canada, not both.

yeah that is what I was going to suggest...

the two times I have crossed over into Canada and back I just showed my green card both ways with no problems... I had my passport ready though if they wanted to see it...

[Cassie 8]

I show my Canadian passport when entering Canada, and my GC when going through the PFI (with my passport and marriage certificate if needed). Never both at the same time.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

That is what I did as well - showed my passport entering Canada and then my greencard and passport (US immigration requested my passport as well) on the return.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Last winter we traveled into Canada with no problems crossing at Niagara Falls. We showed ONLY my wife's green card, and my US Passport. The Canadian had no issue letting my wife enter Canada with just the green-card, NO non-US passport presented to the Canadian customs officer.

I would just present either green-card OR Canadian passport when entering Canada, not both.

Eh, Charlotte may have been meaning US Customs/Immigration gave her grief (in lieu of Canuck)--Pearson Airport (like the eight others that service US destinations) has a Customs/Immigration PFI.

[Krikit 1,163]

Toronto Pearson CBP officers are notorious for giving people a hard time..... myself included. I've been back and forth at least a dozen times, by air and land. At the land borders it's been pretty much a breeze. It's nothing to do with their need to be educated.... they're just trained to question everything, that's all. If anyone's familiar with Can/Am relationships, it's them. I wouldn't take it personally.

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Toronto Pearson CBP officers are notorious for giving people a hard time..... myself included. I've been back and forth at least a dozen times, by air and land. At the land borders it's been pretty much a breeze. It's nothing to do with their need to be educated.... they're just trained to question everything, that's all. If anyone's familiar with Can/Am relationships, it's them. I wouldn't take it personally.

Which probably is one of the factors in its near-permanent rating (by Globe And Mail Magazine--published in Pigtown) at bottom of the barrel.

The magazine's scale:

1. Piper Cub
2. Twin otter
3. 737
4. in 1990, concorde; now A-380

Pearson's rating, 1990-2008 (every year): 0 (crashing semi)!

(FYI, the CBP officials were OK on my only trip ever using Pearson's PFI; the Canadian ones were a different story, because I happened to be "double jeopardied"--visible minority, destination Calgary)