Toronto Pearson int'l airport as US POE

[Jr701 0]

Any advice or past experiences on traveling to the US from philipines with a k1 Visa through Toronto.

[Brassballs 47]

What would the issue be?

Toronto is no different than Hong Kong, Seoul, Tokyo, et al. Just passing through.

Unless you're talking about deplaning in Canada and driving to the US? Not positive but I think that would open a big can of worms.

[Greenbaum 12,259]

Let me add that if she flies into Pierson Airport and remains in the International Terminal and does not leave the secured area then she can book through. If she has to leave a gate for the "domestic terminal" then she has to avail herself of Transit Without Visa (TWOV) program for Canada.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/twov/travellers.asp

[newacct 688]

Let me add that if she flies into Pierson Airport and remains in the International Terminal and does not leave the secured area then she can book through. If she has to leave a gate for the "domestic terminal" then she has to avail herself of Transit Without Visa (TWOV) program for Canada.

This is not true. Anyone transiting Canada, unless they are from the five or six countries that are in the TWOV or CTP programs, is required by Canada to have a Canadian visa if their nationality is normally required to have a visa to visit Canada. That does not mean they will necessarily go through Canadian immigration; all people transiting in the international to US direction during business hours within Terminal 1 normally do not go through Canadian immigration, but go to US preclearance directly. (In the US to international direction, they must go through Canadian immigration.) But that doesn't change the entry requirements of Canada.

And there is no "International Terminal". Both terminals handle international flights.

Edited December 16, 2015 by newacct

[Greenbaum 12,259]

newacct, on 16 Dec 2015 - 2:55 PM, said:newacct, on 16 Dec 2015 - 2:55 PM, said:

This is not true. Anyone transiting Canada, unless they are from the five or six countries that are in the TWOV or CTP programs, is required by Canada to have a Canadian visa if their nationality is normally required to have a visa to visit Canada. That does not mean they will necessarily go through Canadian immigration; all people transiting in the international to US direction during business hours within Terminal 1 normally do not go through Canadian immigration, but go to US preclearance directly. (In the US to international direction, they must go through Canadian immigration.) But that doesn't change the entry requirements of Canada.

And there is no "International Terminal". Both terminals handle international flights.

I mis-spoke and the fiancé' must avail for the TWOV program to travel through Pearson Airport. I stated that she only had to do it if she was transferring terminals.

The OP's fiancé is traveling from the Philippines and is a Filipino citizen and will have a bonified visa to enter the US of A. So she qualifies to avail herself of the TWOV program and transit through Pearson (the OP's choice) Airport and it identifies that they must remain in the terminal flown into and transition out of the same terminal as there is no secured area to follow to the other terminal, hence having to go through customs which she cannot because she does not have a visa for Canada.

So what is it that I missed here.

Nationals from the following countries qualify for the Transit Without Visa (TWOV) program:

•Indonesia

•Thailand

•Taiwan ◦Taiwan passport holders who do not qualify for the visa exemption to visit Canada may still benefit from the TWOV program

•Philippines Yes

All nationals who qualify for the TWOV program must also meet these conditions:

•They hold a valid passport or travel document issued by the country of which they are a citizen; OP's fiancé has Filipino passport and is a Filipino citizen.

•They hold a valid United States (U.S.) visa; When traveling she will have a K-1 US Visa.

•They travel to Canada on an approved airline (either Air Canada, Air Canada Rouge, Air China, WestJet, Cathay Pacific, Philippines Airlines, China Southern, Jazz Air, Sky Regional Airlines Inc., and Air Georgian); and She will be traveling on one of the approved airlines listed here.

•They transit through an approved Canadian airport (either Vancouver International Airport or Toronto’s Pearson International Airport, Terminal 1 only). A change of terminal between flights in Toronto’s Pearson International Airport does not qualify as a condition of the TWOV program. She will transit through Pearson IA on her way to the USA. Additional criteria is listed on the official website. Link is in my earlier post.

Edited December 16, 2015 by Greenbaum