Moving items from Canada to US after Green Card Received

[Zenchi 18]

Hi. My husband received his green card a few weeks ago and we are planning to drive to Canada to finally retrieve his belongings. We have our passports, his green card, and 6059 Customs form filled out. We will also be making an itemized list of each box of belongings before coming back across the border.

 

Would love to hear any experiences or best ways to be prepared to cross the border back into the US. We will just be filling our car with his belongings. Thanks!

[Chancy 6,241]

*** Moved from Moving to the US forum to the Canada regional forum, for input from others who drove across the border from Canada ***

 

[Mike E 11,739]

4 hours ago, Zenchi said:

Hi. My husband received his green card a few weeks ago and we are planning to drive to Canada to finally retrieve his belongings. We have our passports, his green card, and 6059 Customs form filled out. We will also be making an itemized list of each box of belongings before coming back across the border.

 

Would love to hear any experiences or best ways to be prepared to cross the border back into the US. We will just be filling our car with his belongings. Thanks!

IME the CBP officer will just wave you through unless you are randomly selected for secondary inspection. And you will pay no

duty.  Try not to bring stuff you acquired in Canada on that second trip other than gasoline.  

[JlovesA 109]

We had a U-Haul full of my stuff, and we crossed together. The border officer got out to take a peek and my husband said, "It's really full," as he started to open the back. The officer said, "Oh it is? Never mind!" and let us go. I had my list of what was in each box, but wasn't asked to show it. I endorsed the visa before moving, BTW.

Edited June 19, 2022 by JlovesA

[FaithandPatience 1]

Hello madam,

 

You have mentioned that you endorsed visa before moving, can you please elaborate more. My wife got her Visa stamped and we are planning to drive with U-Haul next week, are there any steps to take before we move.

 

Thanks

FaithAndPatience

[Mike E 11,739]

2 hours ago, FaithandPatience said:

Hello madam,

 

You have mentioned that you endorsed visa before moving, can you please elaborate more. My wife got her Visa stamped and we are planning to drive with U-Haul next week, are there any steps to take before we move.

 

Thanks

FaithAndPatience

Endorsed means you enter the USA on the visa and CBP stamps it. 

[FaithandPatience 1]

Thank you

[FaithandPatience 1]

Hello members,

 

I need some help, my wife got her immigrant visa and we crossed the land border to US. At POE, cbp officers completed the paper work and put admission stamp on my wife's passport. They said we are good and we should receive the physical card in mail. Then I checked with the officer if my wife can travel back to Canada and return to US while waiting for her physical green card, the officer said no. We were really surprised and checked few times and one other officer said we could. I am really confused now, my wife is in US now but she was planning to go back to Canada in a week to wrap up her work and few other things. We are really not sure if we can do this or not now. My wife's visa had a line "upon endorsement serves as I-551 evidence for 1 year". so we assumed once CBP officer put admission stamp, it also acts as a re-entry permit. Could some one please help.

[Mike E 11,739]

The stamped visa is now a temporary I-551 and she can leave the USA and remove-enter the USA using that I-551.  She is however expected to spend the majority of her time in the USA.  
 

Entering the USA and doing a U-turn back into Canada isn’t a good look.  If she wants to spent X days in Canada she should first spend X+1 days in the USA.  
 

Alternatively, she can file I-131 to get a re-entry permit. She doesn’t have to wait for the permit to travel. She just has to wait for I-797 receipt and also come back to the USA for any biometrics appointment.  She is then free to spend the majority of her time outside the USA for the next 2 years.  
 

She should avoid any absences of more than 180 consecutive days so that her continuous residency for purposes of naturalization is not interrupted.  
 

Your wife was fortunate to have been admitted.  Others are not so lucky: 

 

Edited August 2, 2022 by Mike E