Always secondary inspection to enter the US as PR. Will becoming a Canadian citizen change that?

[jamie hito]

Not necessarily ... I am not of certain race and religion but I get pulled in secondary every time (starting from a couple of years ago) , and I was told because someone with a similar name to mine is on some list , so every time I go through the system will see it as a red flag - then everytime after the interview they would tell me they’d try to fix it since I am obviously not their guy, and it was never fixed ... even though I got a nexus just to avoid the extra inspection

I bet you, your doppelgänger’s name will still be there even after he fixes his runnings with Johnny Law.
Or even when they say names on “The List” will be removed after 10 years from posting, will still remain there for a long long long time.

None really will remove it. I hope I’m wrong, but many have this exact same problem where their names where included by mistake or from a glitch.

 

[DRRD]

For what it's worth, while racial profiling certainly is of course a problem, I am American (white) and was sent to secondary the first time I visited Canada. Maybe they thought I'd overstay since I was visiting my at the time boyfriend?

It was weird at the time too because I hadn't crossed a border before and just assumed it was normal to be asked in depth questions about your work and where you live, and who you were visiting, and why, how long you'd known them, how you met them, where they work, etc etc.

Those cases also happen. I have an American citizen family member who visited me during holidays a few years ago. She's retired and takes pills for different medical conditions. She was coming for 3-4 months so she brought supply for the entire trip. They took her to a secondary coming into Canada, asked her bunch of questions and even called me. It was her first time here too.

I believe they were a bit concern with her health due to the number of prescribed medication she was carrying ( she had all prescriptions too).

 

[DRRD]

Not necessarily ... I am not of certain race and religion but I get pulled in secondary every time (starting from a couple of years ago) , and I was told because someone with a similar name to mine is on some list , so every time I go through the system will see it as a red flag - then everytime after the interview they would tell me they’d try to fix it since I am obviously not their guy, and it was never fixed ... even though I got a nexus just to avoid the extra inspection

So, just to confirm, even with Nexus they still send you to a secondary?

 

[DRRD]

I'm not sure why so many people jumped to racial profiling. The person attempted to enter the US without a visa, so of course he was red flagged from that point on.

One of the reasons why I believe is racial profiling is because multiple officers have told him that once he starts traveling with his Canadian passport, he won't go through a secondary anymore.

Another reason is that he's never asked to go through a secondary when entering by land with a valid I-94. If it was such a bad red flag, he would be send to a secondary every single time no matter what...

I do understand and agree that he made a mistake and a bad one. He also understands the situation.

 

[jamie hito]

It isn’t per se “racial”, it’s plain profiling.

Meaning, someone in the past did this, which happens to coincide with our current situation, thus we are profiled

 

[itsmyid]

So, just to confirm, even with Nexus they still send you to a secondary?

That’s correct

 

[DRRD]

It isn’t per se “racial”, it’s plain profiling.

Meaning, someone in the past did this, which happens to coincide with our current situation, thus we are profiled

But if it isn't racial profiling, why officers have told him that once he becomes a Canadian citizen he won't have go through a secondary?

Whether all those officers are right or not, and that really happen is another topic... But according to my friend, they have all given him the same answer...

 

[itsmyid]

One of the reasons why I believe is racial profiling is because multiple officers have told him that once he starts traveling with his Canadian passport, he won't go through a secondary anymore.

Another reason is that he's never asked to go through a secondary when entering by land with a valid I-94. If it was such a bad red flag, he would be send to a secondary every single time no matter what...

I do understand and agree that he made a mistake and a bad one. He also understands the situation.

I doubt it is racial only - there must be a racial element for some people , but in general people could be pulled in for various reasons, I can say that with full confidence since I have spent too much time in that room LOL, probably 7 or 8 times in the last 2 years

With my experience in there, I can confirm it was never any particular race being singled out - the majority of people I encountered in the waiting area are of various races and professions

 

[itsmyid]

But if it isn't racial profiling, why officers have told him that once he becomes a Canadian citizen he won't have go through a secondary?

Whether all those officers are right or not, and that really happen is another topic... But according to my friend, they have all given him the same answer...

Then that’s not “racial “, you can change your nationality but not your race

 

[scylla]

But if it isn't racial profiling, why officers have told him that once he becomes a Canadian citizen he won't have go through a secondary?

Whether all those officers are right or not, and that really happen is another topic... But according to my friend, they have all given him the same answer...

I have one piece of advice for your friend once he has Canadian citizenship. When he applies for his Canadian passport, make sure he has his country of birth printed in his Canadian passport (this is a normal field of information that's included in each passport). There is an option to show a blank in the country of birth field rather than printing the actual country of birth. People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that it's better to show a blank than a country like Syrian or Iraq. The opposite is actually true. The blank triggers more questions at the border (especially the US border). A friend of mine opted for the blank in his Canadian passport and then ended up paying money to get a new passport early that showed his country of birth because he was fed up of ending up in secondary.

 

[scylla]

Those cases also happen. I have an American citizen family member who visited me during holidays a few years ago. She's retired and takes pills for different medical conditions. She was coming for 3-4 months so she brought supply for the entire trip. They took her to a secondary coming into Canada, asked her bunch of questions and even called me. It was her first time here too.

I believe they were a bit concern with her health due to the number of prescribed medication she was carrying ( she had all prescriptions too).

She should be aware that the maximum amount of prescription medication you can legally bring into Canada is 90 days (for personal use). She should never bring more than 90 days. If she does, she's breaking the law and the entire amount can be confiscated.

 

[DRRD]

I doubt it is racial only - there must be a racial element for some people , but in general people could be pulled in for various reasons, I can say that with full confidence since I have spent too much time in that room LOL, probably 7 or 8 times in the last 2 years

With my experience in there, I can confirm it was never any particular race being singled out - the majority of people I encountered in the waiting area are of various races and professions

I certainly agree with you. It's not only racial, but his mistake couple with his race is the problem.

Are you pulled out every single time you fly?

He just told me that the last time he flew into the country, the officer (which it was a very nice one) simply asked him a few routine questions and then asked him if he knew why he was there, my friend said yes with his long explanation (same one he gives all the time when they get into it), and the officer was like that's fine, you'll good to go. My friend told him this happens every single time I fly out, would this continue once I fly out with my Canadian passport and the officer plain and simple said "NO."

Keep in mind that people in the secondary are also there for other purposes such as applying for a TN...

 

[DRRD]

I have one piece of advice for your friend once he has Canadian citizenship. When he applies for his Canadian passport, make sure he has his country of birth printed in his Canadian passport (this is a normal field of information that's included in each passport). There is an option to show a blank in the country of birth field rather than printing the actual country of birth. People sometimes make the mistake of thinking that it's better to show a blank than a country like Syrian or Iraq. The opposite is actually true. The blank triggers more questions at the border (especially the US border). A friend of mine opted for the blank in his Canadian passport and then ended up paying money to get a new passport early that showed his country of birth because he was fed up of ending up in secondary.

Thanks a lot! He's now aware of it!

 

[DRRD]

She should be aware that the maximum amount of prescription medication you can legally bring into Canada is 90 days (for personal use). She should never bring more than 90 days. If she does, she's breaking the law and the entire amount can be confiscated.

Thanks for letting me know. She came for about 3 months and the immigration officer asked her about it too, so I'm sure she only brought 90 days, otherwise, they don't let her in with it. But it's good to know just in case she comes back for a long period of time again, I can tell her about it! Thanks again!

 

[itsmyid]

I certainly agree with you. It's not only racial, but his mistake couple with his race is the problem.

Are you pulled out every single time you fly?

He just told me that the last time he flew into the country, the officer (which it was a very nice one) simply asked him a few routine questions and then asked him if he knew why he was there, my friend said yes with his long explanation (same one he gives all the time when they get into it), and the officer was like that's fine, you'll good to go. My friend told him this happens every single time I fly out, would this continue once I fly out with my Canadian passport and the officer plain and simple said "NO."

Keep in mind that people in the secondary are also there for other purposes such as applying for a TN...

I never entered by car, so it's always at the airport. Every single time since 2016 (except for one time in 2017 when I had an early flight and I got to the airport extra early - that's the time they didn't pull me in ... and I was really disappointed since I got there so early for nothing... LOL)

And I am well aware of the TN people - it’s easy to tell since they are the ones with a huge stack of documents to show the officers