Always secondary inspection to enter the US as PR. Will becoming a Canadian citizen change that?
- Thread starter DRRD
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WOW! What he's considered doing to avoid the secondary is flying domestically... Crossing the border by land and then flying out of the nearest airport in US territory. He believes that if the situation continues to happen after getting his Canadian passport, he might consider that.
We believe that at least by land he won't go into the secondary anymore because now he only goes for second inspection when requiring a new I-94 which you don't need when using a Canadian passport. We'll see how it turns out...
Every time I cross land border between Canada and USA (no matter in which direction) it reminds me on the time how borders between European countries were one generation ago.
Customs, police, passports, questioning, declarations, duties - all that went away now in the European Union. You can travel from the polar circle to the Mediterranean, or from the Atlantic to the Carpathian without borders and passports.
It is sad that Canada and United States are not able to establish such regime on their border.
Customs, police, passports, questioning, declarations, duties - all that went away now in the European Union. You can travel from the polar circle to the Mediterranean, or from the Atlantic to the Carpathian without borders and passports.
It is sad that Canada and United States are not able to establish such regime on their border.
If you're facing secondary inspections, expect to face the same even using Canadian passport.
However, they'd try to process you faster, specially at Canadian airports.
My last trip to NY, flying out of pearson in 2016, i got sent to secondary. But I ended up waiting in some small room (with those bench type chairs) alone, while my passport was taken into their main room by an officer. I just waited for like 10 mins and then an officer brings me my ppt and tells me i'm good to go. No questions, and ppt was stamped already by them when they brought it to me.
Once an officer just stamped my passport and let me through, he didn't even bother scanning it or running it through the system.
Thankfully we no longer need to travel there as family has moved elsewhere.
I've seen Europeans, Australians, and so many other "non-muslim" people/families/seniors all in Secondary, so don't think its just the muslims
getting that treatment. USA gives it to everyone, even to their own/naturalized/born citizens.
If you don't want the hassle or rejections, simply don't travel to those places where they hassle you.
Avoid travel to USA altogether.
Spend your money in countries that are more welcoming. Fly to Europe or Asia instead. It's cheaper, more welcoming, and has great/nicer weather and more cheaper food and entertainment.
However, they'd try to process you faster, specially at Canadian airports.
My last trip to NY, flying out of pearson in 2016, i got sent to secondary. But I ended up waiting in some small room (with those bench type chairs) alone, while my passport was taken into their main room by an officer. I just waited for like 10 mins and then an officer brings me my ppt and tells me i'm good to go. No questions, and ppt was stamped already by them when they brought it to me.
Once an officer just stamped my passport and let me through, he didn't even bother scanning it or running it through the system.
Thankfully we no longer need to travel there as family has moved elsewhere.
I've seen Europeans, Australians, and so many other "non-muslim" people/families/seniors all in Secondary, so don't think its just the muslims
getting that treatment. USA gives it to everyone, even to their own/naturalized/born citizens.
If you don't want the hassle or rejections, simply don't travel to those places where they hassle you.
Avoid travel to USA altogether.
Spend your money in countries that are more welcoming. Fly to Europe or Asia instead. It's cheaper, more welcoming, and has great/nicer weather and more cheaper food and entertainment.
I am a dual citizen, having two homes in Detroit area and in Windsor, ON and always claiming that my major home is in US. On this Sunday, while driving to USA with my Nexus card got an orange slip for the secondary inspection. The CBP officer at the booth on my question said it's not me, it's my car and computer randomly choose me. The interview was not 1-2 minutes, but much longer with all the questions about place of residency, where is permanent home, where is summer home, family, kids, etc. After that I was good to go and on parking lot were a dozen cars like mine. I came back to Canada yesterday (same day) evening and commuted to work again this Monday morning - no problem with crossing to US, just what's in the car and you are OK to go. Let see what happens further, but just tell you - everyone could be checked, citizen or not citizen.
Avadava
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This! The US flags your name usually for clerical reasons, not racial .
My sister in law, born and raised in Canada, Caucasian, lives and works in the US on a green card. At one point, many years ago, her Canadian passport was stolen and she reported it to the Canadian authorities. Ever since then, she is always pulled into secondary each time she travels back to the US. She lives and works there, both her kids are born there and have American passports. They told her that every time they run her name through the data base, her name appears to be flagged, so they have to figure out why it is flagged and subsequently, confirm her identity (with her passport having been stolen, someone else can use it to enter the US).
In your friend's case, he attempted to enter without proper documentation (visa) so they flagged his name. Each time he enters now, his name shows as flagged, so he is pulled into secondary to dig up more info and find out why he is flagged. Once they figure out the visa thing, they let him enter. This will not change with citizenship. His name is flagged.
Absolutely correct that U.S. border officials can, and occasionally will, subject travelers to increased scrutiny regardless of citizenship, even a U.S. citizen routinely returning to the U.S.
And likewise most other countries (with practical exceptions, like Europeans traveling to another European Union country).
That said, there are many indications the U.S. has increased the extent to which it is screening incoming travelers, INCLUDING U.S. citizens (which I have recently experienced in person).
Moreover, not all random selection is created equal. Especially if the number/ratio is increased and then there is a level of discretionary selection among those "randomly" selected. I mention this specifically because, particularly when entering the U.S., it is almost certain that some background factors and other personal characteristics increase the risk the scrutiny will be more severe and strict. During a recent sojourn in U.S. Secondary, for example, it was rather easy to VISUALLY see the differences in who tended to be processed through more quickly . . . odds that was coincidental are low even ignoring the recent screeching of top-down dog-whistles in the U.S.
Canadian citizens typically don't need I-94 for B1/B2 status, but non Canadians do.
When they get issued an I-94 (either card when entering through land border or electronic), it's good for 6 months, and you won't need to go through the process again untill after you return it (or it expires).
With Canadians, if they don't get issued I-94 or stamp (and some Canadians do get I-94 if they want to exert a departure control or suspect you of overstaying), then the six month clock resets for every entry.
From the I-94 website:
When they get issued an I-94 (either card when entering through land border or electronic), it's good for 6 months, and you won't need to go through the process again untill after you return it (or it expires).
With Canadians, if they don't get issued I-94 or stamp (and some Canadians do get I-94 if they want to exert a departure control or suspect you of overstaying), then the six month clock resets for every entry.
From the I-94 website:
But of course, CBP has the right to pull everyone (even US citizens) to secondary.