Canadian Citizen - H1B - Staying in US

[canadapr1982]

Hello All , @harirajmohan @swan0206

I am traveling to Germany in coming August, so my scanerio is I am Canadian citizen with H1B valid till August 2028. On my Canadian passport, I-94 valid till August 2025 and recently my extension got approved till August 2028, living in Michigan currently, basically moved to Michigan from Windsor in Jan 2025
, my question is if I want to travel to Germany from Detroit airport which is fine but while coming back, if I land in Detroit or they will ask some questions in Frankfurt itself before boading, what can i tell them whether I temporarily moved to US or I will tell them that I will work in US but leaving in Windsor as I have Canadian license ?? Little confusion, what docs I have to carry since this is my first trip after got my Canadian passport and I know no need to H1B visa stamping as a Canadian citizen.

Please help me out as I have confusion.

 

[canadapr1982]

Any reply please ??

 

[abff08f4813c]

Hello All , @harirajmohan @swan0206

I am traveling to Germany in coming August, so my scanerio is I am Canadian citizen with H1B valid till August 2028. On my Canadian passport, I-94 valid till August 2025 and recently my extension got approved till August 2028, living in Michigan currently, basically moved to Michigan from Windsor in Jan 2025
, my question is if I want to travel to Germany from Detroit airport which is fine but while coming back, if I land in Detroit or they will ask some questions in Frankfurt itself before boading, what can i tell them whether I temporarily moved to US or I will tell them that I will work in US but leaving in Windsor as I have Canadian license ?? Little confusion, what docs I have to carry since this is my first trip after got my Canadian passport and I know no need to H1B visa stamping as a Canadian citizen.

Please help me out as I have confusion.

Under normal circumstances, I'd say that you just have all your docs ready (including old country passport that's now expired/invalidated plus old H1B visa stamp) and tell them the truth - that you just recently moved and are living and working in Michigan as an H1B (and if asked about Canadian license - you just haven't exchanged it yet since you moved recently).

With the post-Jasmine Mooney situation: Still the same advice, but any chance you can fly from Frankfurt to a Canadian airport with US preclearance like Toronto or Vancouver? Or even say Dublin Airport in Ireland?

So your talk with CBP takes place on the soil of another country where CBP lacks the authority to detain you into an immigration jail in the United States - just in case they don't like the answer or don't like something they see on your phone?

 

[harirajmohan]

Hello All , @harirajmohan @swan0206

I am traveling to Germany in coming August, so my scanerio is I am Canadian citizen with H1B valid till August 2028. On my Canadian passport, I-94 valid till August 2025 and recently my extension got approved till August 2028, living in Michigan currently, basically moved to Michigan from Windsor in Jan 2025
, my question is if I want to travel to Germany from Detroit airport which is fine but while coming back, if I land in Detroit or they will ask some questions in Frankfurt itself before boading, what can i tell them whether I temporarily moved to US or I will tell them that I will work in US but leaving in Windsor as I have Canadian license ?? Little confusion, what docs I have to carry since this is my first trip after got my Canadian passport and I know no need to H1B visa stamping as a Canadian citizen.

Please help me out as I have confusion.

Just tell where you reside currently. Doesnt matter where you lived earlier. if they ask just tell you had been living in windsor and move few months ago to MI. Also why do you still keep your driving license in ontario hence change it as it needs to be based on your residency - so one less confusion for them and you.

Docs to carry: No change - same docs you carried when you held non-canadian passport. visa stamp in passport gets us till the immigration post - doesnt help more than that. All passports are same after that checkpoint. All docs which i carry - i797, copy lca, copy of i129, recent payslip.

Do not worry about the questions by cbp, irrelevant of location - i believe you commuted till now a lot. So why do you have doubts. just tell the truth on where you current residing and where you are working. Should be no issues.

you need to change your driver license to michigan before the trip.

 

[abff08f4813c]

you need to change your driver license to michigan before the trip.

I don't think that this is a hard requirement - if he doesn't get a chance and is asked about it (he might not get asked about it), he can just say he will exchange it but he hasn't gotten a chance to drop by the DMV yet. Busy with moving and settling into new home, etc.

 

[canadapr1982]

@harirajmohan @abff08f4813c Thanks for all of your reply. Really appreciate that for your valuable advice.

The reason why I am not switching driver license from Canada to US because I have still Canadian car with Ontario number plates and still loan is pending and as of now not able to pay full car loan in Canada or buy new car in US.The other thing is car loan in Canada guys have my Canadian driver license in there records. If I switch to US driver license then I think my car loan is not valid with US license, correct me if I am wrong ?

I think before going to my vacation, it’s better to apply Michigan state ID instead of Michigan driver license because I think by law will not keep 2 counties driver license like in my case US/Canada. Correct me if i m wrong ??

The other thing I already took lease apt on on my name in Michigan , also consumer energy bill is also on my name which shows that i am staying in Michigan , if in port of entry in DTW airport ask for some address proof in Michigan , i can show all these docs, correct me if i m wrong ??

On my Canadian passport, I have stamped I-94 valid until 28 August 2025, recently my h1b extension is approved further for 3 years starting from 29 August 2025 until August 2028, can I again go to port of entry like Detroit/Windsor ambassador bridge before my vacation so that they can extend my I-94 stamp on my Canadian passport till August 2028, is it possible to go early like May month at port of entry to extend I-94 as new h1b extension is starting from 29 August 2025 or I can do this thing also while coming back from Germany to DTW airport, which one is safest one ??


Sorry to ask so many questions. This is my first trip on Canadian passport so that’s why clear all these doubts.

 

[abff08f4813c]

@harirajmohan @abff08f4813c Thanks for all of your reply. Really appreciate that for your valuable advice.

The reason why I am not switching driver license from Canada to US because I have still Canadian car with Ontario number plates and still loan is pending and as of now not able to pay full car loan in Canada or buy new car in US.The other thing is car loan in Canada guys have my Canadian driver license in there records. If I switch to US driver license then I think my car loan is not valid with US license, correct me if I am wrong ?

I think before going to my vacation, it’s better to apply Michigan state ID instead of Michigan driver license because I think by law will not keep 2 counties driver license like in my case US/Canada. Correct me if i m wrong ??

The other thing I already took lease apt on on my name in Michigan , also consumer energy bill is also on my name which shows that i am staying in Michigan , if in port of entry in DTW airport ask for some address proof in Michigan , i can show all these docs, correct me if i m wrong ??

On my Canadian passport, I have stamped I-94 valid until 28 August 2025, recently my h1b extension is approved further for 3 years starting from 29 August 2025 until August 2028, can I again go to port of entry like Detroit/Windsor ambassador bridge before my vacation so that they can extend my I-94 stamp on my Canadian passport till August 2028, is it possible to go early like May month at port of entry to extend I-94 as new h1b extension is starting from 29 August 2025 or I can do this thing also while coming back from Germany to DTW airport, which one is safest one ??


Sorry to ask so many questions. This is my first trip on Canadian passport so that’s why clear all these doubts.

You'll need to double check that you can do this with the state ID (I'm not sure with who, but with someone). Ontario, for example, won't allow it, as per https://www.ontario.ca/page/ontario-photo-card

An Ontario Photo Card and a driver’s licence or a photo ID card from Ontario or another province, state or country cannot be held at the same time. If you have a driver’s licence or a photo ID card from Ontario or any other province, state or country, you must turn in your existing licence or ID when applying for an Ontario Photo Card.

I can't advise you either on how easy it would be to exchange DLs based on your personal circumstances - hopefully someone else has a better idea.

Otherwise, all good with the docs that you have. You're clearly living in Michigan in line with the conditions of your visa. If it were me I'd prefer to do the thing in May at a port of entry near Canada - I'd rather not have to deal with the hassle of being flown back to Germany if something goes wrong (unless there's a German airport with US precheck? In which case you should be good).

 

[swan0206]

@harirajmohan @abff08f4813c Thanks for all of your reply. Really appreciate that for your valuable advice.

The reason why I am not switching driver license from Canada to US because I have still Canadian car with Ontario number plates and still loan is pending and as of now not able to pay full car loan in Canada or buy new car in US.The other thing is car loan in Canada guys have my Canadian driver license in there records. If I switch to US driver license then I think my car loan is not valid with US license, correct me if I am wrong ?

So first thing first, as you have moved to Michigan, you have to change your cars registration before 90days as far as most states in US suggests. Followed by changing the drivers license as well. You can avoid this for a certain period of time if you have been travelling back and forth between US and Canada. But not suggested in a long term as you will be establishing your residency in US.

So either before you go to your trip or later coming back from the trip you gotta do this.

To the contrary, if you aren't able to payoff your loan then just sell of your car in Canada and next change your license to Michigan and get a new/used car here in US.

@harirajmohan @abff08f4813c
I think before going to my vacation, it’s better to apply Michigan state ID instead of Michigan driver license because I think by law will not keep 2 counties driver license like in my case US/Canada. Correct me if i m wrong ??

Even if you have a drivers license , you are not eligible for a State ID too. The problem is not with DMVs, they are ok to provide one but if you were stopped by a cop then you will get warned or probably get a ticket( my friend was told the same by one of the dmv representative, as cops should be able to see two IDs on you).


Lastly, you can travel to Germany without doing any of the above for now, if asked about your license(90% of the time they wouldn't) and all you can tell them that you have moved recently to US and you got plans to change it once you get back after your trip. that simple. License would never be a huge red flag considering you would have made decent amount of trips by now between US and Canada.

 

[abff08f4813c]

if you were stopped by a cop then you will get warned or probably get a ticket

We agree on everything of substance here. Even this bit (say if the cop were able to see that a person had two DLs or a DL and a state ID in their wallet or glove compartment by chance). Only bit I'm confused about is this part,

( my friend was told the same by one of the dmv representative, as cops should be able to see two IDs on you).

If the cop saw because you handed over your wallet or something, that's one thing. But say you leave the spare ID at home. How would the cop see that you have another ID from so-and-so state? Even more so when, in this case, the ID is from another country?

Without additional evidence, I'm skeptical that what the dmv rep said was accurate - rather, this was probably just an attempt by an overzealous employee trying to scare your friend into not having two DLs.

 

[swan0206]

If the cop saw because you handed over your wallet or something, that's one thing. But say you leave the spare ID at home. How would the cop see that you have another ID from so-and-so state? Even more so when, in this case, the ID is from another country?

You are going too deep on this. Never a cop would ask to hand over your wallet unless its really sketchy. I doubt even then too. When I said cops were able to see two IDs meaning, its in their system(when they pull it on their system based on DL they can see that you have a state ID too), not literally physically seeing two IDs. As you might know both Canada and US share data, they can see what licenses you hold. Obviously on US side, if they run you DL, your information pops up.

And regarding dmv rep, they were ok to provide one, its for my friend to decide, who did decide to apply for State ID while he still held Canadian license but as per the state laws you cannot hold out of state license for more than 90days so he went back and changed it to a DL in 2 months.

The catch here is you can prolong it for more than 90days, cops wouldn't know when exactly you have moved unless you say it but unfortunately if you were stopped in that 90 days period and then one more time after that 90 days you would get a ticket. Its all trial and error. Better to be safe than sorry!

 

[abff08f4813c]

You are going too deep on this. ... When I said cops were able to see two IDs .., not literally physically seeing two IDs.

Well, that's not what I meant.

When I said cops were able to see two IDs meaning, its in their system(when they pull it on their system based on DL they can see that you have a state ID too)... As you might know both Canada and US share data, they can see what licenses you hold. Obviously on US side, if they run you DL, your information pops up.

Yeah, that's what I actually meant. So just to confirm we're talking about the same thing, a Michigan cop running my Michigan DL on their system, while I'm pulled over in Michigan, would turn up a copy or picture or info dump of my Ontario DL too? This is what I would like a better explanation on how this is implemented / how it works.
.

Never a cop would ask to hand over your wallet unless its really sketchy. I doubt even then too.

Good point. I've been asked for my DL but never my wallet. I suppose I was more thinking that maybe I take out my wallet to pull out the one DL, and the other ID is visible at that moment, or something.

And regarding dmv rep, they were ok to provide one, its for my friend to decide, who did decide to apply for State ID while he still held Canadian license but as per the state laws you cannot hold out of state license for more than 90days so he went back and changed it to a DL in 2 months.

That makes sense. And it's nice to see that the DMV was being understanding and allowing the two IDs. But it also almost makes it sounds like that the DMV only knew about the other DL because your friend told them about it. Is that right, or did they look him up somehow and see that he had a Canadian DL in their computers first?

For example, I'm aware of the Driver License Compact and the National Driver Register which facilitates information sharing of this nature between US states, but I wasn't aware that Canadian provinces participated.

The catch here is you can prolong it for more than 90days, cops wouldn't know when exactly you have moved unless you say it but unfortunately if you were stopped in that 90 days period and then one more time after that 90 days you would get a ticket. Its all trial and error. Better to be safe than sorry!

Still, there's a nice bit of flexibility then. But agreed, better safe than sorry.