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travel without PR card

yamgia

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sawadee-eh said:
You seem a bit confused.

When you leave the US to fly to Canada you won't be going through any immigration at the US airport. The airline staff may ask/need to see your travel documents to allow you on the plane. You just show them the S.Korean passport (don't show them the CoPR). Since SK does not need a visa to enter Canada, the airline will let him board. The airline staff doesn't ask your reasons for travel.

When you arrive in Canada and go to Canada customs/immigration, then you show them his passport AND CoPR. They can see he is a PR and must let him in. Of course they might ask standard questions about where you were, why you were in US or whatever, but just tell the truth obviously (visiting, etc.). They won't ask why he is coming to Canada because he is a PR, it's where you two live/will live.

That's it. Hope that helps.
The US loves to ask why you are going somewhere, even if you are a citizen from the country your going to. Heck they even asked me on my way home, why I was going there (while staring at the passport of the same country I was going back to (Europe), since I live and was born there). When I answered that I was returning from a vacation and just going back home and continue my life there, they wanted to know what I was going to do there exactly with my life. ::)

So they pretty much ask whatever they want, even when you are going away/home.
 

Sunset0505

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The point is if they don't like your answer they can "detain" you, delay you, slow you down...we always make sure that we have the entire day, when we drive...the last time we came back the agent at the booth even asked us if we were in any kind of a rush!!!
 

lovelywhite7

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I think the main issue here is not when my husband is at the Canadian customs, but when he is about to board the plane at Washington.
 

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lovelywhite7 said:
I think the main issue here is not when my husband is at the Canadian customs, but when he is about to board the plane at Washington.
he is going to be fine. he is free to travel to canada from Washington with JUST his passport. take the copr out and present it at immigration. if the airline asks, he says he's visiting his wife in canada. there is absolutely no issue, and he is NOT going to be denied, detained or otherwise get caught up in an ugly situation. people do this everyday without issue, so there's no reason to assume your husband will experience anything different. someone's experience traveling from europe is going to be different than someone traveling from the US, and even in that situation, the poster acknowledged their spouse was allowed on the plane and was not detained. so what if they flip through the passport, that's probably part of their proceedure. this doesn't mean he's going to be denied getting on the plane. it just means the person was being vigilant. please, stop stressing. this really isn't an issue.
 

Sunset0505

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CDNPR2014 said:
he is going to be fine. he is free to travel to canada from Washington with JUST his passport. take the copr out and present it at immigration. if the airline asks, he says he's visiting his wife in canada. there is absolutely no issue, and he is NOT going to be denied, detained or otherwise get caught up in an ugly situation. people do this everyday without issue, so there's no reason to assume your husband will experience anything different. someone's experience traveling from europe is going to be different than someone traveling from the US, and even in that situation, the poster acknowledged their spouse was allowed on the plane and was not detained. so what if they flip through the passport, that's probably part of their proceedure. this doesn't mean he's going to be denied getting on the plane. it just means the person was being vigilant. please, stop stressing. this really isn't an issue.
There are NO guarantees that he is not going to be denied, detained or otherwise and stating that is extremely misleading..it is more then likely the case but you can not state there is absolutely no issue...
 

CDNPR2014

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Sunset0505 said:
There are NO guarantees that he is not going to be denied, detained or otherwise and stating that is extremely misleading..it is more then likely the case but you can not state there is absolutely no issue...
How is he going to be denied? there's absolutely NO reason for him to be denied. while yes, we can not 100% guarantee anything, there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to scare people in thinking they can be denied entry onto an airplane simply because they are only using their passport and do not have a PR card yet. as a visa exempt person, ONLY THE PASSPORT IS NEEDED TO BOARD A PLANE TO TRAVEL TO CANADA. Can he be detained or denied for other reasons, sure, but that's not the topic at hand right now.

Telling someone there is a good chance they will be denied travel to canada from the us because they don't have their PR Card is false and misleading as well. Show me a case where a visa exempt person was denied boarding an airplane from the us to canada because they didn't have a PR card. as the other poster has confirmed, even though their spouse had his passport flipped through, he was still able to board in Europe. Having a passport flipped through is not a reason to scare people. it just means the airline flipped through his passport. Europe and the US are different, and i would argue Europe is more strict. Visa exempt people don't need anything more than a passport to board a plane to canada from the us. i'm not sure how much clearer that can be. Please share your experience traveling from the us to canada as a visa exempt person/ LANDED canadian pr. i have yet to hear of any stories that suggest we need to scare people about it.

Why don't we just wait and see what happens. i'd take a bet that says this is a non issue,the airline doesn't say a peep about it at boarding, and the OP is going to come back here after the trip laughing at how stressed they were about nothing.
 

yamgia

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CDNPR2014 said:
How is he going to be denied? there's absolutely NO reason for him to be denied. while yes, we can not 100% guarantee anything, there is ABSOLUTELY NO REASON to scare people in thinking they can be denied entry onto an airplane simply because they are only using their passport. as a visa exempt US citizen, ONLY THE PASSPORT IS NEEDED TO BOARD A PLANE TO TRAVEL TO CANADA.

Telling someone there is a good chance they will be denied travel to canada from the us is false and misleading as well. Show me a case where a visa exempt us citizen was denied boarding an airplane from the us to canada because they didn't have a PR card. as you have confirmed, even though your spouse had his passport flipped through, he was still able to board in Europe. Having a passport flipped through is not a reason to scare people. it just means the airline flipped through his passport. Europe and the US are different, and i would argue Europe is more strict. US citizens don't need anything more than a passport to board a plane to canada. i'm not sure how much clearer that can be.

Why don't we just wait and see what happens. i'd take a bet that says this is a non issue, and the airline doesn't say a peep about it at boarding.
I never has issues with Europe and I've traveled so many times from and to Europe lol. And yes I am from a visa exempt country. Europe isn't strict at all, when my partner or family visits me it always surprises them how easy the boarder is here and the lack of questions they ask you, they don't even care much about me when I board a plane to the US. The issue is the US boarder, never once had I a bad or troubled experience traveling around the world (boarder wise). Except a couple of times at the USA boarder, no matter if I was just transferring through the US, or going home to Europe from the US, or even going to Canada from the US or the other way around. I have friends being denied without a good reason (visa exempt) and also almost being denied myself when I went from the US (was just transferring) to Canada.

It probably will be alright, I highly doubt they will deny him. But yea there is no guarantee. They have no reason to be scared, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of issues that people from visa exempt countries have with the USA boarder. It isn't that uncommon that people get denied from a visa exempt country without any good reason, just having bad luck with the wrong officer that is in a bad mood or abusing their power.

Also her husband isn't a US citizen but South Korean.

But only time can tell~ :)

lovelywhite7 said:
I think the main issue here is not when my husband is at the Canadian customs, but when he is about to board the plane at Washington.
There is almost no way he would be denied in Canada with his copr, so yes IF something would go wrong it would be there, but it probably will be alright so don't stress about it too much, they usually often delay more than deny visa exempt people (unless you clearly wanna overstay in the US)! Just be aware that they can be pretty nitpicking or mean sometimes with their questions IF you have a cranky person at the boarder, but that mostly would only delay him. Lucky there are enough nice or not cranky officers too haha! Just have a return ticket upfront and the chance is really small something would happen. :)
 

CDNPR2014

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yamgia said:
I never has issues with Europe and I've traveled so many times from and to Europe lol. And yes I am from a visa exempt country. Europe isn't strict at all, when my partner or family visits me it always surprises them how easy the boarder is here and the lack of questions they ask you, they don't even care much about me when I board a plane to the US. The issue is the US boarder, never once had I a bad experience traveling around the world. Except a couple of times at the USA boarder, no matter if I was just transferring through the US, or going home to Europe from the US, or even going to Canada from the US or the other way around. I have friends being denied without a good reason (visa exempt) and also almost being denied myself when I went from the US (was just transferring) to Canada.

It probably will be alright, I highly doubt they will deny him. But yea there is no guarantee. They have no reason to be scared, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of issues that people from visa exempt countries have with the USA boarder. It isn't that uncommon that people get denied from a visa exempt country without any good reason, just having bad luck with the wrong officer that is in a bad mood or abusing their power.

Also her husband isn't a US citizen but South Korean.

But only time can tell~ :)
my mistake re: OP's citizenship, i apologize, i have edited my above response accordingly. thank you for sharing your experience.
and yes, i understand US custom agents can be difficult, but since they are leaving the us from the us (not as a stop over from somewhere else), i don't think they encounter us immigration? the issue here is more about the airline. again, i agree, we can not 100% guarantee anything, and every situation is different. i just dont think this situation warrants scaring someone into thinking something bad will happen just because they don't have the pr card. we will just have to wait and see...
 

Lons

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Sunset0505 said:
There are NO guarantees that he is not going to be denied, detained or otherwise and stating that is extremely misleading..it is more then likely the case but you can not state there is absolutely no issue...
This is just plain false, I'm sorry. When you are traveling to Canada via airline, you need to show the airline that you meet the qualifications to enter Canada. When you're coming from a visa-exempt country, that is simply your passport (and an eTA for non-US Citizens in September). Once you land in Canada, you will then provide the evidence that you're a permanent resident (COPR or PR card). Only non visa-exempt individuals need their PR card to travel to Canada. The airlines do not police who can and cannot enter Canada, they determine whether or not you're allowed to board the plane and as a visa-exempt individual, a passport sufficiently satisfies that request.
 

yamgia

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CDNPR2014 said:
my mistake re: OP's citizenship, i apologize. thank you for sharing your experience.
and yes, i understand US custom agents can be difficult, but since they are leaving the us from the us (not as a stop over from somewhere else), i don't think they encounter us immigration? the issue here is more about the airline. again, i agree, we can not 100% guarantee anything, and every situation is different. i just dont think this situation warrants scaring someone into thinking something bad will happen just because they don't have the pr card. we will just have to wait and see...
I actually also had the same issue when leaving from the US, not transferring (like I said). And like I said yea they shouldn't be scared, just be aware of the possibilities, so it can't catch you off guard. :) Especially even if he has a PR card he could face the same issue (smaller chance tho, but not unheard of).
 

CDNPR2014

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yamgia said:
I actually also had the same issue when leaving from the US, not transferring (like I said). And like I said yea they shouldn't be scared, just be aware of the possibilities, so it can't catch you off guard. :) Especially even if he has a PR card he could face the same issue (smaller chance tho, but not unheard of).
interesting, thanks for your insight. and i agree... it's important to be AWARE of situations that could happen, but it's not necessary to be afraid and assume it will happen.
 

sawadee-eh

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lovelywhite7 said:
I think the main issue here is not when my husband is at the Canadian customs, but when he is about to board the plane at Washington.
Cdnpr2014 and Lons are correct. Yes it is important to be aware, but as long as there is no security issue or he acts strange or carrying prohibited items he will have 99.99% no issue.

As far as I know, and any time I have ever flown from the US to Canada (not transferring), you only go through airline counter check-in (or online/kiosk check-in), regular security screening, then a final quick check of passport by airline attendant just as you board. You will not pass through US immigration at all. If you have a visa exempt passport (as is S. Korea) the airline will let you board just fine. IF the airline person or security person ask why they are travelling just say to visit spouse. But they won't ask. Yes, strange fluke things can happen in rare cases, but this is still a non-issue. Nothing to be stressed about at all.

Do as already instructed. Take the CoPR out of the passport. Use the passport to board the plane. Then obviously in Canada you show them both the passport and the CoPR. that's it.
 

Sunset0505

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yamgia said:
I never has issues with Europe and I've traveled so many times from and to Europe lol. And yes I am from a visa exempt country. Europe isn't strict at all, when my partner or family visits me it always surprises them how easy the boarder is here and the lack of questions they ask you, they don't even care much about me when I board a plane to the US. The issue is the US boarder, never once had I a bad or troubled experience traveling around the world (boarder wise). Except a couple of times at the USA boarder, no matter if I was just transferring through the US, or going home to Europe from the US, or even going to Canada from the US or the other way around. I have friends being denied without a good reason (visa exempt) and also almost being denied myself when I went from the US (was just transferring) to Canada.

It probably will be alright, I highly doubt they will deny him. But yea there is no guarantee. They have no reason to be scared, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't be aware of issues that people from visa exempt countries have with the USA boarder. It isn't that uncommon that people get denied from a visa exempt country without any good reason, just having bad luck with the wrong officer that is in a bad mood or abusing their power.

Also her husband isn't a US citizen but South Korean.

But only time can tell~ :)

There is almost no way he would be denied in Canada with his copr, so yes IF something would go wrong it would be there, but it probably will be alright so don't stress about it too much, they usually often delay more than deny visa exempt people (unless you clearly wanna overstay in the US)! Just be aware that they can be pretty nitpicking or mean sometimes with their questions IF you have a cranky person at the boarder, but that mostly would only delay him. Lucky there are enough nice or not cranky officers too haha! Just have a return ticket upfront and the chance is really small something would happen. :)
That is what I said...More then likely there will be no issues but there can be...I am not trying to scare people but not everyone gets a agent that is a happy camper...even the immigration law says that the agent needs to be satisfied...
 

sawadee-eh

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Sunset0505 said:
That is what I said...More then likely there will be no issues but there can be...I am not trying to scare people but not everyone gets a agent that is a happy camper...even the immigration law says that the agent needs to be satisfied...
Sunset - you're generally right, but the point is, in the OP's case, he will NOT be passing by a customs agent at all when boarding the flight from US to Canada. There is no customs/immigration agent that will be talking to the OP at the US airport before getting on the plane because he is not transferring or transiting. He is already in the US and will just go into the airport as I described in my previous post. I'm not sure why some people are missing this key point.

You are talking about the immigration agent being satisfied and immigration law, but it is (mostly) irrelevant in this situation. It won't be until inside Canada that he meets a border agent (which he then presents passport and CoPR to).
 

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Sunset0505 said:
There are NO guarantees that he is not going to be denied, detained or otherwise and stating that is extremely misleading..it is more then likely the case but you can not state there is absolutely no issue...
I think the poster meant that the airline won't detain anyone who holds an visa for the country they are trying to fly to. In my experience, airlines simply want to make sure you're authorized to enter the destination country. Otherwise, the same airline will have to shuttle you back home. I have never been able to board an international flight without the airline checking my passport/visa, but I have never undergone an immigration examination by an airline.