So there’s a chance we’ll be travelling from the US to Canada with a high-school-aged student next summer - visiting from another country. His English is good, so if someone asked him “are you here voluntarily” he could certainly express that (though if we cross into Quebec at a crossing where the guard’s English wasn’t so good, it might be an issue).
If this winds up happening, what can we do in advance to make sure there aren’t any problems caused by overzealous border guards wanting to prevent us from (nonexistent) kidnapping / trafficking? I’ve heard that a single parent making such a trip would want to get a notarized letter from the other parent saying there was permission, but that’s clearly not our situation. I was thinking just a letter signed by both parents stating that he’s with us and they are aware of the trip.
We’d be going by car, if that makes any difference. We do know that we 'merkins need our passports as well. And of course we’ll check on visa requirements for him for visiting Canada.
I think a letter from parents would be advisable. Once my aunt visited us with two grandchildren (actually two daughters one of each of her sons) and that’s what she had. She flew, but I don’t think that’s relevant. Get passports, BTW.
Got 'em. Last time we visited Canada was before they were required (but we had them so we brought them anyway). This time, they’re required even if driving (we could get by with the passport cards if needed, which is pretty much the same thing), so we’ll definitely have them.
Here’s the webpage for Canada Immigration and Citizenship, with information about minor children travelling across the border with someone other than their parents:
Looks like the CIC strongly recommends that you have a permission letter from the minor’s parents (plus visa, if necessary).
With respect to language issues, you have the right to use English with the federal Customs service, even if crossing the border into Quebec. If you’re crossing at a major point of entry, there shouldn’t have a problem.
If you’re at a smaller point of entry and the Customs official has trouble communicating, you can ask to use the telephone to communicate with a Customs official who speaks English.
Just responding to this point: the best estimate for the prevalence of international child trafficking seems to be from the ILO. They estimate that each year, 1.2 million children are trafficked worldwide, in all regions of the globe.
Given that stat, and the horrific impact that child trafficking has on the child, I would not characterise border agents as “over-zealous” because they ask questions about a child being brought across the border by adults who are not his parents.
I travelled internationally with my son when he was seven. I carried a notarized letter from his mother stating that I had her permission for the trip. I also emphasized to my son not to joke around (and yet he still did; apple/tree).
Everything went smoothly. The Canadians we interacted with were total pros.
Thanks! I’ll research the US side of things but I’d imagine such a letter would be useful there as well. Probably something like “our kid is travelling with the Zappa / Knig family and is expecting to visit the northeastern US as well as Quebec”.
As we’d be crossing from northern New Hampshire, it’s quite possible we would be crossing at a smaller POE - there’s only one from NH though the routing suggests we’d do better to head over to one in Vermont. Good to know we can request someone who speaks English - my French is not terribly fluent and nobody else in the family speaks a word of it. Obviously, this would be needed only if there are problems.
Northern Piper: The whole issue with child trafficking is exactly why I was concerned - and in fact I’d expect them to ask questions for that very reason. MY worry would be that they would push even when given satisfactory answers and when provided reasonable documentation. Admittedly we wouldn’t fit obvious profiles (I think… I don’t know what human traffickers look like after all) what with being a fat middle-aged couple probably with our own young-adult kids in tow in addition to the guest.
Oh - also, to clarify, my concerns / questions aren’t just for the crossing into Canada, but for the return crossing into the US. I’d expect US customs officials to ask the same kind of questions!
When I used to go to Mexico with a childhood friend’s family (in the stone age when you didn’t need a passport) my mom would always send me with a copy of my birth certificate and a letter stating I had her and my father’s permission to travel. I don’t recall it being certified or anything so I don’t know exactly what good she thought it would do. No one ever questioned us anyway, but it was just a precaution because I was kind of, well, Mexican looking.
I would think a letter, notarized if possible, from his legal guardians/parents should be sufficient, especially combined with his own ability to confirm that he is with you voluntarily.
It’s a bit of a PITA, but child trafficking is a real problem and good for the border security agents on both sides who are diligent about looking for it.
Don’t worry about the language thing. Canadian border officers in Québec have to understand English because about half the people they see are from the States. I think the phone provision is mostly for the reverse situation (wanting to speak French when entering Canada through Alberta).
I traveled to Mexico with my girl friend and her daughter. Nobody said a word, nor did they ask for any documentation. It’s at the discretion of the border officer (in fact, everything is), and if there is nothing about your appearance or attitude that would give them pause, it is likely they won’t be stickers.
If this child has all the appropriate paperwork that got him into the USA, that will probably be sufficient.
“They” can do whatever they please. They can also fine you on the spot for any irregularity or infraction they uncover.
My stepdaughter tried to fly from Germany back to visit family in the US. At the airport, she was told her US passport was “declined” and she was refused boarding. That was almost a year ago, and she still has no explanation of why this happened. She asked the US consulate, they just shrugged and said they had no idea.
We’ve actually dealt with that in the past, both individually and when travelling with scout troops. For Scouting events, the permission forms contained authorization to seek treatment (and we always had an envelope of emergency medical care forms with stuff like medical history). When we brought a friend’s kid along on a trip, we’d have the parents sign a note saying we could seek treatment in an emergency.
So, I’ll make sure the “he’s not being abducted, really!” note has something to that effect as well - definitely necessary in the US, and I presume it would be helpful in Canada also. I did let him know we recommended medical insurance - looking online, that’s shockingly affordable presumably due to his age (like, 35 dollars for 2 weeks).
I’m sure the parents would be reachable - obviously one of the things I’d make sure we know is all their contact info (cell / home / email / Skype IDs). It’s actually a tad nervous-making to be hosting someone “on our own” - we’ve hosted through organizations in the past (this student is actually someone we hosted that way, and he’s coming back solo for a visit). The organization always had the paperwork handled for us.
If there are emergencies, hopefully language won’t be an issue - I have no idea how much English the parents speak, and my German is largely limited to “one, two, three”, “sit down!”, “pregnant” (a virtual nickel to anyone who figures out why I know those), “hello”, “goodbye”, and one or two rude words.
I would assume they could make a lot of trouble if they thought we were bringing the student back for inappropriate reasons!! As in, let us in and have the cops waiting for for us or something.
I would like to hear from experts on this subject, but I will point out that this is somewhat different than Mama Zappa’s situation. Your stepdaughter was flying, traveling by land across the border is different. There, while it is possible to be stopped/searched/detained and questioned, I am curious whether you can be refused entry.
I remember a case from several years back where an Arab-American traveled to North Africa. When it came time for him to fly home, instead of a flight he spent several days in Morocco talking with an FBI agent who basically (according to the Arab-American, the FBI had no comment) said he wasn’t going to be cleared to fly to the US until he agreed to work as an undercover informant for the FBI back in the states. He pointed out he was an American citizen and the FBI agent pointed out that didn’t matter-for flying. If he could arrange to present himself at a land border, the FBI wouldn’t be able to stop him. But flying to Canada required the aircraft to fly through US controlled airspace and that would be a problem. He eventually got home, but it took a long time…
- there’s only one from NH though the routing suggests we’d do better to head over to one in Vermont. Good to know we can request someone who speaks English - my French is not terribly fluent and nobody else in the family speaks a word of it. Obviously, this would be needed only if there are problems.