As a Canadian going into and out of the US, I’ve never had much trouble. I can say that the US boarder guards are way scarier than the Canadian guards. The US folks all look like Kojak and wear mirrored sunglasses. The Canadian folks all look like Red Green and wear UPS uniforms - I trust you can see the difference.
FWIW, A friend of mine is cavity searched everytime he goes into the US (which has been multiple times). As the old joke goes, we’re beginning to wonder if he’s really going for the cheap smokes.
It’s really not too difficult; Proof of identity, Proof of citizenship, No felony convictions.
Ta-daa. Your driver’s license is proof of identity (your picture), your birth certificate is proof of citizenship, and the whole felony thing is mostly to make a lifetime of hurt for people with DUI’s.
Yes, we’re going to a passport-only system in a couple of years (beginning 2007), mostly because that’s a convenient identity/citizenship combo document, but also because Big Brother loves you.
The questions are to sorta sample various restrictions, including agricultural and finance ones (bringing over $10,000 in cash ? Plus a pear ?) and also to make you say a couple of things to gauge how nervous you are.
It was these simple questions (plus a nice malarial fever) that kept Ahmed Ressam from getting through to blow up LAX, remember. The agent who caught him is a pleasant middle-aged gal named Margaret, not a badass with mirrored sunglasses.
I got detained once going up to work on a sawmill. Since then, I always say I’m going fishing, which makes my customers wonder why I show up at the factory with a fishing rod.
Aww, crap. I’m going to Toronto tomorrow night to visit a friend - driving for the first time. Minus the immigration paralegal, I suspect this might be repeated word-for-word.
makes note to self to remove food processor and hand blender from the trunk
I don’t know how it is for Canadians crossing the border, but an American crossing from Massena, NY to Cornwall, ONT needs absolutely nothing, in my experience.
In fact, crossing back into the US is just as easy as cantera said:
US Border: Citizenship?
Me: US
US Border: Have a good one.
Sometimes we’ll get asked where we were, but not always.
I’ve only been pulled over twice on my way to Canada. Once when I was 17 and another when I was 22 and both times there were 6 other people my age in the car. It was only when they asked us to come inside that we were asked for ID.
One time at a “border” stop on I-87 about 2 hours south of the Canadian border (don’t ask), I was asked if there was anyone in the trunk. I’m not kidding.
The border both ways is getting harsher and harsher. I always have to remind myself that when I go down to the States, I am heading to a country that is “at war”… at war with many things. Also, our border guards have been leaned on to become more vigilant. I seem to remember a year or so ago we got some grief because we let a terrorist suspect into Canada who was then let into the States. It is my belief that the border guards on both sides are mandated to hassle random vehicles every once in a while because you never know if that carload of grey haired grannies might actually have a trunk full of pot.
With an eye to future visits to the States, my wife and I bought a generic car that we put no decorations on whatsoever (bumper stickers and the like). When we cross the border we wear “straight drag”… button up shirt and dockers or new jeans for me and a nice dress or skirt/sweater combo for her. When asked what plan to do… we’re going shopping. Now, we’re not going to do anything illegal, but the border guards seem to flag anything that’s “not usual” for an extra inspection… and who wants that?
I’ve been once, but I experienced a similar exchanged. We we’re essentially grilled Joe Friday style with rabip fire questions. Luckly my girlfriend was the one driving so she did the answering. I’m not as quick on my feet and would have told him to slow the hell down, or repeat himself.
A few weeks back, I rented a fuckin’ ROCKIN’ houseboat on Lake Koocanusa (Montana/BC Border). Going to Canada, the Canadian guy was actually kinda cool. Asked me the standard questions: Citizenship? Purpose of visit? How long? What ID do you have? etc. (and he even gave me two "eh!"s!)
On the way back in though, I ran into trouble. The border guards (one of which I swear, could have doubled for the guy that got hit by a drunk driver in Office Space [sub]can’t think of his name right now[/sub] gave me a rash of shit because I was “living in Montana”, yet my truck’s plates are from “North Dakota”. After I explained, they let me go. . . but not yet.
The one dude said, “Hey, you’re cooler’s open! HEY! Where’d you get this steak?!?” I calmly said that we bought it in Great Falls, and just hadn’t eaten it on the trip up there. We’re bringing it home. He didn’t buy it. . . up until he saw the “USDA” Stamp.
Then, life was good again. The birds chirped and sang. The sun shone, and all life was again at peace. :rolleyes:
Tripler
I almost got jacked up over a $1.96/lb chuck steak. :slap:
I had the same experience when I (21 yr old male) would cross into the US from Cornwall with my neighbors (husband and wife in their late seventies).
“Where do you live?”
“Long Sault”
“Who’s this?” * gestures at me in back seat of Cadillac *
“A friend”
waves us into the country *
This was in the winter of 2004. We crossed every couple of weeks or so because my neighbors had taken a liking to the bread sold at the supermarket on the highway outside of Massena. Coming back into Canada was generally even easier.
Actually, back in the day, I was an interpreter at Immigration Court here in Chicago. At that time the Chicago court also covered Detroit, which meant we got lots of cases of Canadians stopped at the border, mostly for criminal records.
My favorite was the guy stopped because he had a conviction for soliciting prostitution. Technically, when you show up at the border and ask to come in for purposes of tourism, you are “applying for admission as a visitor for pleasure.” Of course, that’s what got him into trouble in the first place.
I had no problems over labour day weekend when I drove across the border with my American baby in a rental car with US plates, and Canadians aren’t allowed to do that*.
[sub]*with a couple exceptions, one of which includes being me ;)[/sub]
We went from the US to BC to visit some of my family. We told the border guards coming back we were just up on holiday because we didn’t want the hassle of it all (IE: Who is your aunt? Where does she live? What is her shoe size? etc)
