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Help my boyfriend cross the border.
Kate of Lokys
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
I'm a Canadian citizen, currently attending university in Ontario. My boyfriend is an American citizen, a freelance web designer working out of his home in Illinois.
He wants to drive up to see me for my birthday. Just for a rather extended weekend, arriving on Thursday night, leaving on Tuesday or Wednesday. He has gas money in his wallet, he'll be packing lightly, he's going to stay at my parents' place with me for the first two nights, then I'm bringing him up to my university residence to spend a few nights here. (It's allowed, I don't share a room, he just needs to be checked in with the porter).
Here's the problem: he is absolutely terrified - half-convinced - that he will be turned away at the border. He was questioned the last time he crossed the border by car, the whole "Canadian girlfriend plus freelance occupation" thing apparently throws up some red flags, the border agents called his bank to see how much money he had, and then called my parents to confirm that they were willing to provide accomodation for him while he was in the country. So, he thinks it's going to happen again, and he thinks he's even more likely to be turned back this time - his financial situation is a bit leaner now than it was last time, and my parents themselves are out of the country. They know he's coming, and they're fine with it, but still, "I'm staying at my girlfriend's parents' house, but they're not there" is just another cape swung before the nose of the border bulls.
So... what, if anything, can I do to make his border crossing go smoothly? I have a cell phone, if he does get interrogated, they'll be calling me, and I'll be telling them that he's on the level. But what else can I do, or advise him to do? I suggested he print out copies of the latest invoices from his freelancing, and a copy of the most recent utility bill for his house, to show that he has financial ties to the US, but he doesn't think that would help. I know such a thing doesn't exist, but I wish there was a number I could just call to say "hey, my boyfriend is coming up from the US, he's cool, he's with me, just wave him through plz."
I mean, neither of us are stupid people. One of us will need to immigrate at some point, we know that, but... how fucking stupid would we need to be to try to do it illegally on the spur of the moment? He has no intention of staying longer than five or six days, and even if he did suffer a temporary lapse of sanity and say "Love, I'm not going back to America, let's get married now!", I would smack him upside the head and tell him to stop being a self-destructive idiot.
How I maek border crossing easy for my boyfriend?
He wants to drive up to see me for my birthday. Just for a rather extended weekend, arriving on Thursday night, leaving on Tuesday or Wednesday. He has gas money in his wallet, he'll be packing lightly, he's going to stay at my parents' place with me for the first two nights, then I'm bringing him up to my university residence to spend a few nights here. (It's allowed, I don't share a room, he just needs to be checked in with the porter).
Here's the problem: he is absolutely terrified - half-convinced - that he will be turned away at the border. He was questioned the last time he crossed the border by car, the whole "Canadian girlfriend plus freelance occupation" thing apparently throws up some red flags, the border agents called his bank to see how much money he had, and then called my parents to confirm that they were willing to provide accomodation for him while he was in the country. So, he thinks it's going to happen again, and he thinks he's even more likely to be turned back this time - his financial situation is a bit leaner now than it was last time, and my parents themselves are out of the country. They know he's coming, and they're fine with it, but still, "I'm staying at my girlfriend's parents' house, but they're not there" is just another cape swung before the nose of the border bulls.
So... what, if anything, can I do to make his border crossing go smoothly? I have a cell phone, if he does get interrogated, they'll be calling me, and I'll be telling them that he's on the level. But what else can I do, or advise him to do? I suggested he print out copies of the latest invoices from his freelancing, and a copy of the most recent utility bill for his house, to show that he has financial ties to the US, but he doesn't think that would help. I know such a thing doesn't exist, but I wish there was a number I could just call to say "hey, my boyfriend is coming up from the US, he's cool, he's with me, just wave him through plz."
I mean, neither of us are stupid people. One of us will need to immigrate at some point, we know that, but... how fucking stupid would we need to be to try to do it illegally on the spur of the moment? He has no intention of staying longer than five or six days, and even if he did suffer a temporary lapse of sanity and say "Love, I'm not going back to America, let's get married now!", I would smack him upside the head and tell him to stop being a self-destructive idiot.
How I maek border crossing easy for my boyfriend?
Kate of Lokys on
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This will sound dumb but perhaps dressing nice? I know where I live now before I came into immigration they said just look well dressed, as though you are important or at least make more than the average joe, and the immigration and border people will give you much less of a hassle.
When he was asked what he was going to do in Canada on this particular time, he replied with something along the lines of "My friends and I are going to get drunk as hell and have a great time." He was let across the border without any question.
I think Americans doing business (ie: freelance occupation) might send up red flags. I think if he just tells them that he's going to sightsee and visit you, he should be fine.
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Things are a bit different when the person trying to cross the border is:
a) alone
b) driving his own car (as opposed to taking a bus with a return ticket in hand)
c) going to Canada to visit his girlfriend, who he obviously has strong feelings for
d) a freelancer, with no steady job he needs to be back on Monday morning for
e) not exactly wealthy
The assumption of the border agents, when they see someone meeting that description, is not "oh, it's that sweet - he's a handsome corn-fed all-American entrepreneurial young man making his own brave way in the world, spending most of this month's hard-earned money to spend some time with his girlfriend for her birthday." They do not think that. They think "grr, this shiftless unemployed guy who can't hold down steady work is trying to sneak off to Canada to live illegally with his girlfriend, and once he gets there he'll probably figure out some way to cheat his way onto our welfare system!"
I need advice on making them think the first thing, not the second.
And Buddy, he's not doing any business at all here. He *is* just coming up to sightsee and spend time with me. But they will ask him what he does for a living as part of the routine "Who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?" bit, and he needs to answer them honestly, because if he says "Um, I work at the local video store," or "Oh, uh, I'm a student," they will ask for ID and/or call the place he claims to be affiliated with. And if just telling the truth means he has a chance of being turned away because he's considered an immigration risk, lying is that much worse.
Aha, I suppose they would have to ask more specific questions in his situation...
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I always said I was going to visit "friends" just to avoid having to deal with the subject. (Naturally, if they asked about it directly, I would have owned up to the "friend" being my boyfriend, but no one ever asked -- at least not going into Canada.) Unfortunately for your bf, since he got hassled last time, he may be hassled again this time. The only things I can think to suggest are things you've mentioned (packing light and bring a utility bill or employment contract or something along those lines).
It really really depends on the agent you happen to get though. Coming back from vacation in the US a couple of months ago, we hit the border, went on up to the booth. Customs lady: "Citizenship?" Husband: "Canadian." Me: "American." Customs lady (to me): (slightly surprised) "Do you have status in Canada?" Me (internally): Ohshit. Me (out loud): "Uh... I have an application for permanent residency in process....?" Customs lady: "Okay. Have a nice day!" And then there was a beat of "?!?!" before we got the hell out of Dodge.
It's not normally a big deal. But if they have any reason to think you might not be just visiting and you have an agent that's in the mood to be a dick? Hoo boy.
what i can suggest to you is that he carry with him some documents that prove he will return
for instance it might be a better idea to travel by bus, with a return ticket
or, he can bring a copy of a rental lease (if he's living in an apartment) with him
anyone who's unemployed/freelance will be questioned incessantly (as is my experience, anyway) since they aren't "locked down" in any way - apparently customs guards have never heard of just, you know, quitting
Pro-tip though: If more than one border lane is open, always pick the one that's moving faster. Always. Even if it means a longer line and a slightly longer wait. The amount of time each car spends at the booth is indicative of the thoroughness of the border guard.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
We're talking HUGE.
"Oh what a day, what a LOVELY DAY!"
To obvious, underground is what they don't expect. A massive tunnel!
But anyway:
Just tell him to keep his answers short and don't act like he's hiding anything. If he looks "shady" they will question him. Any time I've went to Toronto I've just told them I was going to stay a few days in the city and probably get shit faced a few times (not those exact words but I was honest to them).
Anyway - Good luck!
Critical Failures - Havenhold Campaign • August St. Cloud (Human Ranger)
Freelance what? If it's consulting work then he simply needs to phrase it as if he owns his own business.
This. I've traveled to Canada a lot in the past year and this exactly how I talk to the border guards. To not arouse suspicion, he should try to keep his answers short, sweet and consistent.
As someone who has crossed the border about 30 times in the past 6 months, this is truth.
Just be casual and honest and don't offer any additional information that isn't specifically asked for, and you're good to go...
That is the usual case, but I've been asked some weird questions before. For example:
"What is your job?"
"What is your yearly salary?"
"Are you married?"
Etc. It's not unheard of, but it is kinda rare. He shouldn't have any problems.
Um, he's not being paranoid since apparently he's been asked once before. On my trips to and from Canada I've been asked similar questions since I went for similar reasons. I was asked what I do for a living, where I work and I needed to verify that I would be staying with my GF and her address.
"Got your ID?"
(I handed over my passport).
"Where are you from?"
"Well, home is Midhurst, Ontario, but I'm currently attending university in Sudbury."
"Where are you headed?"
"Down to Florida for a week of vacation."
"Bringing anything with you?"
"Clothes, a couple of textbooks, and a bottle of The Glenlivet from duty-free for my boyfriend."
"Where's your boyfriend?"
"He lives in Illinois, I'm picking him up on the way."
"Have you ever been fingerprinted for any offense in either the US or Canada?"
Wait, what? "Actually, yes."
"Can you tell me about that?"
"Oh, sure! It was a silly thing, really, several years ago..." I proceeded to tell him a highly abbreviated version of the one about the sword, ending with "... so, the judge ended up just dismissing the case, he told me I had learned my lesson."
"So... you weren't convicted of anything?"
"No, just got a verbal warning."
He was scowling at his computer by that point. "When did you say this was?"
"The spring of 2001."
More scowling. I suspect the case doesn't actually show up on my record - I had to get a criminal check done for some volunteer work a while back, and I came up clean - so I wonder if he thought I was making the whole thing up.
Anyway, he ended up waving me through just fine.
I'll pass along some of the good advice here to my boyfriend, but if anyone has any more, please keep it coming.
Yeah, when me and my wife flew to Boston we got casually interrogated by US customs passport security. Not just asking about our jobs but what we did at them (admittedly Production Manager isn't a very descriptive job title and of course he had to ask if my wife was carrying any drugs as she's a pharmacy technician). Oddly, my wife seems to get into tangles more often with customs, security and border guards than I do. Customs in Cuba pulled her to one side accusing her of smuggling fruit into the country in her hand-luggage. They were extremely insistent that she had fruit in her bag, they saw it in the xray and her denying it just made them more angry. They search her bag and it's a rolled-up spare bra, she carries a spare change of clothes when she flies because she's paranoid about loosing her luggage. Customs and border guards give me the heebiejeebies, it's their job. If you can stand there for five minutes while they ask seemingly irrelevant questions without pissing your pants or making a dash for the border then you're rarely going to get turned away. And honestly, anybody should be able to answer a few personal questions about their job and marital status without pissing their pants, it's basic social skills.
Of all the countries I've traveled to, the US always seems to be the most thorough when it comes to passport control. Most everywhere else, you wave a UK passport out the window and they wave you through without a cursory glance. I didn't think Canada would be that fussed about a bit of US citizen traffic passing over their border.
7 years ago I remember offering the border guard a hot dog. He laughed and waved me through.
Anyways, a better word for unemployed/freelance is self-employed. I work for myself. I'm an entrepreneur. Ok don't say that last one, it's pretentious but you get the gist. Go with self-employed, on vacation, meeting friends in Ontario. None of that is a lie. No one will ever expect you to present 1099 Tax Forms.
Like a good resume, brevity and phrasing is key.
edit: lol that sword story was great! I really enjoyed it.
"I run a business specialising in xxx" where xxx is whatever the hell you do as a freelancer. Like, if I was a freelance designer I'd say, "I run a design consultancy". If you're a serious freelancer and not just a casual laborer who calls himself a freelancer then you probably do have a business that you are taking precious time away from and need to get back too sooner rather than later. Have a business card or something handy maybe. If you're tax registered (which you probably should be, in the UK at least if you're self-employed then you need to be registered as a sole-trader with the Inland Revenue) then it shouldn't be difficult to prove legitimacy.
Border guard: When are you returning to the US?
B/f: 5 or 6 days I guess....
Good:
Border guard: When are you returning to the US?
B/f: Friday morning, I have to get back for a job.
I hate crossing the border myself (Canadian that visits the US pretty regular to shop). Be precise, be friendly, be submissive.
Yeah, you can't even bring through a half-eaten pizza if it's got meat on it.
Funny story and a bit of an aside: I was pulled over the one time because I was travelling on business, and the same documentation i'd be using for weeks upon weeks to get through was suddenly not good enough. But anyways, while I was in there I was chatting up a girl who was also in there.
She was actually a worker for the toll booth on the other side of the border for crossing the ambassador bridge going from detroit to windsor/vice versa. She had her lunch with her, and had an orange as a part of that lunch. The border guard saw this and she swears this conversation occurred:
Border Guard: "Is that an orange?"
Random Girl: "...Yes?"
BG: "That's a Canadian orange, isn't it? You can't bring that through!"
RG: "... You do realize that oranges are tropical right?"
BG: "Doesn't matter, that's a Canadian orange, an American orange would have a sticker on it"
RG: "Sir, we are literally unable to grow oranges in Canada. It's too cold. I imagine this is either from California or Florida"
He then had her pull over for a vehicle inspection.
Although frankly I can't imagine that the US would have much luck keeping out insects and such like that are present in countries that they share a land-border with anyway. And whilst calling it a Canadian orange is dumb, insinuating that a border patrol guard is ignorant is even dumber. She's lucky she wasn't subjected to a cavity search.
The fucking ridiculous part was where instead of saying "okay" and handing over a 50 cent piece of fruit, she insisted on arguing herself into a vehicle search.
Border guards don't want to search your vehicle. It's a pain in the ass. Don't give them a reason to.
Also, being well dressed and giving specific dates and times as to where and when you'll be is a really good way to speed things along. It also wouldn't hurt to call and make reservations at a hotel for a set number of days. I know that the Holiday Inns Expresses will allow you to cancel your reservation as late as 6 PM on the day of the booking and avoid any fees. He can reserve a room so that when they ask he has a set time frame for which he has lodging. This will make his life easier. The room can then be canceled, hassle free. It's not lying if you actually do have the room reserved.
CUZ THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE MIDDLE AND IT'S GIVING ME A RASH
I'm going to Vancouver next week and last night I had nightmares about being turned away at the border. So this morning I made the TERRIBLE mistake of googling being denied admittance to Canada. Then I remembered the time I got arrested in the 1990's for contempt of court, and saw that the twelve PAID parking tickets my husband got while he was using my car are still on our court records, and then there's the whole huge ordeal with there being another woman with my name in this town who has multiple DUIs and theft charges ... and basically... I've been up since 4AM giving myself a huge panic attack over the thought that at the zero hour, I will be forced to return to the US, and none of my travel plans are refundable, and all have been paid for already!
So I stumbled in here right as I was begining to have chest pains, and you guys made me smile and made me think that surely, if I am concise, polite, honest and accurate, I will have not problem crossing.
And just to be sure, I AM taking my paystubs, utility bills and marriage license with me, lol... in case they want proof that I WILL go back home someday.