SarahBC

Hi there,

I am currently living in BC via a temporary work visa.

On the bottom of the visa sheet in my passport it states "Does not guarantee re-entry".

Does anyone know if we have to obtain a separate visa for the US if we want to take a holiday there.

Has anyone else with a temporary work visa been back and forth across the US border? Any difficulties?

Many thanks for your help.

Sarah

Powell River, BC

JAJ

What's your nationality?

The U.S. does not accept Canadian visas so you need the appropriate U.S. visa for your trip, alternatively you may use the visa waiver scheme if eligible.


Jeremy

SarahBC

Hi Jeremy,

We're British, so we can use the visa waiver scheme. I guess it would just be a case of stopping at the border crossing and asking for the form?

Although, we were a little more worried about being let back into Canada.

Cheers,

Sarah

JAJ

If you are British citizens then you probably don't have a visa - you've got a work permit. Look at the form and see what it says.

Some nationalities would need a temporary resident visa as well, this would be stamped into the passport.

Being re-admitted to Canada is not normally a problem provided you are still employed and your permit is still valid etc. (think about it - there would be a lot of upset employers in Canada if immigration officials routinely refused re-entry).

Where it gets more problematic would be if you had been fired, or if your permit had expired and you were still waiting on a renewal.

For the U.S. you just use the visa waiver scheme. Yes, you will need to "pull over" at the border to fill out the forms, this is something you will keep needing to do until you become Canadian citizens. You need USD6 (cash preferred) per person at the border for the visa waiver.

Make sure your passports meet the requirements for the U.S. visa waiver scheme, eg they must be machine readable and children on parents passport is a no-no.


Jeremy

skigordi

If you travel by air the visa waiver scheme is handled by the airline and paid for as part of your ticket. You will need to fill a form in at the airport.If you travel by land then you need to complete the visa form at the border, be quizzed and lately get you fingerprints taken. You also need to pay $6 USD per person for a 3 month visa. This allows multiple entries in the 3 months but you should make sure you hand it back to the US or Canadian border guys when it is up.

We have travelled several times to the US on British passprts with work permits without any problem as long as you can satisfy the US authorities that you are truly visiting.