How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

I'm a British citizen currently living in Switzerland. I moved out to Switzerland after graduating from University and I met an American who worked for the same company temporarily. She moved back to the US and is now looking for work in Detroit. I want to close the distance, however, I know that it is near impossible to get an American work visa.
So, I have applied for my Canadian visa and and have been selected to proceed. I'm planning on living as near to Detroit as possible (Windsor or London maybe). How difficult would it be for me to travel across the Canadian/American border frequently?

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

After the first trip, when you have your waiver and whatnot, it's no trouble at all, you don't have to get out of the car.

(Source, frequent crossing with a British national resident in Canada).

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

It won't be too difficult if in Canada on a valid work permit and employed by a Canadian employer and it wouldn't hurt to be renting accommodation in Canada with a rental agreement in place.

Where you might run into perceived problems is running into an officer who suspects you might be living in the USA and working under the table if you don't have all your ducks in order as mentioned above.
You would be getting the I94 waiver valid for 90 days which costs $6 USD.
Im not sure if there is a set period of time between one I94 waiver expiring and applying for another. Also the I94 waiver must be handed in to USCBP before it expires in a case like yours rather than relying on CBSA to return it and then applying for another I94 waiver immediately.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

You are not, by any chance, brown skinned and have a beard?

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

Can't recall where I saw it but there was a video about the rights of Canadians when crossing the border, and the message was that there is no guarantee they will allow entry just because you have a Canadian passport. So it's up to the border guard when you arrive at the border. If they have reason to suspect you are planning to stay then they may turn you away so crossing frequently to visit a girlfriend may raise red flags.
It's the same story in reverse as I remember seeing a young guy subjected to very detailed questioning by the Canadian border service and the general gist of the conversation was that he wanted to cross to visit a young lady. (I don't know what the outcome was).

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

or any Canadian or US passport holder entering the UK

Never had any difficulty doing a road crossing going into the US ever in the past 40 odd years, even more recent as last weekend.

On the latest return leg into Canada might as well have been 'why are you bothering the CBSA officer' wasting time showing her your Canadian passport & telling her you were day shopping... bugger off & have a nice day

She was one spaced out, bored (looked as though she did not want to be there) duty officer. I think she was texting on her IPhone to be arsed about Canadians returning back across the bridge

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

However.........

With guns, drugs and alcohol it's a little more problematic

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

Never had a problem bringing copious amounts of liquor back over from the states into Canada...infact most of the time they can't even be arsed charging you the duty, and if they do, its so cheap that it makes you wonder why people try to smuggle ;)

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

FL I found them very unhelpful to renew a I94 before 2weeks are left on the original I94 ,I used to have to insist that if I break down it might be close time wise and all the trouble THAT brings.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

I have some visitors coming to Canada and they hope to visit Yellowstone while here, do they just get a i94 or do they need some other visa to drive across the border.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

Assuming they hold a passport from a visa waiver country then they will just get the I94 at the border. They don't even need an ESTA.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

I don't think you can generalize about crossing a border. You are always under examination and unless you are a e.g. a Canadian Citizen entering Canada so have the right to enter (or a Permanent Resident although a PR can later be removed), it's never an absolute sure thing.

I didn't have a great time when entering the US a few months ago. I am brown skinned (no beard). I'm a PR (UK citizen) and I was with two white Canadian Citizens (husband/daughter). I was practically in tears by the time I got into the office to do my i94 (after meeting the first officer) but the officers in there were fine. The cashier even made a couple of jokes which restored my humour.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

Two mates, both PR's crossed into the US this morning, by land, one has an ESTA, the other one didn't, he wasn't allowed through without doing it at the border even though the the US website says you don't need one.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

Don't get ESTA confused with the I-94W. ESTA is just a travel authorisation system used by airlines to determine if a traveller should be allowed to board their flight. Even if you have an ESTA and fly, you still get an I-94W (it's an electronic one).

Each I-94W is valid for 3 months, so if your mate who had ESTA had been to the US by air recently, then his I-94 would still be valid, hence not needing a new one.

Re: How difficult is the border crossing between Canada and the US?
 

ESTA

The border crossing agents like it if you have an Esta as they don't have to fill in your details, they "grumped" at us every time we went thru until we got the Esta.