Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
Sep 1st 2007, 7:29 pm
#1
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 288
Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
Am making my first trip to the states next week using my canadian permenant resident card and my UK passport.
Just wondered if anyone else has done this. Any issues? Problems? Tips? etc.
Just wondered if anyone else has done this. Any issues? Problems? Tips? etc.
Sep 1st 2007, 7:48 pm
#2
Canadian Wet Coaster
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 758
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
i'm quite sure that this has been discussed before... did you try the search function?
Sep 1st 2007, 8:19 pm
#3
Forum Regular
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 79
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
You can't get it right! Just remember that and you'll be fine. I have done it several times as my sis lives in the USA.
The bottom line is take both and have both out to show border officials/ immigration people. I had had people tell me I should only have one out - ie choose one to travel on and use that. But invariably if I have my PR card out and they see I am European they ask to see my passport as well. And vice versa.
I took a trip to the US see my sister soon after getting my PR card. I had 30mins in with a US immigration official trying to get me to admit that I was coming to the US illegally to live, because I had been in Canada only a short time! He didn't believe me when I said I owned a house in Saskatoon (in fact he implied that Saskatoon was a made up place).
In short you are likely to get a bit of trouble, it has happened more or less every time I've been through, you tend to have to answer quite a few questions. Probably more than another Canadian but no different from how they approach people from other countries at US immigration really. You will still need to get the green visa waiver card and hand it in when you come back to Canada.
On that same trip, when I came back into Canada, the Canadian immigration official gve me a big smile when he saw my PR card and said "Hey! Welcome back!"
Reminds you you definitely picked the right country!
The bottom line is take both and have both out to show border officials/ immigration people. I had had people tell me I should only have one out - ie choose one to travel on and use that. But invariably if I have my PR card out and they see I am European they ask to see my passport as well. And vice versa.
I took a trip to the US see my sister soon after getting my PR card. I had 30mins in with a US immigration official trying to get me to admit that I was coming to the US illegally to live, because I had been in Canada only a short time! He didn't believe me when I said I owned a house in Saskatoon (in fact he implied that Saskatoon was a made up place).
In short you are likely to get a bit of trouble, it has happened more or less every time I've been through, you tend to have to answer quite a few questions. Probably more than another Canadian but no different from how they approach people from other countries at US immigration really. You will still need to get the green visa waiver card and hand it in when you come back to Canada.
On that same trip, when I came back into Canada, the Canadian immigration official gve me a big smile when he saw my PR card and said "Hey! Welcome back!"
Reminds you you definitely picked the right country!
Sep 2nd 2007, 4:10 am
#4
Forum Regular
Thread Starter
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 288
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
That's U.S. immigration for you. Totally OTT with tourists and visitors while a real immigration crisis is going on that they don't know what to do about. They are hilarious.
Thanks! I'll be ready for them.
Thanks! I'll be ready for them.
Sep 2nd 2007, 9:46 am
#5
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 2,112
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
You can't get it right! Just remember that and you'll be fine. I have done it several times as my sis lives in the USA.
The bottom line is take both and have both out to show border officials/ immigration people. I had had people tell me I should only have one out - ie choose one to travel on and use that. But invariably if I have my PR card out and they see I am European they ask to see my passport as well. And vice versa.
I took a trip to the US see my sister soon after getting my PR card. I had 30mins in with a US immigration official trying to get me to admit that I was coming to the US illegally to live, because I had been in Canada only a short time! He didn't believe me when I said I owned a house in Saskatoon (in fact he implied that Saskatoon was a made up place).
In short you are likely to get a bit of trouble, it has happened more or less every time I've been through, you tend to have to answer quite a few questions. Probably more than another Canadian but no different from how they approach people from other countries at US immigration really. You will still need to get the green visa waiver card and hand it in when you come back to Canada.
On that same trip, when I came back into Canada, the Canadian immigration official gve me a big smile when he saw my PR card and said "Hey! Welcome back!" Reminds you you definitely picked the right country!
The bottom line is take both and have both out to show border officials/ immigration people. I had had people tell me I should only have one out - ie choose one to travel on and use that. But invariably if I have my PR card out and they see I am European they ask to see my passport as well. And vice versa.
I took a trip to the US see my sister soon after getting my PR card. I had 30mins in with a US immigration official trying to get me to admit that I was coming to the US illegally to live, because I had been in Canada only a short time! He didn't believe me when I said I owned a house in Saskatoon (in fact he implied that Saskatoon was a made up place).
In short you are likely to get a bit of trouble, it has happened more or less every time I've been through, you tend to have to answer quite a few questions. Probably more than another Canadian but no different from how they approach people from other countries at US immigration really. You will still need to get the green visa waiver card and hand it in when you come back to Canada.
On that same trip, when I came back into Canada, the Canadian immigration official gve me a big smile when he saw my PR card and said "Hey! Welcome back!"
Reminds you you definitely picked the right country!
Blasphemy
Sep 2nd 2007, 1:10 pm
#6
Blah Blah Blah Blah Blah
Joined: Jun 2007
Location: Regina Beach, Saskatchewan
Posts: 3,885
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
:curse: We'll gang up and get them all once you get over there Al 
Sep 2nd 2007, 2:54 pm
#8
Lost in BE Cyberspace
Joined: Sep 2004
Location: Windsor, ON; Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,713
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
Take a credit card or 6 USD cash. And if you're not going back to the US within the 90days of your I94w validity, you need to specifically ask the Canadian officer you get going back into Canada to take it out - they don't usually unless you ask.
Sep 2nd 2007, 3:32 pm
#10
BE Enthusiast
Joined: Jul 2002
Location: Toronto, Ontario
Posts: 846
Re: Trip to U.S. on candian PR card/UK Passport
I found it easier when I had PR as I was entering as a British Citizen and just needed the PR card for coming back to Canada to show I was allowed to live here. It was more confusing when I went last time with a UK passport and a Canadian Citizenship card, because you are trying to enter as a Canadian Citizen so they want to see a Canadian passport (at the airport) but you only have a UK one so then they get confused.
