Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

Hey guys,

My Mum came over to visit me last week and we just got back from taking her to Niagara Falls for the evening. She wanted to stay in a hotel so we dropped her and my Aunt off and came back home for the night. We live in Buffalo.

We frequently cross the border to go to Niagara Falls/Toronto etc. I'm a Permanent Resident and travel with my GC and Passport.

On the way back I found the line of questioning a little strange. First of all he wanted to look in the trunk of the car, asked who the car was registered to. Then he asked me how I got my Greencard, and what my my status before I got my Greencard. Who sponsored me? Were my husband and I related? :confused:

It was very strange, and I've never been asked these kinda questions regarding my Permanent Residency before. He even asked to take a look at my GC again AFTER he'd given it back to me.

It always freaks me out when I get interrogated, just wondering if this stuff is considered normal etc? I know they're allowed to ask you anything they want and to always just tell them the truth.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

I got asked similar questions when crossing from Canada (apart from the being related to my spouse.... that's well odd). It's usually the Canadians who are worse IMO.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

I know I am probably flapping over nothing, I just found it really strange.

The last few times we've been over it's been pleasant on both sides. It only seems to be when it's just my husband and I in the car. We're quite young (27) and our car is a hunk of junk...

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

This thread has its ups & downs but this video was interesting in some ways.
http://britishexpats.com/forum/showp...8&postcount=38

That officer didn't want to acknowledge that married people are related either.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

There's an interesting thread on this somewhere on here. The general consensus seemed to be that sometimes you just get unlucky and run into a dimwit.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

I've crossed the border at Niagara/Buffalo several times a year for the last 8 or so years. During the last few years it seems every time we cross immigration have stepped it up a notch. Earlier this week when we crossed several cars were searched...last month we were waiting 3 hours to cross. The questions really don't bother me...hopefully they're for a reason and the IO's are doing there job.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

It sounds like he was just doing what he is paid to do and being thorough. Imagine if he asked you how you got the card, and you said it was through your employer, but they knew it was obtained through your spouse.

What would that be an indicator of?

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

Seems like fairly normal questioning to me. I used to cross the US/Canada border at least twice per week, sometimes you sail through, sometimes you get the third degree. I was asked quite a few times how I obtained my green card (through employment) and then follow up questions would be if I still worked for them and what my position was.

I wouldn't worry about it.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

StephieFaith83,

I sympathize with you and must admit to finding some of the questioning a bit strange. Some of my fellow posters here tend to be rather too understanding of the CBP at times, if I may say so...;)
Being a journalist myself, I follow the Canadian news media rather closely regarding people´s experiences on the US-Canadian border, and it is pretty clear to me that the questioning constantly seems to be getting ramped up on the US-Canadian landcrossings. The US-Canadian landborder is now, seen from a CBP perspective, being treated in much the same way as the US-Mexican border as regards the degree of suspicion and questioning meted out to an increasing number of travellers.
Although there are a fair number of horror stories dealing with the Canadian border control, I would certainly venture to state that the US CBP generally speaking is worse in this regard than their counterparts on the Canadian side.
Things are bound to get a lot worse from the travellers´s point of view, I fear.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

They're starting to treat the northern and southern border the same way? So now they're asking the mostly white Canadians just as many questions as the Mexicans? The horror! Something really has to be done about that.

/sarcasm off

I'm glad to see equal opportunity questioning.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

crg,

I´m not quite sure whether you really are being sarcastic or not here....
Perhaps you rather approve of the fact that the Canadian-US border is slowly but surely turning into a kind of "fortress", while the southern border is cracking at its seems, despite the best efforts to secure and patrol it.

If the current trend continues unabated the Canadians shall soon have to turn up with a visa at the border, as may well be the case with visitors from the current VWP countries.
In the not too distant future I fear that the VWP programme may well be scrapped and that the days of visa-free travel between the US and Canada might also be coming to an end.

And, seriously, aside from any nauseating political correctness, does anybody truly believe that the prosperous Canadians are as much a threat to the stability and national security of the US as the Mexicans???

Let´s stop smothering ourselves in politically correct posturing and be realistic!

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

Quite normal. It is done randomly at the Can/Am border. I've had similar occurrence after leaving Canada with the in-laws to go to the NYS Indian Casino and was questioned in the same way by the Canadians when I was returning later that day.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

On what do you base this assumption? Your negativity is quite tedious, unwarranted and unwelcomed.

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

Duh! Not the Canadians but the illegal immigration of those who are using the Can/Am border to make their way into the US. Unless you don't read newspapers or listen to the news, you have to be aware of the great influx of illegal immigrants to Canada who come from nearly all countries. They use the unprotected/unpatrolled borders and/or use fraudulent documents such as green cards to enter the US.

But then again it would not fit into your negative personality which I'm sure is a hinderous to a "journalist".

Re: Questioning At The Canada/US Border...
 

Thanks for all of your replies guys. I am still a newbie, only had my GC for 2 months and this is all a learning process.