Never really realized how much of a hassle it is to go to the US

[silverpig]

I'm Canadian. I was born about 1 mile from the US border. I've lived within a short drive of the US border my entire life. I've never been in trouble with the law, and have been to the US a few times a year, both through the air and via ground crossings.

Most of the time I get asked many questions: Where are you going? Are you meeting anyone? Show me the tickets for the football game you claim to be seeing. When are you returning?

Once I had to submit my car for inspection and waited around for 30 minutes while they went through the trunk.

I never really realized how comparatively paranoid the US border control agents are until I came to Hong Kong for business. I landed in the airport, went to customs, handed my passport over, they scanned it, stamped it, and let me in. No questions, no anything.

I haven't done much travelling to other countries, but is this experience typical?

What type of border experience to Americans have when coming to Canada?

 

[vshah]

I'm Canadian.

/thread :awe:

 

[shortylickens]

Well.......

No, never mind.

 

[silverpig]

/thread :awe:

I guess it's easy for Americans to get back in to the country

 

[Gibsons]

I'm Canadian. I was born about 1 mile from the US border. I've lived within a short drive of the US border my entire life. I've never been in trouble with the law, and have been to the US a few times a year, both through the air and via ground crossings.

Most of the time I get asked many questions: Where are you going? Are you meeting anyone? Show me the tickets for the football game you claim to be seeing. When are you returning?

Once I had to submit my car for inspection and waited around for 30 minutes while they went through the trunk.

I never really realized how comparatively paranoid the US border control agents are until I came to Hong Kong for business. I landed in the airport, went to customs, handed my passport over, they scanned it, stamped it, and let me in. No questions, no anything.

I haven't done much travelling to other countries, but is this experience typical?

What type of border experience to Americans have when coming to Canada?

I went by bike across the border once. The guard was sort of an asshole, but it was pretty quick.

Aren't you near Vancouver, where a whole bunch of illegal drugs (allegedly) cross the border?

 

[Away]

What type of border experience to Americans have when coming to Canada?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOMueumw750

 

[vshah]

honestly, even before I became a US citizen ( permanent resident for ~14 years), i was never hassled when returning. i guess being a perm resident offset being brown

 

[stonecold3169]

9/11 changed a lot with Canadian/USA borders. I also grew up on the border (the Massena, NY/Cornwall, Ontario border) and remember in the late 90's being able to cross through some of the lesser known crossings without even talking to anybody (Trout River crossing). Now it certainly is a bit more of a pain, although I have only have my car taken in to be looked at once, and it was crossing into Canada, not the opposite way.

 

[ussfletcher]

I guess it's easy for Americans to get back in to the country

Actually, they treat us pretty much the same way.

 

[Destiny]

CANADA IS WORST!!

I was on a business trip with my partner to Vancouver Canada and we were detained. I was allowed to enter Canada but my partner had a DUI dropped to an infraction 10 years ago AND they still wouldn't let him in... while being held, I saw that fat dude actor from LOST TV show detained with his mom and they wouldn't let him enter Canada...

 

[brianmanahan]

same thing happens going into canada from this side, buddy

my dentist said he almost got denied entry last month because the canadian border agent flipped out at him. they had asked him 4 times why he was walking instead of driving in, and on the 5th time he said "i already told you..." the border agent guy turned red and started screaming and cussing and saying how easy it would be to just not let him go across. but eventually he was able to settle him down and get ok'd to go across.

 

[Six]

From my experience, only the U.S. Customs and Border officers along the Canadian and Mexico borders are like that. If you flew in...it's easy. With that said, some of these officers are jerks beyond the call of duty. It's funny that nearby, there's a creed that says something like "anyone entering the U.S. will be treated with dignity and respect..."

Next time, get the officer's name, time, date, and report him online at www.cbp.gov

 

[nickbits]

I get asked more questions being an American living in the US than I did when I was an American living in Canada. Seem to get asked less questions when my wife is in the car with me (permenant resident). It is reallly hit or miss with border guards, some are ok and some are on a power trip. The Canadian guards are generally nicer but I've encountered a few douchebags as well. I've probably crossed the Detroit/Windsor border over 1000 times.

 

[Cookie]

I'm Canadian. I was born about 1 mile from the US border. I've lived within a short drive of the US border my entire life. I've never been in trouble with the law, and have been to the US a few times a year, both through the air and via ground crossings.

Most of the time I get asked many questions: Where are you going? Are you meeting anyone? Show me the tickets for the football game you claim to be seeing. When are you returning?

Once I had to submit my car for inspection and waited around for 30 minutes while they went through the trunk.

I never really realized how comparatively paranoid the US border control agents are until I came to Hong Kong for business. I landed in the airport, went to customs, handed my passport over, they scanned it, stamped it, and let me in. No questions, no anything.

I haven't done much travelling to other countries, but is this experience typical?

What type of border experience to Americans have when coming to Canada?

I've never had any problems getting into the states. No searches, but lots of questions. Going to Alaska was easy, two questions: "How long are you staying" "Got any drug smuggling hippies in the back?".

As for other countries I think usually easier than entering the states, with a few exceptions. One very angry British border guard when I was flying in from Spain at 4am very groggy. In the end he found my work Visa on the last page of my passport and slammed it down on the table and motioned for me to continue.

However, most of the other places I crossed borders at are either easy because they are tourist destinations, or easy because it's Europe.

 

[Away]

"Got any drug smuggling hippies in the back?"

Where were you hiding those drug smuggling hippies?

 

[IndyColtsFan]

Most countries are like what you experienced in Hong Kong. With that being said, I went to Brazil in 2004. The Brazilian government was throwing a hissy fit because the US had such stringent entry requirements and had recently relaxed them for citizens of the EU. To retaliate, Brazil's airports started having an "American only" line at the airports. When we went through, we were fingerprinted and photographed.

We later went to dinner with one of the friends of our Brazilian contact at the plant, and this idiot kept railing on about the US and how they were "singling out" Brazil. I told him he was full of shit but I'd look into it more. Sure enough, I was right -- Brazil was not "singled out" at all.

 

[Red Squirrel]

The only time I went to the US was via a greyhound bus, it was a trip to go see a Nascar race in Michigan, because it was a common tour bus they let us through fairly easily.

Coming back to Canada on the other hand, WTF. We had to get off the bus, they had dogs sniffing the entire bus, we had to get the pat downs and everything, and declare all the items we bought such as tshirts, drinks we happened to be holding at the time, etc...

Felt like we were all criminals that just been caught finishing off a mass murder or something.

 

[Fingolfin269]

US Customs is definitely the worst I've seen. Also the slowest. If you're going to take (comparatively) forever to let each person through then maybe have more than 25% of the available lanes open?

Fwiw, the most efficient entry point I've encountered is definitely at Narita airport in Tokyo.

 

[sjwaste]

I've cleared customs at YUL and YYZ, so never a ground crossing. As an American, I've generally found that the Canadian agents were worse than the American ones, probably about as difficult an experience as described in the OP - just the other way around. I remember at Pearson, we had to clear Canadian customs just for our connecting flight (BOS-YYZ-FCO). We were never going to leave the airport, just going to the international terminal. We were asked all sorts of questions about our stay in Canada, like it was from a script. It was polite, but without any sort of personality from the agent, or any recognition that it was, in fact, a ridiculous exercise.

FWIW, clearing customs into Italy at FCO was nothing. Literally nothing. They scan your passport, walk past customs, over a mat that points you over to a desk if you have anything to declare, and if not, out past some guards. On the other hand, coming back for our departure out of FCO was a little more difficult. We got in line for the non-EU holders since we're, you know, American, and I guess the agent didn't like that I was answering his questions in Italian so he got pretty specific about where I was coming from and where I was headed, even though I was just going home. When we cleared US customs again in Canada at YUL, it was again almost nothing. We were asked if those were our bags on the conveyor belt, we actually declared some clothes we had bought, and the agent declined to collect any kind of tax and just sent us through - total 30 seconds.

In my limited experience, I think the customs and border agents are a little softer on their own nationals and a little tougher on foreign passport holders. I have no experience with the southern border.

 

[Six]

I've cleared customs at YUL and YYZ, so never a ground crossing. As an American, I've generally found that the Canadian agents were worse than the American ones, probably about as difficult an experience as described in the OP - just the other way around. I remember at Pearson, we had to clear Canadian customs just for our connecting flight (BOS-YYZ-FCO). We were never going to leave the airport, just going to the international terminal. We were asked all sorts of questions about our stay in Canada, like it was from a script. It was polite, but without any sort of personality from the agent, or any recognition that it was, in fact, a ridiculous exercise.

FWIW, clearing customs into Italy at FCO was nothing. Literally nothing. They scan your passport, walk past customs, over a mat that points you over to a desk if you have anything to declare, and if not, out past some guards. On the other hand, coming back for our departure out of FCO was a little more difficult. We got in line for the non-EU holders since we're, you know, American, and I guess the agent didn't like that I was answering his questions in Italian so he got pretty specific about where I was coming from and where I was headed, even though I was just going home. When we cleared US customs again in Canada at YUL, it was again almost nothing. We were asked if those were our bags on the conveyor belt, we actually declared some clothes we had bought, and the agent declined to collect any kind of tax and just sent us through - total 30 seconds.

In my limited experience, I think the customs and border agents are a little softer on their own nationals and a little tougher on foreign passport holders. I have no experience with the southern border.

That's nothing! They're just doing their job.

What I'm talking about is when an officer demands you sing the Stars Spangled Banner. Or you hand the officer your passport, and he scans it, looks at the passport, looks at you, and tells you to take your hat off. Five minutes later, you put your hat on...and the officer yells "did I fucking tell you to put your hat back on?" Or when the officer questions your American citizenship. Or when he ask you where you work and how much you make?

 

[silverpig]

I went by bike across the border once. The guard was sort of an asshole, but it was pretty quick.

Aren't you near Vancouver, where a whole bunch of illegal drugs (allegedly) cross the border?

I was until about a year ago. Now I live in Toronto.

Is it just the land borders then?

 

[Fingolfin269]

That's nothing! They're just doing their job.

What I'm talking about is when an officer demands you sing the Stars Spangled Banner. Or you hand the officer your passport, and he scans it, looks at the passport, looks at you, and tells you to take your hat off. Five minutes later, you put your hat on...and the officer yells "did I fucking tell you to put your hat back on?" Or when the officer questions your American citizenship. Or when he ask you where you work and how much you make?

Wow I don't know how I would react to something like that. Especially considering many returns into the country are after 24+ hours of travel. That's just asking for trouble.

 

[silverpig]

That's nothing! They're just doing their job.

What I'm talking about is when an officer demands you sing the Stars Spangled Banner. Or you hand the officer your passport, and he scans it, looks at the passport, looks at you, and tells you to take your hat off. Five minutes later, you put your hat on...and the officer yells "did I fucking tell you to put your hat back on?" Or when the officer questions your American citizenship. Or when he ask you where you work and how much you make?

Can't you just tell the guy to fuck off at that point? If you are American you have the right to come back to the country whenever you like.

 

[Six]

Can't you just tell the guy to fuck off at that point? If you are American you have the right to come back to the country whenever you like.

hahaha...I said that once. The response was exactly "you left, why the fuck do I have to let you back in?" Another time, my friends talked back, and they were told to go to secondary inspection. They waited for over an hour, and no officer came...so they just left secondary inspection back into the states. Sometimes talking back works though.

In the past, I wrote two letters (forgot to whom), but I never heard back. But things have improved quite a bit though. It's just that, this power-tripping crap still happens from time to time.

Nowadays, I just remember the officer's name, date, and time...and submit a complaint online.

 

[The_Dude8]

That's nothing! They're just doing their job.

What I'm talking about is when an officer demands you sing the Stars Spangled Banner. Or you hand the officer your passport, and he scans it, looks at the passport, looks at you, and tells you to take your hat off. Five minutes later, you put your hat on...and the officer yells "did I fucking tell you to put your hat back on?" Or when the officer questions your American citizenship. Or when he ask you where you work and how much you make?

say not enough.