Did you have a bad experience at the Canadian Border?

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Carl F

I have been in and out of Canada (from the U.S.) several times and have never had a problem. What happened? Perhaps you need to ask a more specific question.

SteveN

Never had a major problem at the border, but I try to answer the questions asked promptly and accurately. The only time I had a rough time was when I went down to USA for a business trip where I was helping our US company install some software in advance of a sales meeting.

I am not allowed to work in USA, but I got confused at the border on my first international trip by one of the questions about why I was going down there. When they heard I was doing work, I had to explain that it was for the sales meetings and not taking a job that an American could have done.

It delayed me a few minutes, but you get so nervous and feel guilty even though you really were not doing anything wrong or illegal.

Other than that, every agent I've met on BOTH sides of the border have been always professional, although I would say that most were not exactly friendly. But you face 300+ people each day and ask them the same questions day-in and day-out, and see how friendly you are - lol!

SaskAries

I am a frequent border crosser and in all my years(30+)I have only been searched a handful of times, and each and every time they have been nice about it, they never were disrespectful, they were there to do their job and they did quickly and efficiently.

Now having said that I have heard about and witnessed people who have had a difficult time with them, and in majority of the cases it was from the traveler giving the customs agents a hard time, being difficult, acting suspicious or being flat out ignorant.

So I am tending to think if you were having a night mare of a time at the border something in your behaviour must have set them off, and made them think you were hiding something possibly? If you answered their questions, were not misleading and did not try to pull a fast one over on them then they would just do their job with minimal fuss.

kuhnem

We were on a bus trip and one of the passengers didn't have proper documentation for her child. She was divorced. So someone had to take her back to someplace and get papers for him. We were kept standing around for a couple hours.

Coming back into the US we get more grief than leaving it. The Canadian agents are very polite. The US agents are mean.

buckblade

In six decades worth of Canadian border crossings involving three different generations, the only problem my family ever had was two years ago. I was traveling alone and didn't realize that my ID showed a beard but I was clean shaven. The first border agent at the Peace Bridge originally refused my entry to Canada until I could show proof to a second agent that I had booked temporary lodgings at my destinations. Luckily, I booked on the Internet instead of by phone (ironically my first time with an all Internet international booking) and it only took about 15 minutes to clear me. However, think of how easy it would be to fake such paperwork and lie about their trip duration for a determined criminal.

Chris I

I once was insulted in Kingston because I addressed the agent in English. I do have Quebec plates on the car & I do speak French but English is my first language and I do have the right to use it. I've never had that experience coming into Quebec so it infuriated me.

But that's one incident out of about 100 crossings.

thinkingtime

We had the car stripped out once, coming back just before Christmas with nothing - really nothing - to declare.

We thought about people bringing drugs and guns into Canada and didn't mind a bitt.

freeside49

was pulled inside for a auto inspection which was kind of scary because you hear stories of them tearing cars apart and then shrugging their shoulders even if they dont find anything... apparently its their perogative.
Car came back fine... just a random secondary inspection.

The Kitten in Clothes

No, not at all.

I am Australian and was so nervous that maybe i didn't have the right visa (I moved to toronto to live, not just visit), but I breezed right on through. I was actually disappointed that they didn't look through all my paperwork that I was told I had to have!!!

Maybe I have an innocent face?

jake.jakobson

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