First Trip Back to the Motherland

[Earmuffs 1]

Ok, so next week I'm heading to Canada for the first time since I've moved. We will be flying to Spokane, WA and having my brother pick us up. He lives in a small border town on the BC/Idaho border.. here are my questions..

I was recently laid off and I'm afraid (after watching that homeland security show ha) that they may not let me in. Now, we are not poor by any means, my has a good job and I was given a heavy severance. Yall think this will be an issue. Hopefully I will have another engineering job by the time I leave, but I'm just being paranoid.. What do I need to show them at the border, each way? and should I bring anything else with me? like ties to the US? Obviously my kids both American will be there... What more proof could they want ha.

thanks.

Edited April 10, 2009 by Earmuffs

[Emancipation 2]

wah? I"m so confused.. you have your greencard now right? What do you need ties to the US for? THey won't care.. you are going home for a visit.. the CDN's won't care the the Americans once they see your greencard will say have a nice day .. I'm confused why you'd need any other proof than a CDN passport on your way into Canada and the US greencard on your way to the US.

Edited April 10, 2009 by Emancipation

[Earmuffs 1]

I saw a guy on tv with a green card get denied re-entry because he didnt have have a job.

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You have an American spouse and children in the US. You have a sponsor who has signed a contract with the US government to make sure you are not a burden on the US system. You need to be cautious about believing what you see on TV - you may not have all of the facts. I suspect there was more to the story than was apparent on the show. Perhaps the individual had an employment based green card, not a family based green card. Perhaps he had been out of the country for more than 6 months and was deemed to have abandoned his residency. You will be fine. You have a home and family in the US and you will be allowed back into the US without a problem.

You cannot be turned away from Canada either. As a Canadian citizen you are always allowed entry to Canada.

Enjoy your visit and don't worry.

[JillA 2]

I saw a guy on tv with a green card get denied re-entry because he didnt have have a job.

don't believe everything you see on TV!

[warlord 73]

I saw a guy on tv with a green card get denied re-entry because he didnt have have a job.

don't believe everything you see on TV!

Well if the Green Card was recieved through a job and the person immediatly quit the job right after the Green Card, then yes they very well could revoke it becuase they could determine that it was fraud. Generally work based Green Cards you still need to be employed by the employer (unless laid off) for a good duration after receiving the Green Card.

So theoretically this person on TV might have fallen in that situation...

[Udella&Wiz 325]

You show your Canadian passport to enter Canada (they don't care about your American GC) and tell them who and where you're visiting.

And then when you return to the states, you'll give the US border guy your GC, they don't care about the Cdn passport. I've done it a few times in the last few years, all goes well. If anything I get through the border quicker then ever!

Nice to see you on VJ again - sounds rough about the job.

[Emancipation 2]

FYI The border guards always quiz my hubby (the USC) about what he does for a living (the CDNS do this mostly).. I don't think they've ever asked me what I did for work at either end.

My hubby is now rethinking what he's going to say at the CDN boarder since the Sikorsky helicopter crash.. he's not thinking he'll be too popular with the CDN side these days