Driving over the border for interview

[dkunkle 2]

I live in TX and my husband lives in Calgary. He is immigrating here and we FINALLY have an interview date.

Our interview is scheduled for May 9th. My husband and I are actually flying back from a vacation in Iceland on May 7th. We land in JFK airport in NY around 10:30am on May 7th. So instead of flying back to Fort Worth, TX - we are going to peel off in NY and head to Montreal - it's only a 6 hour drive. Because flights are so expensive, we are thinking of just renting a car and driving it to Montreal. It appears it will cost us about $500 to do this with Enterprise rental car - I was thrilled to see that we can actually drive a car and leave it at a Enterprise car rental location in a different country.

My only concern is driving over the border. We'll have our letter and interview packet. I'm just wondering if border security is going to have questions about why a woman from TX and a man from Calgary are driving across the border in NY. If they stop us, we'll obviously have all the supporting travel documents, and since we are being honest, i can't imagine any trouble.

But, I just wanted to post our plan to see if anyone can think of any unforeseen problem that I haven't thought of yet?

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

[NikLR 13,220]

It can take weeks to get the visa. Have you thought about what you'll do until you get the visa, passport,and package back?

Or are you both travelling back to Calgary to wait it out?

[blest.but.strest 50]

I live in TX and my husband lives in Calgary. He is immigrating here and we FINALLY have an interview date.

Our interview is scheduled for May 9th. My husband and I are actually flying back from a vacation in Iceland on May 7th. We land in JFK airport in NY around 10:30am on May 7th. So instead of flying back to Fort Worth, TX - we are going to peel off in NY and head to Montreal - it's only a 6 hour drive. Because flights are so expensive, we are thinking of just renting a car and driving it to Montreal. It appears it will cost us about $500 to do this with Enterprise rental car - I was thrilled to see that we can actually drive a car and leave it at a Enterprise car rental location in a different country.

My only concern is driving over the border. We'll have our letter and interview packet. I'm just wondering if border security is going to have questions about why a woman from TX and a man from Calgary are driving across the border in NY. If they stop us, we'll obviously have all the supporting travel documents, and since we are being honest, i can't imagine any trouble.

But, I just wanted to post our plan to see if anyone can think of any unforeseen problem that I haven't thought of yet?

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

I have driven from NYC to Montreal soo many times. You will have no problems at the border entering Canada, you guys are married and both citizens(USA/Canada). The Canadian border agents will probably ask you why you are going to Montreal, how long you are staying and when you are leaving back to Texas. Just answer the questions the agent asks you, don't volunteer any information and be truthful with the border agent. If you follow this, you won't have any issues.

Also If your husband is driving the American rental car into Canada, the border agent might ask him a few questions about the car as well as the car rental agreement. If you drive the car, the agent won't ask you much about the car. Keep in mind that if you are dropping the car in Montreal, you absolutely have to drop in at Trudeau airport.

Edited April 18, 2016 by blest.but.strest

[Ms Hogan 295]

I live in TX and my husband lives in Calgary. He is immigrating here and we FINALLY have an interview date.

Our interview is scheduled for May 9th. My husband and I are actually flying back from a vacation in Iceland on May 7th. We land in JFK airport in NY around 10:30am on May 7th. So instead of flying back to Fort Worth, TX - we are going to peel off in NY and head to Montreal - it's only a 6 hour drive. Because flights are so expensive, we are thinking of just renting a car and driving it to Montreal. It appears it will cost us about $500 to do this with Enterprise rental car - I was thrilled to see that we can actually drive a car and leave it at a Enterprise car rental location in a different country.

My only concern is driving over the border. We'll have our letter and interview packet. I'm just wondering if border security is going to have questions about why a woman from TX and a man from Calgary are driving across the border in NY. If they stop us, we'll obviously have all the supporting travel documents, and since we are being honest, i can't imagine any trouble.

But, I just wanted to post our plan to see if anyone can think of any unforeseen problem that I haven't thought of yet?

Appreciate any thoughts or advice!

I don't expect you would have any problems either but do keep in mind NLR's question.

For the car rental, I would encourage you to call the location you plan to drop the car off to. Just because when you booked it they told you that it was OK does not mean the Enterprise location on the receiving end will actually accept it. I know that sounds silly but do make the call and confirm with the ACTUAL location, not just the folks on the 800 line. I have dropped cars off in Canada several times after renting in the U.S. but always check with the receiving location per the guidance given to me by a manager several years ago. You don't want to get stuck!

[HollywoodNorth 22]

I don't expect you would have any problems either but do keep in mind NLR's question.

For the car rental, I would encourage you to call the location you plan to drop the car off to. Just because when you booked it they told you that it was OK does not mean the Enterprise location on the receiving end will actually accept it. I know that sounds silly but do make the call and confirm with the ACTUAL location, not just the folks on the 800 line. I have dropped cars off in Canada several times after renting in the U.S. but always check with the receiving location per the guidance given to me by a manager several years ago. You don't want to get stuck!

Heck they do that within the same state.

I had an enterprise drop car from one side of LA to another [Tustin, Ca to Fontana, Ca] and the receiving office was not too happy at all to receive the car. I told them to take it up with corporate, they went over the car with a fine comb so make sure you nit pick every scratch and ding on the car.

I had other one way rentals [near car dealerships and airports where it is more common] and never had an issue.

Edited April 19, 2016 by HollywoodNorth

[bec128 42]

We did something similar last summer before we were married, and actually before we had even filed for the K-1 visa. It was actually the most trouble we had at a border crossing, but I imagine it would be even easier in your case.

In our case my fiancee flew from Toronto to NYC, stayed a week here, then we drove out to see her family in the Maritimes for a week, then drove back to NYC, then she flew back to Toronto the day after. We also brought another friend (American) along for the Maritimes trip. Crossing from Maine into New Brunswick at Calais, the poor CBSA girl in the first booth couldn't seem to figure out how we were all related or what we were going to be up to in Nova Scotia for a week, so she gave us a yellow slip and sent us inside to talk to another agent. We told our story again, more clearly this time (I guess?) to an agent inside, and 5 minutes later, we were on our way

Coming back in to the States we had absolutely no hassle... the CBP officer just asked my fiancee when she was returning to Canada (tomorrow) and how she was getting there (flying), and off we went.

Of course this was all in my own vehicle which I was driving each time, though I don't recall ever being asked about the ownership of the vehicle, except once when re-entering the US at Queenston-Lewiston. Of course they scan your plates when you enter the booth, so I'm not sure if they have something on their screen that pulls the vehicle registration which they can then match with your passport. But a copy of the rental agreement authorizing you to drive the car to Montreal should be sufficient in that case.

[dkunkle 2]

It can take weeks to get the visa. Have you thought about what you'll do until you get the visa, passport,and package back?

Or are you both travelling back to Calgary to wait it out?

Well, they will take up Greg's passport, but he will just use his Nexus card to go back to Calgary from Montreal. I'm already a U.S. Citizen and my attorney says they aren't interviewing me, so I'll have my passport and be able to fly back to Texas the day after the interview.

[NikLR 13,220]

He just needs his driver's license to fly within Canada.

No they aren't interviewing you, just wasn't sure if you guys were driving down with a uhaul like many of us do etc? Curiosity more than anything.