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i just came home to vancouver canada,guard asked some questions,entered my us license info in asked when i was leaving,entered that into the computer--i'm not planning on returning anytime soon to the usa....so they can flag my name and usa license all they want
It should be pointed out to Canadians that obtaining a pardon is relatively easy here. There is a court fee to pay and some paper to fill out and then you stand before a judge and explain how many years it has been since your conviction and that you have had no trouble with the law since that time and you should be able to get a pardon (at least for the young & dumb stuff). I know that certain companies advertise on TV but I have heard that paying extra money to someone to do the minimal paperwork for you is not worth it (but that is all hear-say so feel free to ignore it as I haven't gone through the process myself).
I don't understand why people are upset that there are repercussions from having a criminal record. It seems logical to me that a country would want to keep law breakers out of the country. Especially serious convictions like DUI since that activity places other people's lives at risk.
Last edited by Fred Derf; 05-20-2009 at 06:58 AM..
It should be pointed out to Canadians that obtaining a pardon is relatively easy here. There is a court fee to pay and some paper to fill out and then you stand before a judge and explain how many years it has been since your conviction and that you have had no trouble with the law since that time and you should be able to get a pardon
Unfortunately, though, the pardon doesn't cross borders. It is possible, however, to get a waiver from US Homeland Security, at the bargain price of $500 for 5 years. It requires getting your entire criminal history from the government, as well a fingerprints from the police department (and several months of waiting). After that, you still need to get the I-94 every six months, where they will check-up on you to make sure that you haven't been in any more trouble.
I have heard that, at many places in the middle of nowhere, they only have an agent on duty in the day. At night and on weekends you simply stop, fill out a short form and drop it into a box at the post and drive over the border! I really would rather we not even have a border with Canada but I would really like to see a program where we could simply swipe our passports and drive on through
Its called the Nexus, trusted traveller programme. You apply for the card, pay 50 bucks for 5 years.. and voila, it is easier to cross back/forth. At Toronto airport I scan my iris and they know who I am. Crossing from Niagara Falls NY to ON I can use the Whirlpool Bridge which is reserved just for Nexus card holders -- makes crossing so much easier, I just scan my card and both sides know all about me.
Wow, I'm sure glad I stumbled onto this thread. I've always wanted to visit Canada and was planning to do so this summer, driving up from Virginia. I just obtained a US passport and assumed that crossing the border would be a snap.
Now, I find out that I'm "inadmissable" due to a DUI conviction in 1982!
How long does the "rehabilitation" process take? Probably too long for this year, eh? I would have thought that a squeaky clean driving record for the ensuing 27 years would indicate that I've learned my lesson....
Oh well, I'm glad I didn't make reservations or pay any deposits only to be turned back at the border.
In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined this....thanks City-Data!
To punish someone for what he did 27 years ago is stupid. Maybe the record should be erased every 7 years, like what they do to our credit score. I mean it is not raping or murder. Young people make stupid mistakes and they shouldn't be forced to hold back their life even 20 years later.
Quote:
Originally Posted by car54
Wow, I'm sure glad I stumbled onto this thread. I've always wanted to visit Canada and was planning to do so this summer, driving up from Virginia. I just obtained a US passport and assumed that crossing the border would be a snap.
Now, I find out that I'm "inadmissable" due to a DUI conviction in 1982!
How long does the "rehabilitation" process take? Probably too long for this year, eh? I would have thought that a squeaky clean driving record for the ensuing 27 years would indicate that I've learned my lesson....
Oh well, I'm glad I didn't make reservations or pay any deposits only to be turned back at the border.
In my wildest dreams, I never would have imagined this....thanks City-Data!
We just returned from Canada yesterday after a 4-day vacation and crossing the border was so easy, posts here had really scared me.
Crossing into Canada (Peace bridge), we were asked only 3 questions:
1. Are you US or Canadian citizens?
2. Whats the purpose of your trip
3. How many days will you stay and where?
The guard didn't even ask for our IDs/Passports (he did see that we had them ready in hand) and waved us through. No data checking, nothing .... I was amazed.
On the way back into USA (Rainbow bridge), asked for our IDs. Compared our faces with the pictures, entered some data into the computer (maybe retrieved our info) and asked the following questions
1. US or Canadian citizens.
2. How many people ae in the car, roll down your windows please.
3. How long were you in Canada
4. What was the purpose of the visit.
5. Did you visit any other country from Canada.
6. Is there any thing you'd like to declare for customs.
That was it, he told us to go ahead and have a good day. He even smiled and said bye when my 3 year old started yelling bye bye at him A pleasant experience
[quote=Samara11;8988667]We just returned from Canada yesterday after a 4-day vacation and crossing the border was so easy, posts here had really scared me.
Crossing into Canada (Peace bridge), we were asked only 3 questions:
1. Are you US or Canadian citizens?
2. Whats the purpose of your trip
3. How many days will you stay and where?
The guard didn't even ask for our IDs/Passports (he did see that we had them ready in hand) and waved us through. No data checking, nothing .... I was amazed.
Well, then maybe it's worth a try? The border is only about 400 miles from here....and if they say no, Maine is nice in July.
I'm still amazed at this "banned for life" policy over long ago traffic offenses. Is it retaliation for asinine American policies....lumber disputes and the like? If so, I can somewhat understand it. If not, it's just plain draconian....and maybe my admiration for Canadians has been misplaced...
Is it reciprocal? Is a Canadian with a DUI banned for life from entering the US?
I was watching COPS the other night and this young Canadian guy got arrested for being drunk and silly at Mardi Gras. Is he forever banned from visiting the US again? I hope not!
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A pleasant experience
