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The US side is definitely more "hardcore" or just plain a-holes. I used to commute back and forth daily (for over 2 years) and would see the same border people on both sides. It got to the point where the Canadians would just wave me by or say something like "how ya doing" while but I would run into the most unbelievable difficult people on the US side. I used to try and drive real slow to see who was in the booths so I could pick who to go to. One time I was kept over 30 minutes without being pulled over and asked random questions like which country I thought was better, do I think Canadian or US men are better looking. which seem like just friendly questions now but not when its subzero temps and they're ripping your car apart in front of hundreds of cars. Unfortunately for him one of his coworkers reported the incident and the guy was fired. After that I noticed a significant change in the power trip behavior. No matter what border I cross the Canadians always seem either friendly or just calm professional.
The USA side isn't really tougher, they're just extremely rude almost every time I've been through. Compared to the Canadians, who ask questions and might even grill you a little harder, but they at least act like they're talking to a human being who is just going about their lawful business.
Even at all the airports, of the 20 times I've gone through customs at a dozen airports in Europe compared to anywhere in the USA - it's like night and day.
The Europeans ask more questions, but they're professional.
The American agents are a hybrid between:
1) Couldn't care less about what you're doing, and almost as if they're bothering them
2) Assuming that every person IS a criminal and a terrorist. Very condescending and almost act like they've failed if they can't find a reason to search you further or "catch you". They always seem to look at the passport, look at you, type stuff in, then throw your passport at you or slap it down on the counter without actually looking at you or saying anything. I had a guy one time actually say "welcome home" and I was almost in shock.
Hard for me to answer. I saw the Simpsons episode where Homer and Marge were floating in an inflatable fun house down the Niagara River toward the falls and both the American officials and the Canadian officials looked pretty tough while arguing who'd save them!
The USA side isn't really tougher, they're just extremely rude almost every time I've been through. Compared to the Canadians, who ask questions and might even grill you a little harder, but they at least act like they're talking to a human being who is just going about their lawful business.
Even at all the airports, of the 20 times I've gone through customs at a dozen airports in Europe compared to anywhere in the USA - it's like night and day.
The Europeans ask more questions, but they're professional.
The American agents are a hybrid between:
1) Couldn't care less about what you're doing, and almost as if they're bothering them
2) Assuming that every person IS a criminal and a terrorist. Very condescending and almost act like they've failed if they can't find a reason to search you further or "catch you". They always seem to look at the passport, look at you, type stuff in, then throw your passport at you or slap it down on the counter without actually looking at you or saying anything. I had a guy one time actually say "welcome home" and I was almost in shock.
This could be because of the caliber of person CBP is hiring. I made a statement before about me having more trouble with Canadian guards, but at least they were professional. I always have brief interactions with US guards but you are right, they are more rude.
I know that CBP scrapes the bottom of the barrel for employees in some instances. They have a mix of persons with college degrees working for them combined with some uneducated persons with more of a "rough" background. In recent years they have had mass hirings, and with mass hirings, you will get some undesirable people in the mix.
From my experience crossing into Quebec and back, it is the Canadians who have been tougher.
The stupid thing about it is that the border crossing at I-87 in New York is like 45 minutes from Montreal, we almost always are a van or car full of men, and Montreal has many strip joints. Yet these idiotic border agents grill us as to why we want to enter Canada.
This could be because of the caliber of person CBP is hiring. I made a statement before about me having more trouble with Canadian guards, but at least they were professional. I always have brief interactions with US guards but you are right, they are more rude.
I know that CBP scrapes the bottom of the barrel for employees in some instances. They have a mix of persons with college degrees working for them combined with some uneducated persons with more of a "rough" background. In recent years they have had mass hirings, and with mass hirings, you will get some undesirable people in the mix.
To the Americans, the border with Canada is our back door. To the Canadians, the border with America is their front door.
Now ask a dual citizen which country's passports are harder than they need be to GET.....!!
Canada's passport application looks like most job applications!! For the US one you only have to prove US citizenship. For the Canadian one, that's not the issue. You have to have like 5 references who can be reached, who knows you and how long they've known you is more relevant to getting a Canadian passport than whether or not one of your parents was BORN there which makes you automatically a Canadian citizen.
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Ther American border guards have actually been cooler as of late. I had this idiot guard on the Canadian side. I told him where I worked. Apparently, he got leery when I told him that it was my day off (on a Thursday). I could see if I worked at a bank, maybe or a school as a teacher, but come on.....(I have rotating days off).
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