so, now Canadians need a visa to travel to VT for the day

[mominatrix]

to go to a freaking day spa.

but, this would have nothing at all to do with the fact that this woman is brown and has a 'foreign sounding' name. Nope. Nothing to see here at all.


www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canadian-denied-entry-us-immigrant-visa-1.4011202

[kimibrighteyes]

Mar 6, 2017 23:40:01 GMT -5 mominatrix said:

to go to a freaking day spa.

but, this would have nothing at all to do with the fact that this woman is brown and has a 'foreign sounding' name. Nope. Nothing to see here at all.


www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/canadian-denied-entry-us-immigrant-visa-1.4011202

I'm a Canadian citizen and brown skinned. I have a conference in New York later this year and am contemplating not going partly because I don't want to deal with any hassle like this and partly because I don't want to support tourism in the US under the current administration

[sonrisa]

Her situation sounds problematic and frustrating. However, it isn't anything new - and not in a "things like this have always happened" kind of way (although that is true). It isn't new to her. She was also denied entry in December and her mother was denied entry last summer.

There is probably something pinging with their last name that is failing the background check. I'd guess someone out there with a similar last name is on some watch list so her family is getting caught in the cross fire. CBP isn't going to tell her that, of course.

[spunbutterfly]

PDQ

[GilliC]

Do white Canadians ever need to show proof of their Canadian ties to prove they're not trying to illegally immigrate?

[sonrisa]

Mar 7, 2017 1:22:00 GMT -5 spunbutterfly said:

PDQ

Were you engaged at the time?

[sonrisa]

Mar 7, 2017 2:08:16 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Do white Canadians ever need to show proof of their Canadian ties to prove they're not trying to illegally immigrate?

If  they are visiting their American fiance in the US, they would.  You can't use the visa waiver program to enter intending to marry a USC. You'd need a K1 visa.

[spunbutterfly]

.

[GilliC]

Mar 7, 2017 2:12:57 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 7, 2017 2:08:16 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Do white Canadians ever need to show proof of their Canadian ties to prove they're not trying to illegally immigrate?

If  they are visiting their American fiance in the US, they would.  You can't use the visa waiver program to enter intending to marry a USC. You'd need a K1 visa.

So pre-wedding festivities like spa days and family visits require a K1 even if you're intending to marry a Canadian (in Kapoor's case) and get married in Canada? Good to know.

These are not the only two cases of "intent to immigrate" I've heard of at the Canadian border, and the third had no connections to a wedding. It did involve a PoC. Until I see a case with a white person, I'm going to draw some conclusions.

[GilliC]

Mar 7, 2017 2:21:17 GMT -5 GilliC said:

So pre-wedding festivities like spa days and family visits require a K1 even if you're intending to marry a Canadian (in Kapoor's case) and get married in Canada? Good to know.

These are not the only two cases of "intent to immigrate" I've heard of at the Canadian border, and the third had no connections to a wedding. It did involve a PoC. Until I see a case with a white person, I'm going to draw some conclusions.

Apparently having a US bank account as a Canadian citizen is also a red flag as intent to immigrate, and not a sign that you want to take advantage of the (at the time) fantastic exchange rate to do some shopping.

Well, to be fair, the US government thinks that any American who has a bank account outside the US is shady enough to require knowing all of the account details. Because only someone involved in criminal activities or tax evasion would have a foreign account, right? It couldn't possibly be to collect a paycheck, buy groceries, and pay rent. I guess that's because everyone wants to live in the US and choosing not to is a sign of low moral character.

(Sorry... tax season brings on my FBAR rage.)

[sonrisa]

Mar 7, 2017 2:21:17 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Mar 7, 2017 2:12:57 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

If  they are visiting their American fiance in the US, they would.  You can't use the visa waiver program to enter intending to marry a USC. You'd need a K1 visa.

So pre-wedding festivities like spa days and family visits require a K1 even if you're intending to marry a Canadian (in Kapoor's case) and get married in Canada? Good to know.

These are not the only two cases of "intent to immigrate" I've heard of at the Canadian border, and the third had no connections to a wedding. It did involve a PoC. Until I see a case with a white person, I'm going to draw some conclusions.

?  

I never said Kapoor needed a K1. To me, that looks like a background check issue since it hit two members of the same family. And background check issues are much like the no fly list. There are definitely problematic racial and cultural components to who gets targeted and who doesn't. You also aren't going to get transparency from the CBP agent about the cause for denial of entry. 

I asked if being engaged might have been the poster above's issue. Unlike you, I've known people to be denied entry for that issue - and yes, even white people. I was wrong in her case. She clarified they weren't engaged. It was his bank account that pinged.

This isn't a Trump thing. This is a "we really need reform and transparency in immigration" thing. 

[GilliC]

Mar 7, 2017 2:39:43 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 7, 2017 2:21:17 GMT -5 GilliC said:

So pre-wedding festivities like spa days and family visits require a K1 even if you're intending to marry a Canadian (in Kapoor's case) and get married in Canada? Good to know.

These are not the only two cases of "intent to immigrate" I've heard of at the Canadian border, and the third had no connections to a wedding. It did involve a PoC. Until I see a case with a white person, I'm going to draw some conclusions.

?  

I never said Kapoor needed a K1. To me, that looks like a background check issue since it hit two members of the same family. And background check issues are much like the no fly list. There are definitely problematic racial and cultural components to who gets targeted and who doesn't. You also aren't going to get transparency from the CBP agent about the cause for denial of entry. 

I asked if being engaged might have been the poster above's issue. Unlike you, I've known people to be denied entry for that issue - and yes, even white people. I was wrong in her case. She clarified they weren't engaged. It was his bank account that pinged.

This isn't a Trump thing. This is a "we really need reform and transparency in immigration" thing. 

I completely agree. But I also think that there are biases in the way border agents carry out their jobs. Possibly subconscious, but I firmly believe they're there.

Sorry for the confusion. Since you quoted my comment about the "intent to immigrate as a PoC" I thought you were addressing te K1 comment to both the scenarios discussed.

I do know of white people who've been turned away on the fiancé grounds, but only because they actually were trying to immigrate and were completely clueless about visa laws.

What documentation should people bring to show evidence that they're not going to get married when traveling with a fiancé? (Right now my SO and I are not engaged, so it hasn't been a concern when we travel to the US together. If that changes, what documentation can we take with us? Should we continue to clear immigration separately instead of as a family group?)

[DesertMoon]

Hmm interesting. Dh was born in Kuwait (although he isn't Kuwaiti) he's the most unbrown brown person, bust his passport birth origin clearly says Kuwait city, Kuwait. I wonder how this would work if he tries to visit my family in Detroit. Everyone says oh he'll be fine he's a Canadian citizen blah blah but I'm too scared to let him even try. He isn't concerned but momma knows better.

[spunbutterfly]

Mar 7, 2017 2:39:43 GMT -5 sonrisa said:

Mar 7, 2017 2:21:17 GMT -5 GilliC said:

So pre-wedding festivities like spa days and family visits require a K1 even if you're intending to marry a Canadian (in Kapoor's case) and get married in Canada? Good to know.

These are not the only two cases of "intent to immigrate" I've heard of at the Canadian border, and the third had no connections to a wedding. It did involve a PoC. Until I see a case with a white person, I'm going to draw some conclusions.

?  

I never said Kapoor needed a K1. To me, that looks like a background check issue since it hit two members of the same family. And background check issues are much like the no fly list. There are definitely problematic racial and cultural components to who gets targeted and who doesn't. You also aren't going to get transparency from the CBP agent about the cause for denial of entry. 

I asked if being engaged might have been the poster above's issue. Unlike you, I've known people to be denied entry for that issue - and yes, even white people. I was wrong in her case. She clarified they weren't engaged. It was his bank account that pinged.

This isn't a Trump thing. This is a "we really need reform and transparency in immigration" thing. 

No it wasn't his bank account.

He was denied for no real reason other than an inability to prove he lived in Canada. Literally, owning a home, paying bills such as utilities and internet and tv and cellphone and car insurance and schooling did not count as significant enough ties because he could be doing all of that and not live in Canada.

The bank account was a Chinese girl who was pulled off a Greyhound bus because she was going to the us that weekend to shop

[loira]

Mar 7, 2017 2:08:16 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Do white Canadians ever need to show proof of their Canadian ties to prove they're not trying to illegally immigrate?

Yes, I've had to show letters from employers or other ties to Canada, and have white friends who have had to show similar. BUT I absolutely believe that there are far more POC who have to do this.

This whole story is just bizarre (on their part, not hers). The point of an immigrant visa is to immigrate, which she clearly doesn't want to do.  Why do they insist on thinking Canadians want to live illegally in the US?

[spunbutterfly]

Mar 7, 2017 10:31:43 GMT -5 loira said:

Mar 7, 2017 2:08:16 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Do white Canadians ever need to show proof of their Canadian ties to prove they're not trying to illegally immigrate?

Yes, I've had to show letters from employers or other ties to Canada, and have white friends who have had to show similar. BUT I absolutely believe that there are far more POC who have to do this.

This whole story is just bizarre (on their part, not hers). The point of an immigrant visa is to immigrate, which she clearly doesn't want to do.  Why do they insist on thinking Canadians want to live illegally in the US?

Because agents are trained to view all crossings as intent to immigrate unless proven otherwise.

[mich1]

My MIL (who is Canadian) recently told me that a group of her friends tried to come to the US for an event through the BC/WA crossing (not sure which one they hit). One was denied. She was not a person of color, but even though she was a Canadian citizen and traveling on a Canadian passport, her birthplace was someplace other than Canada.

This happened just prior to the inauguration.