How to prove Canadian residency at the border

[rvingprincess]

We will be full-timers next year, we are selling the house and will have no domicile. We can use our Daughter's place for stuff like license, income tax etc. but it is only a 1 bedroom apt., but what we are worried about is when we cross the border do they actually check when you give the address (if asked), we don't want to be turned away. Any help would be much appreciated.

[bjbear]

I can talk from personal experience as I was stopped at the Coutts/Sweetgrass border a couple of years ago. They asked me to prove I had a permanent fixed address in Canada. I had my passport, drivers license and my Alberta healthcare card. They said that was not good enough as "they were too easy to get without proving where you actually live". They wanted something like a utility bill or property tax bill with my name and address which I did not have.

It looked like I was struck and would have to head back into Canada and get them. By chance, They saw that I had a paystub in among my papers. They took that and allowed me in to the US. Funny thing, was that it was from a US company for some consulting work I did!! However, it clearly showed my Canadian address. Go figure.

Now I always carry some recent utility bills and my current property tax receipt. Have not been stopped since then though.

I am also carefull about filing my 8840 form. And yes, I had reported the consulting fees previously and paid the appropriate tax...to both the IRS and my friends at Revenue Canada.

[Gadget_Guy1]

moisheh wrote:
There are RV'rs on Escapees that have been turned away. Neither had any real proof of residency. Remember it is up to the US Immigration agent to allow or deny entry and you have ZERO recourse. DL and registration are not sufficient proof. If asked you will need a property tax statement or another similar document.

Moisheh

X2; To many people sell everything to become full-timers with out really thinking about all the consequences. The time a few years back that we were asked and given the third degree by the US customs agents, we were lucky and convinced them that we had a house in Calgary and could have proved it. Since then we always carry documentation with us. You just never know when you will be asked to prove a closer connection to Canada.

[Community Alumni]

obgraham wrote:
Our guys haven't time to call Canistan. Too busy checking on Twitter and evaluating all those videos I download.

What is Canistan. :h

[moisheh]

There are RV'rs on Escapees that have been turned away. Neither had any real proof of residency. Remember it is up to the US Immigration agent to allow or deny entry and you have ZERO recourse. DL and registration are not sufficient proof. If asked you will need a property tax statement or another similar document.

Moisheh

[joebedford]

obgraham wrote:
Our guys haven't time to call Canistan. Too busy checking on Twitter and evaluating all those videos I download.

Nah. There's a big machine called Prism that does all that. There's a documentary about it on TV called "Person of Interest". 🙂

[obgraham]

Our guys haven't time to call Canistan. Too busy checking on Twitter and evaluating all those videos I download.

[CardinalRule]

Almot wrote:

PackerBacker wrote:
Both sides {US and Canada} move data back me forth but on request. Neither side has direct access to the other side without specific permission.

This has been my impression as well, only that "permission" is being granted automatically or for certain periods of time. US enter you in computer when you cross into the US, Canadians enter you when you cross back into Canada, and either side can pull your record on the screen with touch of a button. I had 2 occasions to witness this, both times it was not a pleasant feeling as they suddenly began asking a whole bunch of questions, and questions were right to the point. One should always assume that US/Canada border is an integrated system with access to records from either side.

For the past 3 years we have not "checked in" when returning to Canada. We were aked for no id at all. The plate on the vehicle will tell them the registered owner but they had no idea who was in the vehicle. It could have been one of our kids and spouse returning our vehicle to Canada.

[Almot]

PackerBacker wrote:
Both sides {US and Canada} move data back me forth but on request. Neither side has direct access to the other side without specific permission.

This has been my impression as well, only that "permission" is being granted automatically or for certain periods of time. US enter you in computer when you cross into the US, Canadians enter you when you cross back into Canada, and either side can pull your record on the screen with touch of a button. I had 2 occasions to witness this, both times it was not a pleasant feeling as they suddenly began asking a whole bunch of questions, and questions were right to the point. One should always assume that US/Canada border is an integrated system with access to records from either side.

[Community Alumni]

joebedford wrote:

obgraham wrote:

and desire to ask again "are you going to stay 6 months like before".

I don't know how US border folks would have in front of them how long you stayed before. You don't check out with them when you leave.

Ah but we check in with the Canuckians. I'm sure our government passes that data south.

Both sides move data back me forth but on request. Neither side has direct access to the other side without specific permission. This is what I was told during our Nexus card interviews 3 years back. No idea if it has changed since then.

[joebedford]

obgraham wrote:

and desire to ask again "are you going to stay 6 months like before".

I don't know how US border folks would have in front of them how long you stayed before. You don't check out with them when you leave.

Ah but we check in with the Canuckians. I'm sure our government passes that data south.

[obgraham]

and desire to ask again "are you going to stay 6 months like before".

I don't know how US border folks would have in front of them how long you stayed before. You don't check out with them when you leave.

I agree with the plan to "not tell any lies, but offer up no more information than necessary". To the officials at entry, my plans would always be "not sure yet, maybe a month or so".

[Almot]

Telling border agents "we intend to tour throughout the U.S." followed with an answer of how long do you intend to stay with "oh probably four or more months" would be a very, very wrong answer. People might not have any definite plans, but everybody has some camp in mind for the first night at least. Telling that you are going to this - or any other camp that you might stop at later - would not be a lie, and would less likely cause the question "for how long". They would of course have a record that you've spent last few winters in the US, but it doesn't mean they will check this record or have a time and desire to ask again "are you going to stay 6 months like before".

Provide as little info as possible, but be prepared to show that you do reside in Canada.

[bstark]

My opinion would be this:

Your priority must be to avoid the "possibility" of being rejected.

Should that happen, you are then faced with a whole new set of stressors to face when arriving at that U.S. kiosk the next time you attempt to cross as your prior refusal will factor greatly.

RV'ers, especially fulltimers, are of special consideration for border agents. You are demonstrating that you have no ties by merely being fulltimers and your ability to fudge the system is less problematic for you.

When arriving at the border the likely questions will begin with your destination and should you offer up the "we intend to tour throughout the U.S." followed with an answer of how long do you intend to stay with "oh probably four or more months". GUESS WHATS COMING NEXT?

Maintaining records to establish the "closer connection" is your goal and this should include everything from current income tax forms/receipts, IRS form 8840 (important), to ANY type of utility or maintenance receipts be they license or tag renewals, prescriptions for medications, on going payments for purely Canadian services, to your optional 'out of country' health insurance forms.

The desire to mainatain confidentiality in all things must be weighed very carefully against your desire to enter a foreign country while carrying the suspicion with you that you could be intending never to exit.

How important to your life style choice is the ability to tour the U.S.? Weigh this against the baring your soul and sharing all of your financial dealings with some faceless entity in a kiosk.

[joebedford]

Sounds like you need to carry credit card statements with purchases in Canada over your periods in Canada highlighted. You probably don't have anything else to prove residency.

I thought this was an RV myth until some close friends of ours got a really hard time at the border last winter. We're going to carry our municipal tax bills and other Canadian bills from now on. We'll add them to the envelope with cats' vaccination certificates and RV weigh slips.