bocastephen

I am flying the inlaws from Tokyo back to Vancouver, and then on to LAX - they are US permanent residents, but have not received green cards yet, however their US perm resident visa is in their Taiwanese passports. I want to be sure there won't be an issue with check-in at NRT or YVR with AC agents being confused about a permanent resident not needing a green card, however, from what I can tell online:

1. they NEED a Canadian ETA because of the Taiwan passport regardless of their US residency
2. they do NOT need a US ETA because they are USA residents - however, will the AC agents who staff the United desks at YVR understand this based on the visa page in their passports even without a physical green card?

NRT-YVR is on a different ticket from YVR-LAX, so we need to enter Canada from YVR, go upstairs to check in again with UA, then enter the USA through the regular (non-transit) entrance.

songsc

I can't answer on the visa part, but since AC and UA have interline agreement, there should be no issue checking all the way to LAX, even on separate tickets. Just present both the AC and UA ticket at check in and say you are going to LAX via YVR.

jjclancy

I'm confused by this. If you haven't gotten a green card yet, you're not a permanent resident.

jc94

joejones

If you look at their immigrant visas, the visas should say that they are effective as a green card ("I-551") once endorsed at the US port of entry, so I don't think you would have a problem unless you run into a very boneheaded agent.

maradori

I can't answer whether they will be fine or not (depends on, as joejones said, if you run into a very boneheaded agent) but I remember 15 years ago when I became a US LPR

When I first entered the US, they stamped my Taiwan passport and wrote my A# in it -- basically the stamp says it's my temporary green card (until I receive my actual card). Basically as jc94 says - that stamp is to account for the lag between being a permanent resident (i.e. when I got the stamp) and actually receiving the card. I successfully used the stamp to get my social security number as well as enter the US thru YYZ preclearance

yyznomad

Given this is regarding NRT, the likelihood of getting a lazy and/or a boneheaded AC agent will be next to nil.

Yes, because Japan.

jc94

I've had an airline try and deny my boarding (to US) because I had no proof I had an ESTA before despite it saying "you don't need to print this" and other similar stories here about countries demanding the green card I think it's hard to say definitely you won't run into an issue.

It sounds like the US has a system to identify PRs before green card delivery (shame Canada hasn't copied this yet) which is helpful, but as to whether or not AC will accept that... My best advice is try and get that confirmed on a US govt website, and print it out and keep a tab open on your cell phone showing that in case AC object... But you should be fine getting them TO Canada at least. It's that separate ticket that concerns me slightly.

bocastephen

This is not correct - one becomes a permanent resident upon receipt of an immigrant visa stamp in their passport - the green card can take weeks or months to arrive in the mail after the immigrant's first entry.

It seems a Canadian ESTA is needed because Canada does not recognize residence as an exemption for the requirement - so a US resident is not exempt, the requirement seems to be strictly based on the passport. I guess we will take care of that ahead of time, I assume it doesn't take too long to get these issued.

I am more concerned about the US ESTA and the agents in YVR - I am pretty sure the NRT agents who are ANA staff will not check the bags all the way through with a separate ticket and reservation even with a partner airline as they tend to avoid doing anything which is not part of their flow-chart based system and any request that is outside a strict procedure seems to always get declined, so we are preparing for a very long wait to get through Canadian immigration then get the bags and re-check with UA, although we will certainly ask at NRT if checking through is possible as it would save a lot of time at YVR for sure. If the stars line up correctly, the AC flight will have an issue and we can request a rebook on ANA or UA to LAX then YVR, and can just deplane at LAX and leave - slim chance, but always worth a wish

jjclancy

Interesting & thank you for correcting my incomplete view of this -- I was thinking that the only green card acquisition path was the onshore one (adjusting status) in which case your receipt of the card is the first thing that happens.

jc94

Yes, as mentioned upthread by the esteemed Nomad you are unlikely to get a bad agent in NRT. However, separate ticket/res I'm not at all sure they'll check the bag through. Either it's a short connection and they'll be worried about it being missed or it's a long connection and they won't want to do it for that reason too!

Which means ... Your issues will begin in YVR where the likelihood of a poor agent increases somewhat. Though not as much as in YYZ.

bocastephen

Not to veer off topic, but adjustment of status is very rare and only for those who are already in the US on another long term work or student related visa status where an employer or family member sponsors residency, as adjusting status from a visitor visa technically violates the terms and conditions of the visitor visa (ie, will not seek permanent residency). Different visas have either single intent (no residency intent) or dual intent (temporary resident or ability to adjust status). Most immigrant visas are handled abroad through consular processing after sponsorship by a fiance, spouse, child, parent, etc.

When you first arrive in the USA, you will present the foreign passport with an immigrant visa data page, plus your unopened brown envelope that contains all of the documents provided by the consulate or embassy who processed and approved the visa application and issued the visa. The immigration inspector at the first port of entry will take the envelope and send it to the correct department and log your entry, after which the process will start to issue an actual green card. Meanwhile you can depart and re-enter the US using the immigrant visa page in the foreign passport until the green card shows up.

pentiumvi

I was always under the impression that since YVR is a pre-clearance airport, the airline agents don't really check your visas/passports.

In fact, if you have no checked bags, you proceed directly to the gate without seeing an airline agent. The gate agents seem to only do a photo ID verification at boarding.

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Since you have two separate tickets, as long as you are eligible for entry to Canada, there should be no issues with the NRT-YVR segment.

And because of the pre-clearance, I would say the likelihood of a YVR agent being difficult would be slim.

Side note, the UA desks at YVR aren't staffed by AC agents I do not think. I believe they are contractors (forget the name of the company).

B407

UA generally forces you to use a kiosk. If the country you're visiting and the passport you're using requires additional documentation the kiosk will stop the check in process until you flag an agent over, who then verifies your documents are adequate. The UA agent then has to enter their username and password into the kiosk before you can complete check-in.

canadiancow

As a silicon valley software engineer, everyone I know did the adjustment of status. None of us had a passport stamp. We could not enter as a PR until we received the card. However, I am aware of the other path.

Needless to say, don't take immigration advice from the internet, because no one can really give you a full picture for your situation. Talk to an immigration lawyer.

In this case, all I can say is that I've been asked for a green card when I was TRANSITING the US (NRT-LAX-YVR or something like that), as well as flying there once from FRA on a one-way. I'm a Canadian citizen.

It's always easier for me to just hand over the card, but the lack of knowledge of premium agents (NH J check-in or LH FCT), even with a computer in front of them, is quite staggering. I'd arrive a bit early to ensure you have enough time to convince them you're eligible for entry.

However, since they're separate tickets, you only need to prove to the NRT agents that you're eligible for Canada, and the YVR agents are much more well-versed in USA entry requirements.