Crossing border from Canada into the USA
 

Hello

I am planning a trip to both Toronto and New York this April. I will be flying into YYZ firstly and flying back to the UK via EWR/JFK. To get from city to city i will be traveling by train across the border. What kind of immigration paperwork will i need (ESTA etc..) for all legs of the journey, i am traveling on a full British passport. Also can i expect any aggravation when crossing the border from immigration officials.

Thanks
Matt

I can't help you with the US portion, but for entry to Canada your passport is all that's required.

The UK passport will require you to go for secondary for visa issuance upon entry to the US (I took someone with a UK passport across the border and we were all sent to secondary as he had to have a visa issued). Be prepared to wait (we waited for nearly an hour at the Buffalo office at the Peace Bridge). Going by train across the border is risky as they can remove you for the visa issuance and the train could leave without you (it stops at the border but there is no office at some train crossings)- check with Amtrak to be sure. I would take a bus into the US (megabus and NEON and cheaper and faster than the Amtrak BTW). Finally, when you leave the US you must have the exit visit stamped and submitted- failure to do so will have them hounding you.

I´m not an immigration expert, but I think if you read this, it might help.

http://www.britishairways.com/travel...r/public/en_gb

I don´t think for citizens of the U.K. it is really too difficult

P.S.
 

Welcome to FT

Why would a Brit on what I presume is a tourist trip for less than 90 days need a visa to enter the US, regardless of whether it is by plane, ship, train, bus or personal vehicle?

Aren't the green forms previously used for visa waiver countries a thing of the past now?

Can someone explain to me why passport + ESTA + printout of return itinerary wouldn't be enough, just as when arriving by plane?

Visa issuance as in having to go into the immigration office and be processed (pay fee, get fingerprinted, photographed, asked more questions, etc). A visa can also be defined as the passport stamp with whatever conditions and length of entry is granted by immigration officials, and not necessarily what gets put into your passport at the consulate.

For now, Canadian citizens (not to forget U.S. citizens) get to stay in the car to cross for the most part as they don't need stamps in their passport (or "visa issuance") as above.

For trains headed from Vancouver to Seattle, there is immigration pre-clearance in Vancouver but there is an additional check (not sure if it is just customs, or both customs and immigration) when the train physically rolls across the 49th parallel at Blaine. Haven't heard if anyone precleared at Vancouver has been ejected from the train and escorted back across at Blaine. Not sure what the Toronto-Buffalo train procedure is and if non-visa exempt (as definition above) pax have to detrain and get visas issued.

Thread belows which is 2 years old says those who are not visa-exempt have to disembark to get processed.

http://www.canuckabroad.com/forums/t...lo-vt5159.html

That should be sufficient, unless of course the immigration official thinks you may overstay. No 100% guarantee of admission.

Is there a train that goes from YYZ to EWR / somewhere in NY state?

A British passport coming in to Canada should be no big deal.

You can consider flying from YYZ to EWR. There are at least 2 airlines that fly this route - Air Canada & Porter. (I'm not sure if United / Continental fly this route or if they just codeshare with AC.) If you fly AC, you'll depart from the main airport (Pearson International) which means you actually go through US Customs here in Canada. When you arrive in the US, you land at a domestic terminal so you just walk off the airplane with no further fuss.

Called the Maple Leaf and it would appear the train is allowed nearly 2 hrs to clear southbound, and an hour north.

And you don't think the bus might also leave without you? Why do you think a bus would wait around for British passengers to process their paperwork but a train would not? Frankly I think the OP could use either bus or train though the train is bound to be about 100x more comfortable.

After looking at the difference between air and train fare, ive opted to fly YYZ-EWR via Air Canada. Seemed a lot less hassle for only £45 extra in fare. Thank you for all the replies.
Matt

FYI, the US immigration at land crossings don't use ESTA (or didn't when I crossed to the US late last year). They said that is only applicable to flying (and from what I have heard, possibly by boat). You still filled in the green visa waiver, and handed over your $6 in US cash only! They sometimes ask for proof that you are retunring (I am a Canadian resident, which seems good enough for them, my parents have always taken copies of their return flight to the UK with them tho).

They do use ESTA at the airport, even when flying YYZ - US so make sure that is done.

Buses and trains do leave people behind if it is taking too long! But normally they leave enough time for everyone to get processed and the immigration guys put bus passengers ahead of cars (which sucks if you get there just before a bus!)

My post was based on experience, not theory. The train stops at a special post that has minimal staff. The bus stops at the main Niagara border office at the Peace Bridge and they typically can expedite things there. As for the UK visitor, it is absolutely necessary for a visitor from the UK to have both the stamp and a card for exit. I saw it happen in person less than a year ago. My friend gave the US card in at a land border (to the Canada border agent) into Quebec upon return to Canada. As for the OP, flying makes a lot of sense. The train is very slow and not especially comfortable. The Amtrak line in NY is a money loser that makes a lot of stops. The OP has made the right decision to go by air but perhaps should have chosen Porter.

The bus has somewhat more flexibility in scheduling. One other factor to consider is that other for the NE corridor (i.e., Boston to Washington), Amtrak doesn't own any rail and has to travel on freight rail tracks (which is why the ride is slow and can be quite rough). Amtrak trains also have lower priority than freight trains and can be (and often are) shunted aside for freight trains which is one reason why long haul trains are often hours late. If the Maple Leaf/Empire Service train doesn't make its allocated slot at Buffalo, it may be hours before it can get going as there could be a whole line of freight trains scheduled to travel.

Interesting. Good to know, though I think I'd rather fly to EWR than sit on a train for 12h. Thanks for the info! ^

I can also gaurantee that a Brit flying into Canada and then crossing into the US at any of the bridges into Buffalo will need to stop and get a visa. It is US$6.

We have friends and family that occasionally fly into Toronto and then we pick them up and drive them across the border. If we aren't picking thenm up, I make sure know about the $6 US payment for the visa and even send them the cash to make sure they have it, and the $1 toll for the bridge across Grand Island since they were driving.

Yet you have not actually provided an example of a rail passenger being left at the border due to delays in processing paperwork. :confused:

Amtrak trains, by federal law, are given priority over freights. Does this always happen in practice? No. But you won't see a train leave for the reason of missing its "slot" (this isn't LGA or DCA we're talking about here). As you note, the train is given 2 hours to cross the border into the US.

I still contend that in the absence of any hard evidence, saying that the train is more likely to "leave without you" than another form of transportation is pure speculation. A two-hour window to clear the train should be sufficient.

The train waits for a long time and is frequently stopped at the border for 3hrs+ (from experience.) Non US/Canadian citizens have to get off. I am pretty sure they wait for everyone to get processed because of the excessive time spent at the border.

The bus (which I have also taken probably close to 100 times) stop is much quicker. Everyone has to get off and go through immigrations/customs both ways. I have seen people get left behind at the border (though I don't know the reason.) The longest delay I have had at the border (delay as in we were waiting for people to get back on the bus, not a delay due to traffic at the border) was about 30 minutes or so. However, buses are a lot more frequent. From Toronto there can be 4 or 5 buses leaving between 7 and 10pm. If you miss one, you can probably take the next.

One thing about fares: the bus (~10h) is CHEAP. If you book in advance, it can be as little as $40 one way. The train is generally around $90+ one way and takes 12-14h. The plane can be as little as $90 one way or as much as $200 depending on the season / day of week etc.

I generally find the bus to be worth the savings. However, the train takes the whole day (no overnight option) and it's not even that cheap. So I either do bus or plane now depending on time constraints.