Getting a TN visa and crossing the border
May 4, 2015 | 7:42 pm
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: May 2015
Posts: 1
Getting a TN visa and crossing the border
Hi, I almost have a offer from US ready and I just wanted to know what's the best sequence for me.
1) Can I go to POE, get my TN, take Uturn and return back to canada, then come back 3-weeks later with all my stuff in the trailer, and cross the border?? OR do i have to do all the moving and getting TN in the first shot?
2) Is there a list of documents I need to bring or fill up before I cross the border with the trailer? Is there any duties I will have to pay?
Thanks!
1) Can I go to POE, get my TN, take Uturn and return back to canada, then come back 3-weeks later with all my stuff in the trailer, and cross the border?? OR do i have to do all the moving and getting TN in the first shot?
2) Is there a list of documents I need to bring or fill up before I cross the border with the trailer? Is there any duties I will have to pay?
Thanks!
May 5, 2015 | 7:21 am
#2
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 13,595
I don't know the rules for this visa, but I can offer a snippet of information on the process in general - when I 'left' Canada to come back on a different visa, I had two choices - I could enter the US (and pay my $6 entry fee, get passport stamped etc.) or I could ask for a little slip of paper that showed I 'left' Canada (this is over the bridge at Niagara btw) and just U turn (well, I was on foot!) and come back. I highly recommend NOT doing the second. I entered the US (went for a walk around on that side of the Falls since I was there anyway). I friend did the 'slip and U turn' route, and it is classed as denial of entry to the US, and for a number of years when asked the 'have you been refused entry' this popped up. Always explainable, but another level of interrogation you could probably do without.
May 8, 2015 | 3:19 pm
#3
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: San Francisco, CA
Programs: UA Plat, Copa Pres. Plat, Hyatt Diamond, Hilton Diamond, SPG LT Gold, Marriott Gold
Posts: 769
[I'm no lawyer, and this is definitely not legal advice - but I am working on a TN, so do have some relevant personal experience]
TN allows for repeated entries, so I think your Option #1 with the U-turn should be a problem. The only thing that comes to mind is I've heard that your start date (as listed in your support letter from the employer) needs to be reasonably close to the date that you're applying at the POE. If your plan is to go, u-turn, come back 3 weeks later with your stuff - does that mean you're not actually starting the job for potentially almost a month after your application date? If so, that intuitively feels a bit long to me - but I have no experience or information to suggest whether it passes any sort of official threshold.
Probably worth posing this question on an immigration / visa forum and/or talking to the HR people at your employer.
TN allows for repeated entries, so I think your Option #1 with the U-turn should be a problem. The only thing that comes to mind is I've heard that your start date (as listed in your support letter from the employer) needs to be reasonably close to the date that you're applying at the POE. If your plan is to go, u-turn, come back 3 weeks later with your stuff - does that mean you're not actually starting the job for potentially almost a month after your application date? If so, that intuitively feels a bit long to me - but I have no experience or information to suggest whether it passes any sort of official threshold.
Probably worth posing this question on an immigration / visa forum and/or talking to the HR people at your employer.
May 8, 2015 | 6:44 pm
#4
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Montebello, CA, USA
Posts: 2,556
My boyfriend is Canadian. When he got a TN for his most recent job, he applied for the TN on the trip that he was apartment hunting, so that was done at the airport. He then entered with all his stuff, I think about a month later, by car.
And then when he was going from TN to Green Card, we specifically drove across the Peace Bridge and back, just so he could reenter and get a new TN (making sure his TN wouldn't expire during the green card application process). That's always fun, because even though we both have NEXUS, they always look at us funny since I'm USA and he is Canadian.
Remember too, you will enter the USA and apply for the TN, but when you return to Canada, they don't care if you have a TN or not, as now you are entering as a Canadian citizen. If they ask the purpose of your short trip to the USA, you can just say you were getting your visa taken care of.
As for duties, I don't know. My by didn't move that much stuff, but he did have to import the car. Importing a car into the USA didn't seem to be a big deal.
And, of course, I am not a lawyer.
And then when he was going from TN to Green Card, we specifically drove across the Peace Bridge and back, just so he could reenter and get a new TN (making sure his TN wouldn't expire during the green card application process). That's always fun, because even though we both have NEXUS, they always look at us funny since I'm USA and he is Canadian.
Remember too, you will enter the USA and apply for the TN, but when you return to Canada, they don't care if you have a TN or not, as now you are entering as a Canadian citizen. If they ask the purpose of your short trip to the USA, you can just say you were getting your visa taken care of.
As for duties, I don't know. My by didn't move that much stuff, but he did have to import the car. Importing a car into the USA didn't seem to be a big deal.
And, of course, I am not a lawyer.