A joke referring to the taser incident at YVR a while back I assume @:-)

Oh, I know exactly what incident he/she was referring to. I transit YVR plenty.

My feeling is that it's pretty ridiculous to say you're going to get tased over the issue he/she cited. Unless he/she decided to escalate it into a situation that warrants it.

On the whole the US CBP officers stationed at YVR are decent enough. I know another poster in another thread had some trouble there and I bet I know which officer it was as he is a bit of a stickler for the rules. But most of the time when pre-clearing you'd be lucky if you get asked a few questions at all. My experience for the CBP is limited to LAX, YVR, PDX and SEA and a few border crossings however I'd rarely have a complaint. On the other hand Canadian CBSA is a different kettle of fish. Maybe its just an outsiders perspective but my Canadian friends find CBP worse than the CBSA, whereas I would find the opposite.

Again, I'm fairly certain that was a joke :rolleyes:

I'm dancing on the edge of a TOS violation here, but I have seen that individual post some doozies in this forum, and given that history, it does NOT come over as a joke from that person.

THAT is why I have said what I have said.

Fair enough... don't go and get yourself suspended over it then ;):D (also a joke :p)

Back to the OP though, CBSA does have major problems with consistency I've found many, many times. One thing that really irks me though is when I drive through some of the quieter land crossings, the BSO will not only not ask to see any ID (which is not technically required 100% of the time anyway, but still)... but I have at at least three occasions in the past year when they haven't even asked me what my citizenship was -- I mean, come on, what's the point of even setting up those little booths anyway then? Other then to collect taxes I mean... ;)

As for CBP, I generally find them more pleasant than CBSA, but I've had my share of misinformation from them as well. For example, with the WHTI coming in to full force this year, Canadians now generally have to carry a passport with them when travelling to the US by car. As a NEXUS member, I thought I was safe because I'd been told that we could use our cards in place of a passport at land crossings even with no NEXUS lane. When I went in to get a replacement card, this came up during my chatting with the CBP officer who then told me that I still had to carry my passport in case they did a "documents check". This didn't seem right so I called two CBP land crossings, the NEXUS line and an airport, and all of them told me that he was wrong. :rolleyes:

Oh well, I guess the memos aren't circulated properly by any of these agencies... :rolleyes:

I have encountered more of the clueless CBSA types, which weren't that big of a deal. Yeah, a little hassle about three times, but nothing that wasn't cleared up in about less than five minutes.

The person who trained me on the NEXUS kiosk, a CBSA person at YYZ, was downright mean. I'll never forget her face or nor her badge number. She clearly did not like the program an was clear in her distrust and distaste for the NEXUS program. Something makes me think she was assigned there, at least for that day, as punishment by superiors.


Perhaps the individual was confused (and maybe I am too). But it's my understanding you're supposed to have the NEXUS card AND Passport at all times. Maybe that individual got it confused with what to present.

I have been through the Detroit/Windsor Tunnel several times using the NEXUS lane, and they ask for the Passport many times.

Speaking of YOW, there's one CBP agent there (PM me for her name) who LOVES to try and catch NEXUS members without their cards. In my three or four transits out of YOW, she has always been there, and has asked for my card, and others' cards (people in front of me) every time.


They probably interpret things differently.

If I knew I wasn't going to get tased, I'd be perfectly happy to remind a Canadian border official that I'll exercise my rights under PET's Charter if I want. Do you challenge Canadian border officials when they ask you stupid thinks? Good for you. But really I see what your issue is with my post:

Wow. Just Wow. "that individual". Feel free to PM me for instructions on how to block my posts. I hope you have a better day today.

Last time I went through, they wanted to know who my employer in the US was. Last I checked, green card holders did not have to have a job if they could support themselves without public funds.

But seriously what is the problem with asking such a question. You are on a green card, a glorified visa as such, you are a guest. As you said you must prove that you can support yourself without work, the easiet way for a CBP officer to ascertain this would be to ask if you work and where. Imagine trying to prove that you can support yourself without work:

You: Oh I don't have a job but have enough money to support myself?
CBP: Can you prove to me you have enough?
You: Ermmmm......

Its not like he couldn't find out where you work anyway, you'll willingly hand this information over to countless other government institutions anyway during your stay in the US.

That is false. A green card holder is a Permanent Resident and does not have to prove anything about his/her financial situation.

Fair enough, I was only re-iterating what mre5765 said. However that is beside the point, the CBP officers question is still a legitimate one.

The officers who interviewed me at YYZ this fall said exactly the same thing. Both the CBSA and CBP officers told me repeatedly that the NEXUS card was NOT a substitute for traveling with a valid passport at all times, even if you usually don't need to show the passport (or any documents at all) when using NEXUS.

It's a moot point for most of us, since the airlines usually require a swipe of the MRZ on the passport in order for the system to issue the international boarding passes to/from Canada (or any other destination outside the USA 50 + Puerto Rico)

Another important point is that you DO need to fill out a normal paper customs declaration when entering Canada by air or the US Preclearance locations at Canadian airports, even if using the NEXUS card.


(By contrast, when using GlobalEntry, you do not need to fill out a paper declaration because you answer an abbreviated set of customs questions on the kiosk screen. But, as some have reported, given that many CBP officers have not been trained on GlobalEntry and demand a paper declaration when a member presents the little printout, it's still a smart idea to have one filled out and ready to show. Sorry to go slightly OT.)

I wonder what I'll do when I'm too old to work. Be denied entry I guess.


When I got my green card shortly after college, my sponsor and I did have to provide an assertion that I would not seek social assistance from the government. I can't remember if my offer of employment had to be presented or not.

How's that again?

But once one has a green card one does not need to provide any such assurance.

Though such an assurance would be hard to provide if you have kids. Private school only.

I am not denying the fact that you do not have to continually provide proof of employment/funds while you are resident in the US. However when you leave the country for whatever reason and attempt to re-enter, your entry is still, even as a permanent resident, at the discretion of the CBP officer.

You are a visa holder like any other but with more protections. You may be asked questions about whether or not you may have abandoned your residency etc etc and in the course of questioning may be asked about your job, so whats the big beef?