Work travel to Canada
 

I have only recently begun to go to Canada, from the US, for work. My job is to travel to client locations and teach Cybersecurity techniques to their engineers.

The only time I have done this I was able to drive. My boss suggested I tell the border guards that I am visiting a friend. Unfortunately I am not a good liar so I opted to tell them the truth. This lead to being pulled over, a 30+ minute discussion etc.

I am flying later to day from Seattle to Calgary and driving next week from Seattle to Vancouver.

Has anyone else run into this issues and/or lied about their visit to avoid it?

Is this a normal issue crossing the border?

Thanks,
Bob

Work travel to Canada
 

It's a good policy always to be truthful to border guards. However, maybe you could soft soap it a little bit.

In any event, don't lie, especially if you're not a good liar!

Work travel to Canada
 

My limited experience has been that such work is understood to be necessary and accepted by passport control in Canada. Assuming you're a US citizen here using a US passport. You're helping train Canadian citizens to remain competitive in their fields, so it shouldn't be seen as unauthorized work or necessarily taking a job opportunity away from a Canadian.

With that said, your boss is setting you up to be caught and banned from entering the country. Always tell the truth, and have a valid explanation why someone in-country cannot do it for you.

I have been to Canada several times for conferences, meetings with clients, that sort of thing. Describe it in your first few words as something that is inherently of limited duration.

Uhhhh, for one I wouldn't lie to an agent that holds such authorities.

And two, never lie on behalf of your employer. It's your ... on the line.

This situation wouldn't warrant even a second guess from me.

I went through this month to conduct a training and said as much. They asked if I had an invitation letter or something. Fortunately I work for the parent company of the Canadian company I was training and between my business card and looking at websites to verify they let me go through but suggested in the future I have a letter from the host company. I would not lie and your boss suggesting you do that is unethical at best.

What a weird post. Just say you're there for business. Ten of thousands of people do so every day. It's not a crime!

Never lie to a border agent.

Work travel to Canada
 

You should watch the show Border Security. Lol

I agree a strange post. I never figured getting into Canada was that big of a deal. They asked me for serial number, letter of proof, etc. none of which I had as I am not a sales person and/or deal in hardware. He said he should not let me in but would this one time.

It was weird....
Bob

I agree with all the above posters. Doing training is a completely legitimate reason to enter Canada as a temporary business visitor. Such travellers do not require a visa or any prior authorization if they are travelling on a US passport. Be honest and clear and carry documentation to support your purpose of travel.

Never lie to border officials - if you are caught, you could be banned from Canada. Here's the official Canadian government page covering your situation:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/business-who.asp

Agree. I've done this many times and just say I'm there for business, which is absolutely true. If they ask for further info, keep it generic. Say you're attending an IT security workshop or something for a couple of days. Don't provide them more than they're asking for.

Work travel to Canada
 

Don't lie. If caught you are going to be inadmissible not just this time but more likely for years to come and face additional scrutiny on future visits.

Your employer should be providing legal assistance as to whether you work is covered by NAFTA (visa free) or whether you need to apply for a visa. Bring a copy of the sales agreement and Canadian client contact if work is covered under NAFTA.

If this will be recurring travel, you may want to enroll in NEXUS.

Don't lie but the truth doesn't have to be specific. "I work for XYZ company and we have locations in Canada. I'm going to attend an internal training session with our engineers."

You need to understand the flowchart they're going through mentally and make sure you end up in the right end point. And make sure you avoid the wrong end points.

The place you want to end up is at "business meetings". You're allowed to enter Canada for up to 30 days for business meetings, no problem (assuming we're talking about a US citizen).

You want them to be confident that you're NOT

a) doing work in Canada -- and yes I know your work is giving these training classes but somehow there's a distinction in their world. Make sure you don't imply you're going to be producing training material or anything else while in Canada.

b) looking for or planning other work while in Canada. To that end it helps to have business cards or other documents from your employer showing you're employed full time in the US and being paid in the US for this training you're giving. If the clients in Canada are paying they should be paying your employer, not you.

It can also be helpful to have a letter from your employer or the clients saying what the purpose of the visit is. It shouldn't be needed for a US citizen normally but you never know.