I have travelled on a UK passport with my fiancee who has an Australian passport. We queue up together in the non-nationals queue, even when I would be quicker in the UK nationals queue. After all, there's nothing to be gained by ending up on the other side and having to wait for my fiancee to clear anyway. We go to the desk separately - better to be called for being too timid and waiting in line than be called for looking pushy and going up to the desk when I shouldn't. But I would always answer questions truthfully even if it might create a bit of an extra delay at the time. The penalty for not answering truthfully is just not worth it.

Travelling with Mr. Tb (both US citizens) and a friend (EU citizen), we asked agent which line our friend should go in; he sent him to US line with us.

He did have to go through separately, be finger-printed, etc., but everyone was perfectly polite about it.

Yes!! Someone who finally uses the f-word to refer to those people.

So? While there is no same-sex marriage in the US, the US should recognize marriages that are perfectly legal in other jurisdictions. I can only imagine the outrage if another country told a US couple that their legal marriage is "by official policy not recognized at its federal level."

Who's lying? Just because you tell the truth doesn't mean you have to tell the whole truth.

and

16. (1 bis) must put up with all the ridiculous questions and provocative tone designed to get any reasonable person in a bad mood. If you are coming for a business meeting we will ask in 5 different ways if you are coming to work in an attempt to 'catch you' and if you are a citizen we will ask many questions designed to know if you went abroad to buy stuff in a blatant attempt to evade taxes.

Thus far Canada is the only country that (based on what I've read on FT) ends up pissing off their own CITIZENS.

I'm in a similar situation at the poster you quoted. I always tell them I'm going to visit friends.

Unfortunately, they can't. DOMA was passed many years ago that prohibit any federal agency from recognizing any marriage that isn't legal in the US.

At YYZ, I've seen agents ask same-sex couples if they are related by blood. If not, asks one to go back. Thats the most tactful way I've seen it done.

I've travelled with my boyfriend (now husband) before to the US and had to explain to the customs official that he was somewhere over there because he was connecting and had to go through a different queue.

I also came up to the canadian customs with my mum - two different addresses, two different last names and two different passports and we don't really look alike - confused the heck out of the immigration lady (how exactly are you two related?) but it worked and she wasn't mad at us.

I think a lot of the time it has to do with the person's attitude and how their day is going. Go through any line first thing in the morning and you seem to get less attitude - at least thats been my experience.

When I travel with friends, colleagues, or family, they always come to the counter with me. Even at the diplomatic/crew counters in the US I've never had a problem taking another person (or even a couple of people) through with me.