Little confused....you said we have the right not to answer any questions, then most questions must be answered truthfully? Unless I am a legal advocate or a lawyer and know my customs/charter of rights inside and out.... otherwise chances are I have to say it out

You'll notice the word goods is just before the word must in my post.

The easiest way to think about it is to separate your right to enter/re-enter (as a citizen, of course) Canada and the right of the things you have with you to enter/re-enter Canada.

The Customs Act states in section 13, with respect to your goods:

13. Every person who reports goods under section 12 inside or outside Canada or is stopped by an officer in accordance with section 99.1 shall
(a) answer truthfully any question asked by an officer with respect to the goods

It is important to note the scope the above section. Example: you claim the 48 hour duty-free allowance. Since this pertains to goods, you should expect questions relating to your admissibility for the exemption (proof of absence from Canada, supporting evidence of the actual value of the goods). These questions would all fall under the scope of section 13.

As for yourself, you must be able to prove that you enter/re-enter Canada by right of citizenship. Usually a valid passport is all that is required. Questions may be asked if there is a doubt as to the validity of the citizenship claim (passenger is suspected of not being the rightful holder of the passport, etc) The onus is on the passenger to satisfy the officer that he/she is a citizen.

The USAF question does not fit into either of these categories, hence my inability to explain it.

I, of course, must remind everyone that I wasn't there to witness the exchange and must rely on the information provided by the poster, and oh yeah, IANAL.

LOL ahhh i see...... touch wood but i never got questioned that thoroughly before....the only questions i get asked is "you like timmies more than starbucks?" or "which timmies's better US or Canada?" or "what is Country XYZ like? I plan to go on a holiday there next year"

I had that happen once (by choice; I just wanted to get home). The Canada Customs agent actually suggested that perhaps I wanted to delay my official request to enter Canada to avoid some tax!

I told her I was more worried about the two hours than the $20.

I guess some people must get snarky about being an hour or two too soon to avoid tax. I'm just not worried about it, and if I am I know how to use a clock. :)

On the contrary, they get to live in pleasant Canada and are taken care of by our health care system. :)

Ooops as I explained in another thread this morning, it seems that my iPad often thinks it knows how to spell a word better than I do and a cursory reread before I press Submit doesn't always catch it's error...see there it goes again! Should be its not it's.

Yes. Crossing YYZ and got secondary for last 3 times straight. All Random Referral.

Asked the secondary officer why so many times and if anything is wrong, he said, it's all random and the machine made the decision. 3 times straight? I am reserving extra time for customs next time just in case.

Global Entry - Postcard saying I was eligible
 

So I got my nexus in May and received a postcard this week saying I now have access to Global Entry for free. I went into my GOES account and the option for Global Entry wasn't available to be selected - do we automatically get it or are there steps we have to take?

Sorry if this is answered, I did search but this didn't come up :)

Nexus Iris Scan after application
 

I have applied for Nexus, and have been tentatively approved. (US Cit if that is important)

Mainly applying for Nexus for global entry, but I do travel to Canada 1-2 times a year, all via Air. Don't currently have a trip planned in the next few months though.

Based on scheduling, I am looking at doing interview in Detroit during a layover at DTW. (Taxi or rental car to get to border crossing)

Here is my question. CBP Nexus site says Iris scans not currently available in the U.S. Since my primary method of crossing will be air, requiring an Iris scan, does this cause a problem? Will I just have to visit Nexus office in Canada on my next trip before I am able to use Nexus that way?

Am I correct to assume that I should be able to fingerprint me and get everything for GE there?

Thanks for the advice.

i was told to just head to an airport and have all fingers printed

You didn't search upthread very well. See the previous few pages, with posts starting in about mid-December or so and through. You'll find plenty of info. on the GE thing, including your question answered several times over.

Yes. The only downside is that you will have to clear Customs at a land crossing or by using normal non-NEXUS Customs at the airport (you can still use your NEXUS card with the agent, along with your passport, to show you're a NEXUS user; you can just tell them that you haven't had your irises scanned yet). Once you're through, you can head to a Canadian NEXUS office (with luck, right there) and get your irises scanned.

Thanks PhotoJim! That's what I thought, but wanted to make sure.

I think you mean "Anyway". I never comment on spelling and grammar, but you really asked for it...

Hey guys. Stumbled across this thread through a google search. This may be a rather silly question, but I'm not the most seasoned traveler, so I'm just looking for some info.

I live in Calgary, and I'm going to be heading to Mexico in May. I was there in January, but I travelled via the US, so I was able to use my Nexus pass both on the way out and on the way back.

This time, I'm flying direct to PVR from YYC. Obviously I can't use the Nexus in Mexico, but my question is whether or not I can use the Nexus line upon return? When international travelers arrive in Canada, do they send travellers from the US through a separate customs area than travelers from other international destinations?