bairn7

I was going to ask in the ESTA thread but I actually have a couple of questions so I have created a new thread, hope that's ok.

I'm immigrating to Canada as a new Permanent Resident in January. I have a couple of weeks before I have to arrive so I wanted to visit the US for 10 days or so (AZ) to do some hiking. So I plan to buy a return ticket from the UK to PHX (because that's cheaper than one way) and also buy a ticket from PHX to YEG for my move.

Because of this, I'll be bringing 3 large suitcases with my worldly posessions. This may raise red flags upon my arrival to the US I assume.

My questions are:

- Am I likely to run into issues upon arrival in the US? I will be truthful and say I have a return ticket but I am actually moving to Canada permanently and will be travelling from the US to do this.
- Do I still qualify for the ESTA? Someone on another forum says that one of the conditions is that you have to leave NORTH America within 90 days and not just the US - but I can't find anything to back this up.
- Assuming that I do qualify for the ESTA - when asked if I'm transiting through the US, do I select yes?
- Does anyone foresee any issues with landing in Canada from the US rather than from the UK?

Thanks for your time

iamflyer

Be truthful, be sure to have proof of your impending immigration to Canada.
- Do I still qualify for the ESTA? Someone on another forum says that one of the conditions is that you have to leave NORTH America within 90 days and not just the US - but I can't find anything to back this up.
You should be fine. You don't have to leave north america but the 90 day clock doesn't reset if you don't (so you couldnt come back to the US until you did). This rule doesn't apply if you return to your country of residence so once you're a resident of Canada you're good.
- Assuming that I do qualify for the ESTA - when asked if I'm transiting through the US, do I select yes?
No, you're vacation in the US and happen to be moving to Canada after.

bairn7

Thanks very much!