Dear David,
My son is planning on moving to Vancouver, BC, for six months during the winter Olympics. He doesn't have a job yet and thinks, being a US citizen, he'll have to work in Washington. On a temporary basis like this, will he have a problem driving across the US/Canadian border on a daily basis to go to work and back?
Any advice you can give would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
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david ingram replies
It will not be smooth sailing.
Your son can enter Canada as a visitor to see the Olympics and try and find temporary accommodation to stay in.
He can NOT 'move' to Vancouver without a resident visa.
To be a visitor to Canada, he is supposed to be living in another country.
In general, that means that he has a home, rental room, rented apartment or shared accommodation in another country that he is 'paying' for while he is visiting in Canada.
He can get an exception and a border official may allow him to come as a visitor for six months without another residence but they are just as likely to say NO and if he is going back and forth on a regular basis, the chances of being turned down are obviously larger.
Every time he goes across the border, he will be re-qualified for his entry to Canada. His chances of being turned down increase exponentially with the number of crossings if he is not living in the US.
So - if he was just coming for six months to hang out at the Olympics and ski at Whistler and hang out in Yaletown, he would likely be okay. But, if he needs a job to pay for this and will have to work on the US side, he should get a place and a job on the US side and commute to BC for his fun because every trip will be legal and he is not likely to have a problem..
You might want to have him (and yourself) call me to talk about this for five minutes at 8 PM Wednesday, Sept 2nd (tonight at www.david-ingram.com as follows
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CEN-TA Cross Border Services - Tax, Visas, Immigration
http://www.centa.com/article.php/20090902175110639