CANADIAN IMMIGRATION NEWS

Entering Canada gets tougher on June 1st

Wednesday, 13 May 2009

As of June 1, 2009 U.S. citizens are advised to pack a passport or passport card if they are planning a trip to Canada.

"We expect full implementation of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative to occur June 1. It's not going to be delayed again," said Joanne Ferreira, a public affairs specialist for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Anyone who has travel plans to Canada in the early part of June and who hasn't already applied for proper documentation could face problems. Obtaining a passport currently requires four to six weeks of lead time. Expedited service is available for a charge, but even this option currently takes two to three weeks.

Typically, U.S. passport costs $100, is good for 10 years and allows the bearer to travel by land, water or air.

The newly created passport card costs $45 and remains valid for 10 years, but is good only for ground travel.

Some states also are set up to issue special chip-embedded driver's licenses that can be used to cross the Canadian border.

Currently four states currently offer these enhanced licenses: Michigan, Washington, New York and Vermont.

Patrizia Giolti, a spokeswoman for the Canadian Border Service Agency, said U.S. citizens will not be turned back at the Canadian border for lack of passports or passport cards as long as they can produce other sufficient forms of identification.

"Our policy has not changed," Giolti said. "A passport is still the best tool, but we do look at other forms of ID, too."

The harder part could be for U.S. citizens lacking proper passport or passport cards to return home from Canada.

Americans trying to re-enter their home country without proper documents will not be turned away as long as their citizenship can be confirmed. But delays should be anticipated in such cases as agents work to verify citizenship.

If you are interested in Visas to Canada, contact Migration Expert for information and advice on which visa is best suited to you. You can also try our visa eligibility assessment to see if you are eligible to apply for a visa to Canada.