Immigration to Canada from UK: Travel via the USA

[davelarge]

Hi

I'm really struggling here, so I'm hoping there is someone who has experience of what I'm doing who will be able to help.

Many thanks in advance if there is!

My situation is this: My wife and I have work permits to emigrate from the UK to Canada (initially for one year), and we have booked one-way flights for the 9th of November. Our travel itinerary is such that we have to change planes in Chicago, so we thought that we would take a two-day stopover there to break up the journey.

My question is the following: Do we need to obtain a visa in order to enter the USA?

I have spoken to officials at the American embassy in London twice and received two different answers to this question.

I'll not prejudice the discussion by telling you what the answers were, but if anyone has done this journey (either with a stopover, or without) then I would dearly love to know if you needed the visa.

Cheers

Dave

[PMM]

Hi

Hi

I'm really struggling here, so I'm hoping there is someone who has experience of what I'm doing who will be able to help.

Many thanks in advance if there is!

My situation is this: My wife and I have work permits to emigrate from the UK to Canada (initially for one year), and we have booked one-way flights for the 9th of November. Our travel itinerary is such that we have to change planes in Chicago, so we thought that we would take a two-day stopover there to break up the journey.

My question is the following: Do we need to obtain a visa in order to enter the USA?

I have spoken to officials at the American embassy in London twice and received two different answers to this question.

I'll not prejudice the discussion by telling you what the answers were, but if anyone has done this journey (either with a stopover, or without) then I would dearly love to know if you needed the visa.

Cheers

Dave

Your problem will be the one way ticket.  Under the Visa Waiver Program in the US you can normally transit the US without obtaining a visitor visa.  But in your case you will not be transiting the US, but staying in Chicago and traveling on a one-way ticket, which the US will probably insist that you have a visa or a return ticket.

PMM

[davelarge]

Thanks for your reply.

Both me and my wife have work permits, and tickets from Chicago to Winnipeg, so I'm hoping we'll be OK.

Dave

[skippy2]

hi dave,
i have just been reading your question  and would like to ask you a few questions if you dont mind,
me and my family are looking to emigrate to canada, my husband is an hgv driver and we have applied for numerous jobs in the canada region, one of them actually being winnipeg, could i please ask you your profession and how long it took for everything to be completed, and also do you obtain your work permits once you arrive in canada,
any other information you can provide would be great,
if you dont find time to reply to me then i understand, and wish you all the very best in your new life in canada.
you can mail me at ellis817@hotmail.com
thanks for reading me
lisa

[PMM]

Hi

hi dave,
i have just been reading your question  and would like to ask you a few questions if you dont mind,
me and my family are looking to emigrate to canada, my husband is an hgv driver and we have applied for numerous jobs in the canada region, one of them actually being winnipeg, could i please ask you your profession and how long it took for everything to be completed, and also do you obtain your work permits once you arrive in canada,
any other information you can provide would be great,
if you dont find time to reply to me then i understand, and wish you all the very best in your new life in canada.
you can mail me at ellis817@hotmail.com
thanks for reading me
lisa

Try looking at http://britishexpats.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=118  it is a very good form dealing with work permits and trucking in Canada.

PMM

[davelarge]

could i please ask you your profession and how long it took for everything to be completed, and also do you obtain your work permits once you arrive in canada,
any other information you can provide would be great,

Of course I don't mind replying!

However your question is a little difficult to answer. The job I am going there for is a post-doctoral research fellowship at the University of Manitoba. This means that I qualify under the exemptions for post-docs and the visa application process is much easier. Both me and my wife have obtained our work permits before we go - she got a spousal one which will enable her to apply for jobs as soon as she arrives.

When we initially sent in our applications to the High Commission in London, it took them about 3 or 4 weeks to get back to us. We then needed to provide some extra information (my wife needed a medical, and I had to finish my Ph.D) but in all the subsequent communication they generally responded within a week.

I don't really know what else to tell you, but please feel free to ask any questions you like.

davelarge