Will there be problems landing in U.S. en route to Canada ?

[genio]

Hi. Firstly, after a total of 15 months from the start , my wife had an interview in Bogota Nov.10. I am sooo thrilled! but I was a shocked, after hours and hours of preparation, over 270 pages of letters, fotos etc., her interview lasted 15 minutes! Wow! She is just re-doing medicals today. So, as many have said, for those going to interviews, really be organized ,( the young officer said to my wife some about he wished everyone was so organized ). My main question is now, coming from Colombia to Vancouver, most flights make a stop in the states. I see a few in Jan.,they are as cheap for 3 of us to return as the price for me just going. I see one lands in Panama city, Los Angeles, then Vancouver. My question is , if my wife and daughter are coming to Canada as permanent residents, will there be problems landing in the states? I hope this is wrong. Someone said she may need a visa to land there. I doubt it, but,as long as she has her passport with her canadian visa,,is everything fine in U.S.? Thanx for information. Again, thanx to many people on here and esp. the sagacious comments by PMM and friends

[YorkFactory]

If your itinerary takes you through the U.S., and they're not citizens of a visa-waiver country (i.e., they would need a visa to take a vacation in the U.S.), they will need a visa, because they will be entering the U.S.  They won't even be permanent residents of Canada at that point.

edit: I've gone back and checked your earlier posts, and see that she is a citizen of Colombia.  She will need to get a visa.

[rhino2008]

Hi Genio,

First of all congrats. let me advise you  my fellow immigrant. anytime you pass through the US without their visa even on transit, you will face a lot of difficulties. border officers are so rude and mean that, they can accuse you of trying to use dubius means to stay in the US. they dont believe that you are actually transiting.  they will send you to a secondary check after the first one and their, you might end up staying their for hours as there are other people also being checked. what that means, is  you might even end up missing your flight to Canada. just be prepared and if i were you, to avoid all the hassles, just get a direct flight from Bogota to Vancouver.  it will be far good that going through the US with a stop over coz  you dont have to go through the humiliation of being asked why you passed through their country.   prepare early. please get their visa even if its a transit rather than going with nothing. even better don't  go through the US at all, so you dont miss your connection flight.
Cheers and hope this helps.
Rhino

[YorkFactory]

Just doing a cursory search, I see an itinerary that goes BOG-YYZ-YVR.  Is changing in Toronto prohibitively expensive?

[YorkFactory]

anytime you pass through the US without their visa even on transit, you will face a lot of difficulties.

It is no longer possible to transit the U.S. without a visa if you can't enter the U.S. without a visa.

And there are no non-stops from Bogota to Vancouver—you're going to have to change planes somewhere.

[Suin]

there are special type of visas called transit visas when you travel through the US:

Transit Visas

Transit visa applicants must establish to the satisfaction of the Consular Officer that they intend to pass in continuous transit through the United States and that they have a residence abroad that they do not intend to abandon. Transit aliens must have onward transportation arrangements to their final destination and permission to enter some country other than the United States following the transit through the United States, unless the alien submits satisfactory evidence that such advance permission is not required.

[YorkFactory]

Right, but you used to be able to travel through the U.S. without a visa even if you couldn't travel to the U.S. without a visa.  That has not been the case since August 2003.

The application fee for the two of them is going to run you $262.  It's almost certainly better to land in Toronto and connect there rather than Los Angeles.  Just make sure you leave enough time between flights.

[toby]

Suin, where are you getting your information , please? I have read, and an immigration officer confirmed, that there is no non-visa transitting the USA any more.

If the flight from Bogota to Toronto to Vancouver is Air Canada, you overnight in Toronto. You can't even stay in the airport because it closes at something like 0200. So, would a permanent resident, landing for the forst time in TO, do the landing interview there, then continue on to Vancouver?

Just think, from then on, with Canadian residency, travelling becomes a whole lot easier!!

[whoopi83]

Suin, where are you getting your information , please? I have read, and an immigration officer confirmed, that there is no non-visa transitting the USA any more.

If the flight from Bogota to Toronto to Vancouver is Air Canada, you overnight in Toronto. You can't even stay in the airport because it closes at something like 0200. So, would a permanent resident, landing for the forst time in TO, do the landing interview there, then continue on to Vancouver?

Just think, from then on, with Canadian residency, travelling becomes a whole lot easier!!

As Toby states above, there is no non-visa transit, even if you are visa exempt one would still need ESTA(by plane) and I94-W.

From Columbia you need a visa, and EVEN as a PR once landed, you still need a visa if you travel to the US.  Travelling won't necessarily be easier once you are resident in Canada.  It is your citizenship/passport which determines ease of travel.

[toby]

Whoopi: 

I must disagree. Maybe you are right in the case of a Colombiana; I haven't checked. But I do know that -- for one example among many -- my Chinese wife needs a consular visa to get into Costa Rica with her Chinese passport, BUT with Canada residence and Chinese passport she can get an automatic 30-day visa entering Costa Rica. The possession of Canada residence makes a big difference.

TYhis site is a good place for initial research, then confirm by contacting the country's embassy to be sure.

http://skyteam.com/about/travelhelp/travelinfo.html

[james9655]

Congratulations Genio!

My wife just got her visa from Colombia as well.  Maybe they are trying to pick up the statistics for the year!

I agree with most above...your wife will need a visa to transit in the US.  I don't know how difficult it would be for her to get one.

I prefer not to have to go through the US so I prefer the BOG YYZ flight.  It arrives in Toronto at 7 AM so overnight in TO shouldn't be necessary.  I think she would have to go through immigration in Toronto.

[genio]

Thank you all so much...In june 2008 I went to Colombia via Vancouver-Toronto-Bogota. I am not sure how often they make that run. I was just hoping to get straight to Vancouver as we will not know how long the wait will be at the airport in Toronto,,,but I now see I better start searching every flight with air canada from Bogota to Toronto.I defiantely don't want all the hassals in the U.S., and who nows how long it would take to get a visa to enter the U.S.

[Karlshammar]

Some few countries, like Mexico, will give you special consideration while travelling if you are a Canadian PR. The U.S.A. is not one of them. As far as I know, most western countries do not care about your PR, only about your passport.

[genio]

Interesting comment about mexico,,my next question was ? There is  a flight from Bogota to Mexico city, then to Vancouver,,that would be perfect if I wouldn't have problems in Mexico...Any thoughts appreciated..If I have to go to Toronto, ok, but it is over $1,000 more for air canada flights from Bogota to toronto, plus a night in a hotel if it was a later arrival. Hope a stop in Mexico would be ok

[PMM]

Hi

Interesting comment about mexico,,my next question was ? There is  a flight from Bogota to Mexico city, then to Vancouver,,that would be perfect if I wouldn't have problems in Mexico...Any thoughts appreciated..If I have to go to Toronto, ok, but it is over $1,000 more for air canada flights from Bogota to toronto, plus a night in a hotel if it was a later arrival. Hope a stop in Mexico would be ok

Except the OP is not a PR, hasn't landed and Columbian citizens require a visa for mexico.

PMM