Crossing into Canada by Land with Newborn (No Passport or Birth Certificate Yet)

[thementor]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are Canadian Permanent Residents who recently moved back to Canada from the U.S. We’re currently in the U.S. in non-immigrant visas, and our baby is due very soon. We've decided to give birth here in the U.S., but we plan to return to Canada by land after hospital discharge after the birth.

Here’s the situation:

• The baby will be a U.S. citizen by birth. We are not U.S. green card or U.S. citizens.
• It can take 4 to 8 weeks to receive the official U.S. birth certificate, and we can’t apply for the U.S. passport until we have that.
• We would like to travel to Canada by land with the newborn before the birth certificate and passport are issued.
• We do plan to bring all hospital-issued documents such as:
  • Certificate of live birth from the hospital
  • Discharge summary
  • Possibly a letter from the attending physician or hospital
• We’ll also carry our PR cards, our passports with U.S. visas, our marriage certificate and proof of residence in Canada (utility bills and apartment lease).

Has anyone here successfully returned to Canada under similar circumstances? Will CBSA accept hospital records in lieu of a passport or birth certificate for a U.S.-born newborn crossing by land with PR parents? Any advice, tips, or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Raphael L Sanchez]

Seems like a tricky situation hope the border officers are understanding. Keep us posted on how it goes, this info could help a lot of new parents! You can refer here: Modhello.net

 

[thementor]

Thanks. Sure, I will keep posted. I am reading mixed experiences online, especially Canadian and U.S. citizens with U.S. newborn do not appear to have problem with only hospital records, but most people say it really depends on the CBSA agent.

 

[canuck78]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are Canadian Permanent Residents who recently moved back to Canada from the U.S. We’re currently in the U.S. in non-immigrant visas, and our baby is due very soon. We've decided to give birth here in the U.S., but we plan to return to Canada by land after hospital discharge after the birth.

Here’s the situation:

• The baby will be a U.S. citizen by birth. We are not U.S. green card or U.S. citizens.
• It can take 4 to 8 weeks to receive the official U.S. birth certificate, and we can’t apply for the U.S. passport until we have that.
• We would like to travel to Canada by land with the newborn before the birth certificate and passport are issued.
• We do plan to bring all hospital-issued documents such as:
  • Certificate of live birth from the hospital
  • Discharge summary
  • Possibly a letter from the attending physician or hospital
• We’ll also carry our PR cards, our passports with U.S. visas, our marriage certificate and proof of residence in Canada (utility bills and apartment lease).

Has anyone here successfully returned to Canada under similar circumstances? Will CBSA accept hospital records in lieu of a passport or birth certificate for a U.S.-born newborn crossing by land with PR parents? Any advice, tips, or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

The fact that you

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are Canadian Permanent Residents who recently moved back to Canada from the U.S. We’re currently in the U.S. in non-immigrant visas, and our baby is due very soon. We've decided to give birth here in the U.S., but we plan to return to Canada by land after hospital discharge after the birth.

Here’s the situation:

• The baby will be a U.S. citizen by birth. We are not U.S. green card or U.S. citizens.
• It can take 4 to 8 weeks to receive the official U.S. birth certificate, and we can’t apply for the U.S. passport until we have that.
• We would like to travel to Canada by land with the newborn before the birth certificate and passport are issued.
• We do plan to bring all hospital-issued documents such as:
  • Certificate of live birth from the hospital
  • Discharge summary
  • Possibly a letter from the attending physician or hospital
• We’ll also carry our PR cards, our passports with U.S. visas, our marriage certificate and proof of residence in Canada (utility bills and apartment lease).

Has anyone here successfully returned to Canada under similar circumstances? Will CBSA accept hospital records in lieu of a passport or birth certificate for a U.S.-born newborn crossing by land with PR parents? Any advice, tips, or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

A risky plan given your non-immigrant status these days. Also potentially an extremely expensive plan.

 

[thementor]

The fact that you

A risky plan given your non-immigrant status these days. Also potentially an extremely expensive plan.

Yes, I agree. I know you are very active in this Forum. If you find any similar experiences please let me know. Thanks.

 

[YVR123]

Yes, I agree. I know you are very active in this Forum. If you find any similar experiences please let me know. Thanks.

There are many recent changes/rumors on US immigration. So it's hard to know just by previous experiences.

 

[Canadianbeachgoer]

Hi everyone,

My wife and I are Canadian Permanent Residents who recently moved back to Canada from the U.S. We’re currently in the U.S. in non-immigrant visas, and our baby is due very soon. We've decided to give birth here in the U.S., but we plan to return to Canada by land after hospital discharge after the birth.

Here’s the situation:

• The baby will be a U.S. citizen by birth. We are not U.S. green card or U.S. citizens.
• It can take 4 to 8 weeks to receive the official U.S. birth certificate, and we can’t apply for the U.S. passport until we have that.
• We would like to travel to Canada by land with the newborn before the birth certificate and passport are issued.
• We do plan to bring all hospital-issued documents such as:
  • Certificate of live birth from the hospital
  • Discharge summary
  • Possibly a letter from the attending physician or hospital
• We’ll also carry our PR cards, our passports with U.S. visas, our marriage certificate and proof of residence in Canada (utility bills and apartment lease).

Has anyone here successfully returned to Canada under similar circumstances? Will CBSA accept hospital records in lieu of a passport or birth certificate for a U.S.-born newborn crossing by land with PR parents? Any advice, tips, or firsthand experience would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Why not give birth in Canada? Cost you nothing and the kid will have a respectable nationality as well...

 

[armoured]

Yes, I agree. I know you are very active in this Forum. If you find any similar experiences please let me know. Thanks.

There are different issues at play here - including what we don't know, which is why you have this plan at all. (Can you explain why?)

-in Canada, are you already here and residing and compliant with the residency obligation?

-US administration seems to be very actively against non-citizens and US permanent residents giving birth in US in order for children to acquire US citizenship. CBP seems to have full authority to do whatever they want. Anyone could speculate as to what may happen, but to predict with certainty would be difficult.

-What happens if the child is not admitted into Canada, and while waiting for US documents? (Will they issue the child a passport?)

-Who can guess about your insurance in USA in case of complications in Canada? Will it cover all that is needed?

Most of these are things that six-twelve months ago no-one would have thought of as things to worry about. Now, I would.