Do marks on your passport record ever go away?

[epmarshall]

Hi all,

I am a US citizen and I have been to Canada 4 times to visit my boyfriend, a Canadian citizen. The first 2 trips went okay, but on my third trip to Canada, I was denied at the border. So I got a hotel in Buffalo for the night and successfully crossed the next morning when I tried again. I did not even have to speak to immigration when I fully expected to be questioned extensively due to the previous day's events. The officer I spoke to did mention that he knew I'd been denied the previous day obviously, but didn't make me talk much more and just let me through. So at that time I wasn't sure if they had marked my passport or not.

However, the 4th time I got to the border, the officer immediately mentioned that I had talked about permanent residency before and sent me right to immigration. I got across after showing my evidence, but the point is that I now know for sure my passport is marked and I'm wondering if these marks ever go away.

Also, is there a difference between bus, train or plane border crossings? I've only ever been across by bus so I'm wondering if all crossings are pretty much the same or whether one is stricter, etc.

Any information would be much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[scylla]

The information attached to your passport record isn't going to go away unfortunately. (Technically it's not your passport - it's you. Even if you get a new passport, the record will still be there.) It doesn't matter how you enter Canada - immigration will have access to this information regardless.

 

[epmarshall]

Thanks, scylla. I guess I'll just have to keep making sure I'm extra prepared whenever I need to cross the border. I plan on staying put before we actually start the PR process at least. I assume crossing is easier once a person gets PR.

 

[truesmile]

Yes for sure it is. You might consider getting your Nexus card, makes it even easier at airports and/or vehicles in which every passenger is carrying one.

 

[epmarshall]

Yes for sure it is. You might consider getting your Nexus card, makes it even easier at airports and/or vehicles in which every passenger is carrying one.

Hi truesmile and thanks for the recommendation. I've been reading up on the Nexus card some. Do you still have to speak to a border officer if you have one? I saw where it says you use the cards at self serve kiosks so I'm not entirely sure, as they seem really adamant about having everyone talk to an officer.

 

[rhcohen2014]

after my exclusion order, i was always pulled into secondary upon my entry to canada. out of the 1.5 years between when my exclusion order lifted and i got pr, i skipped secondary only once! the information they write in the system is there forever, and really until you get pr, expect to always be pulled into secondary and have to prove your ties to the us/pr application.

i will say it is a lot easier to cross when your application is submitted because that shows them you are making an effort to do things the right way. even if you have just started compiling the paperwork, bring it with you to show your intentions (they like that). the more you're prepared, the easier they will make it and it will take less time to cross. sometimes you might get a happy agent who just waives you in. at this point, all you can do is be prepared!

 

[epmarshall]

after my exclusion order, i was always pulled into secondary upon my entry to canada. out of the 1.5 years between when my exclusion order lifted and i got pr, i skipped secondary only once! the information they write in the system is there forever, and really until you get pr, expect to always be pulled into secondary and have to prove your ties to the us/pr application.

i will say it is a lot easier to cross when your application is submitted because that shows them you are making an effort to do things the right way. even if you have just started compiling the paperwork, bring it with you to show your intentions (they like that). the more you're prepared, the easier they will make it and it will take less time to cross. sometimes you might get a happy agent who just waives you in. at this point, all you can do is be prepared!

Thanks for sharing rhcohen. I will definitely try and be as prepared as possible in all my future crossings. I've seen you mention your exclusion order before. In fact, it was in the topic I made when I had my border troubles a while back. Do you mind if I ask why they issued an exclusion order to you? I can only imagine how stressful that must have been, though, so I definitely get it if you'd rather not go into it for any reason. Just thought I'd ask. Thanks again!

 

[keesio]

Hi truesmile and thanks for the recommendation. I've been reading up on the Nexus card some. Do you still have to speak to a border officer if you have one? I saw where it says you use the cards at self serve kiosks so I'm not entirely sure, as they seem really adamant about having everyone talk to an officer.

At airports, you rarely have to talk to anyone other than the officer who looks at your kiosk printout saying "thanks, have a nice day". They do have occasional random checks where they will ask you additional questions but out of the ~100 last flights or so I have taken between Canada/USA, I was only ever checked once (and it was like 1 minute of basic questions)

My wife is not as lucky because she has really dry hands so sometimes the kiosk going to the US doesn't pick up her fingerprints and she has to go to secondary inspection and they ask a few more questions. But again, it is pretty basic when they find out the reason you were sent to secondary is because the kiosk had trouble reading a fingerprint.

When traveling by car over a land border, it depends on the crossing. Some places have Nexus only crossings and you don't talk to anyone. More general places have a Nexus only lane where they tend to ask you a few basic questions but it is a really really short discussion ("Where are you going?", "Where are you coming from?", "Have a nice day"). But this varies by officer. People with permanent residency status in both countries (like a US citizen who is a Canadian PR) get the easiest questions because you have full residency status in both countries (many times I don't get asked anything at all since I have dual citizenship). Some places do not have any special Nexus lane so you go to the standard lane where they will ask you the routine questions. But when they see you have a Nexus card, they tend to go pretty easy on you.

All in all, Nexus is worth it. Speeds things up a lot.