Traveling to the United States
The following is general information, not intended to be legal advice and is subject to change based on any number of factors including but not limited to changes in government regulations. You are strongly advised to consult with Human Resources on the particulars of your case and circumstances.
Individuals seeking entry to the United States are assessed by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers at the port of entry (i.e. at the airport or a land crossing) for admissibility. The CBP officer, upon examination and consideration of the following factors, make a determination on whether to grant or deny entry to the U.S.:
- Travel History
- Country of birth
- Citizenships from other countries
- Criminal History
- Misrepresentation
Generally, a citizen of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States must first obtain either a nonimmigrant visa for a temporary stay, or an immigrant visa for permanent residence. Visitor visas are nonimmigrant visas for persons who want to enter the United States temporarily for business (visa category B-1), for tourism (visa category B-2), or for a combination of both purposes ().
The visa merely indicates that the consular officer at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate abroad has determined that you are eligible under a particular program or category. The decision to grant entry ultimately rests with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer.
Learn more about the different
It is important to note that individuals in receipt of a visa are not guaranteed entry into the U.S.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no approach that will guarantee a particular outcome however, in addition to the travel documents noted above, you may wish to consider the following:
- Taking with you evidence of ties to Canada. This may include documentation for the following:
- a home, job, family, etc. to return to
- the resources to fund your trip
- a clear reason for your travel
- a concrete date of return
- Taking with you, concrete and accurate documentation as evidence of the reason for the visit. For example:
- conference and hotel registration if attending a conference.
- if visiting a family member, proof that the family member has legal status in the U.S. (copy of their green card/citizenship, a letter from them that they are expecting you, etc.).
- if visiting an ill family member, consider showing a letter from their doctor as well as your concrete plans to exit the country.
- If you have travelled to one or more of the restricted countries, you may also:
a. Take with you details (including dates and purpose of travel) and any evidence such as documentation, pictures, etc. from your visits to one or more of the restricted .
b. Apply for a new passport explaining the reason. This might avoid the unnecessary questions about your travel history however, there are still no guarantees and of course, you might at all times answer truthfully if you are asked about any of your travel history as providing false information could result in misrepresentation.
c. Choose your port of entry wisely. You have the option to withdraw your application at an airport where there is Pre-Flight Inspection. This option does not exist at all airports and not at any of the land crossings.
d. When renewing your Canadian passport, opt out of identifying your country or city of birth if born in one of the restricted countries. Please note that despite omission of this information, your Canadian passport can still be obtained by U.S. officials and you could be asked about your connection to one or more of the restricted countries.
In order to receive permission to enter, you must comply with the questions and instructions of the CBP officers. The officers have a wide range of authority in making their assessment, including but not limited to:
- asking questions about nationality, purpose of visit, intended length of stay, and anything else despite how offensive, intrusive, irrelevant, etc. the questions may seem to the individuals being asked.
- sending individuals to a secondary inspection for additional questions. See above table for your options when sent to secondary inspections.
- conducting a body search (wand search and a pat down are the more common forms).
- collecting fingerprints.
- conducting a search of individuals鈥 personal items including asking for passwords to electronics and accounts.
In addition, foreign individuals requesting entry can be detained for any reason without access to an attorney. U.S. citizens can also be detained however they have the right to an attorney.
You and your belongings (including your electronics) can be subject to a search. You could possibly be held for an extended period of time. If you wish to no longer proceed with your request to enter the country, you cannot simply choose to leave; you must ask permission to withdraw your application. If permission is granted, this is not considered a denial of entry. While the permission to withdraw will remain on record, the individual will not have to indicate that they were ever denied entry in their next application. See above table for additional information.
Canadian citizens in need of emergency consular assistance while abroad can from Global Affairs Canada. See also the information above regarding for 成人大片 students and employees.
If detained at the airport, immigration officials have the authority to videotape the interview and to take transcripts, which individuals will be asked to sign to confirm accuracy. If this happens, it is important to understand that the opportunity to confirm the accuracy of the transcripts is available only while the individual is still at the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office at the airport. You will not be able to amend it later.
Individuals who are concerned about frequently being flagged when travelling to the United States may request a . This may provide the reasons for being flagged or may lift the flags.
The is a trusted traveller card that is available to Canadian citizens and permanent residents after being thoroughly vetted by Canadian and American immigration officials. It offers a simplified and expedited border clearance process to low-risk, pre-approved travellers and is normally effective for a period of 5 years.
The benefit of a Nexus pass is that it allows individuals to seek entry by scanning the pass rather than having to be assessed by a border officer, however this is not guaranteed. Even those with a NEXUS pass may be questioned.
成人大片 has established records management, privacy protection, and information security best practices, procedures and policies in place that support your privacy protection requirements for 成人大片 personal information. As a 成人大片 staff or faculty member traveling to the U.S. with 成人大片 data (e.g. student files, administrative files, etc.) or teaching or research data with you, consider the following best practices for securing sensitive data:
- As a starting point, it is not recommended that you store any files containing personal information on mobile devices (phones, flash drives, or laptops). The university provides more secure alternatives including CFAPS and 成人大片鈥檚 Google Drive, which you can access securely through secure and encrypted links to these files (VPN for CFAPS, https for Google Drive).
- Limit the 成人大片 personal information in your custody or accessible through your devices to that which is reasonable for the purpose of your trip. If you do need to bring 成人大片 personal information in files on a mobile device, the information must be safeguarded appropriately using encryption.
- Access to systems or applications where you store 成人大片 personal information should be protected using two-factor authentication.
- If you need to email sensitive information, send the information as an attachment rather than in the body of the email. Encrypt and password protect the attachment. Provide the intended email recipient with the password using a separate method, such as voicemail.
What to Consider before Embarking on your Travels
- In advance of travel, review your email and any files stored on mobile devices to identify any 成人大片 files containing personal information or sensitive data or representing other kinds of risk. Determine whether to remove these files, keeping in mind 成人大片鈥檚 record retention schedule or move them to another storage location such as Google Drive.
- If you are travelling to the U.S. to meet with research colleagues and the research data contains personal information or other sensitive data, we recommend you share the data with your colleagues in advance of the trip using secure file sharing through an approved mechanism. For example, 成人大片 has approved the use of Google Drive for most circumstances; 成人大片 has not approved Dropbox or iCloud for any circumstances. Alternatively, you could send an encrypted and password-protected flash drive to your colleagues in advance of your trip. When your colleagues receive the flash drive you can provide them with the password over the phone to decrypt the files. The means of sharing sensitive research data across borders should be discussed with the appropriate research ethics board.
- Keep a backup of all data in a secure location at 成人大片 in the event that your mobile device is seized.
- Be aware that while file or device encryption will safeguard the data in the event of device loss or general unauthorized access, at the border CPB officers can ask you to unlock these files. Failure to do so may result in the CPB officers deciding to hold your device for further examination, detain you, or deny you admittance to the U.S.
- Should you be asked to provide passwords to 成人大片 applications or files, change the passwords immediately once you have crossed the border. Promptly notify both your manager and the Privacy Office at fippa@torontomu.ca. If you notice any unusual activity in your accounts, notify 成人大片鈥檚 information systems security officer at isso@torontomu.ca.
- If you are travelling for personal reasons, and where it makes sense to do so in light of your employment responsibilities, do not bring 成人大片 devices, or devices with 成人大片 information. If you do need to bring some 成人大片 information or a 成人大片 device, follow the advice above.
Additional Information on Traveling to the U.S.
- published by U.S. Homeland Security.
- up to date information on visiting the United States, including entry/exit requirements, health, laws and culture, etc.
- a directory containing contact information for government offices that provide to Canadian citizens abroad.
- service for Canadian citizens in need of emergency consular assistance while abroad.
- information on flights to the U.S.
- : information on traveling to the U.S. including entry requirements.
- : travel restrictions for the designated countries and FAQs.
- : types of U.S. visas.
Contacts & Resources at 成人大片
International SOS: 成人大片 has partnered with International SOS to offer students, faculty, and staff support before travelling abroad. As an I-SOS member (mandatory for students), you will gain access to extended security assistance 24/7. With 27 worldwide centres, I-SOS will do everything possible to keep the 成人大片 community healthy, safe and secure. To register and find more information visit: .
Jaina Patel, Immigration Advisor, RCIC
Nicolas Roy, Immigration Advisor, RCIC
Zenab Pathan, Director of Faculty Recruitment and Development
For students: International Student Support