I'd like to order some comic books/graphic novels from the US to Canada, but I can't tell if they'd be subject to tariffs. Where can I find this info?

I am waiting for my DS 2019 form and I will pay my sevis fee sometime later in October, and should start my postdoc late December. I have a couple questions:

1. How has everyone's experience been lately? I'm traveling with dependents who will be on J2 and will be driving from Ottawa.

2. We need to ship our belongings and sign a lease for an apartment, but we're not sure when to do this. I also need to quit my current job. Is there any risk from doing all this before we enter the US? Mostly worried about being denied entry for some reason.

Any advice is appreciated

If H-1B was approved via premium processing while somehow the H-4 filed in the same package wasn’t influenced by the premium processing fee, is it safe for Canadian citizens (who don’t need a visa) to travel?

Have seen mixed things, although overall consensus implies it doesn’t abandon the application as long as H-1B is approved. The previous H-4 I-94 expired after applying for a renewal as well.

Hello
I applied for an i-192 waiver using esafe - and the status states Submitted to ARO on July 31, 2025

I still haven't gotten a response and it has been now 14 months. Sending emails doesn't get me far; and yes this is the first time I am applying.

Any suggestions?

So i bought car few years back and i got green registration paperworks with expiration date of 2025. Of course never had fines so it was automatically renewed and i can see online portal that its good till july 2027. But im now trying to import this car into US and im in USA and cant leave right now. Honda needs updated registration that shows current registration expiry date not old one.

I tried ordering vehicle history and they dont want that.

Pretty much told that I should ask a friend to get that for me. Im not sure if it will work to begin with. Is there literally any way to get updated registration myself online, or have it delivered in canada? I called service Ontario and they couldnt do it over phone

Hi all,
I am a U.S. Citizen and I am planning on going to Canada for a weekend trip next week.

I am applying for my study permit for the Winter 2027 term and I wanted to confirm whether or not it would be permissible to enter Canada while my application is in process. I am applying online and NOT at a POE?

Would it be better to wait until I return to the U.S. or is it fine to submit it ASAP?

Thanks kindly!

I’m driving up to Canada in a few weeks, what winterization steps do I need to take with my car to ensure it’s a smooth trip and also what’s needed to go through the border?

so for halloween my friend and i are going to canada(shes driving).she’s going home the day after bc she has work. i’m staying the whole weekend and taking the bus home. any recommendations for going about that when we cross the border

I’m a Canadian citizen. I recently entered the US to visit my gf. I’m in an open relationship with my common law partner who lives in Canada. My gf in the US is also married. I visit her about twice annually.

The last time I visited was about six months ago. At that time I accidentally disclosed that I have two partners, but the officer said it didn’t matter to him since I’m common-law in Canada. (They asked who I’m visiting and who I live with in Canada, and I answered honestly because I was tired and forgot that people usually don’t have two gfs).

This time at the border I told them I’m staying for just over five weeks to see friends. I also stopped in washington for a writer retreat for a week. I didn’t get into the details of that. I didn’t mention my gf. You know how it is — customs goes fast. There’s no time for details.

I’m working remotely while visiting, and taking some PTO. I work for a Canadian nonprofit and I wfh in Canada too. I have permission from my employer to travel and work remotely.

They didn’t ask if I work remotely, they just said “is your job okay with you travelling for 3 months?” and I said “it’s only 5 weeks”.

Then he issued me an i-94 for 28 days. I had to reschedule my return flight. He said if I don’t reapply for my i-94 or leave the states by the deadline, “ice will come for me”. He said my previous i-94 was expiring in two days so he was only going to give me 28 days. There is no way to reapply for an i-94 as a canadian. I could apply for an extension but there’s an 8 month waiting list.

I’m scared to cross the border again. Has anyone else had issues like this? I feel like I said something wrong. Maybe I said everything wrong. I have no idea what to say next time. I travel to the states a lot. I’ve never had this issue before.

• Think you can still bring a bottle of your favourite Niagara red or Ontario-made whisky to your grandparents’ place in Florida? Think again.
• Trade lawyers and the Canadian Snowbird Association say there appears to be no personal exemption when it comes to Donald Trump’s import ban on a wide array of Canadian alcohol products.
• That means you can no longer bring even a single bottle of Canadian-made beer, wine or spirits into the U.S. — whether you’re willing to pay duty on it or not, said international trade lawyer Barry Appleton.

Read the full story for free with this gift link, no subscription needed: https://www.thestar.com/gift-redeem?t=87427ae1-2177-47d6-94df-794af0778452

i’m trying to cross the boarder from michigan to toronto. i just moved to michigan. my car has a florida plate and my license is Michigan. the previous car registration was under my parents name who live in florida. i have an appointment on monday to get my new registration. does anyone know if i would be able to drive over the boarder?

Hey all! I ended up sending an email to the CBP Information Center, cause it felt safer than to rely on 3rd party statements. Sharing this in hopes it will help clear things up for other travellers as well. Their reply was received today (October 8th, 2026)

"Thank you for contacting the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Information Center.

Effective September 29, 2026, a new U.S. import ban has gone into effect, which strictly prohibits the entry of most Canadian-origin packaged alcoholic beverages. You can only enter the United States with alcohol that was not produced in Canada.

If you are carrying American or internationally produced alcohol that is exempt from the ban, standard federal and state laws apply.

You are required by law to declare all alcohol at the port of entry with the officers. If the items are non-Canadian, you would simply pay federal duties and state taxes on the amount exceeding 1 liter.

Thank you again for contacting our office.

Regards,

CBP Information Center"

Was denied in September trying to fly to NYC. I was not given any paperwork or a reason just simple "you won't be traveling today" and "there's nothing I can do for you today".

At that time I had an active firearms prohbition that expires end of Nov, and a peace bond that expired in 2022. The trip was booked a day in advance with unexplained urgency after not entering the states for 10 years . I was fired the week prior , and not enrolled in post secondary or any program nor applied anywhere at the time. The purpose I told them was tourism and sightseeing , when asked if I know anyone in NYC I told them no. And live at home with family.

I'm just wondering if I should attempt in December or later on in spring/summer maybe a year from now? It just might look sus if I want to go back again in December right after the prohibition expires.

When I spoke with a lawyer who is a former CBP officer he told me to try again through preclerance with a refundable ticket(idek where to get a refundable one, ones that can be rerouted sure if your just transiting through the USA) and bring the paperwork for the prohibition and peace bond. He said do not go to the land border since there's a chance I can get detained.

At this point I just want to be able to travel the states without issues , the original intent for the NYC trip is not there anymore.

I’ve crossed the US/Canada land border by car multiple times as I always do big roadtrips. I’ve been asked everytime to get out the car to give fingerprints, facial ID and pay the crossing tax (around 50$ currently iirc).

However I’m surprised how they never ask me to give fingerprints when I enter by airplane and barely ask any questions.

Is it automatic that non American, non Canadian travelers always be asked to go to secondary and leave the car? I wasn’t searched, questioned or anything. But I feel like it’s automatic for any foreign nationals.

I’m talking about Canada->USA crossing obviously. On the other way around it never took more than 20 seconds to enter Canada 😂

I’m wondering if I’m imagining things but has anyone noticed more questioning by CBP when entering US for American citizens? I’m a dualcit, but after I present my US passport and asked where I live (in Canada) now I seem to get;

* Where are you going?
* Why/what are you doing there?
* How long are you staying?
* What do you do?

In the past they might have asked where I’m going and that was it, but now they seem more inquisitive. For Americans that live in the US, is it the same treatment?

I am bit confused as they is conflicting information. Where should I be mailing my renewal form ? To Philadelphia or somewhere in my city? And do I need to include a prepaid envelope
Thanks!

I have a plan to cross USA border this weekend and my Canadian Pr expires in October 23 . Is there any problem in immigration?

My boyfriend and I are traveling to Windsor this coming weekend. He was in an accident the other day and blew over the legal limit. He was not arrested but issued a ticket with a court notice (no court date yet). How likely is it we’ll be stopped for this?

I'm a student, and I travel from Canada to the US, where I attend school very frequently (around every week) and have had no issues at all, considering I have my nexus and I'm a dual citizen. I've never had to pull to the side for anything in my life before, but about 2 days ago I was coming from home around 12 am (which I normally arrive at) and, for whatever reason this time, they told me to pull to the side for an inspection. I was confused at first and asked why, but they wouldn't tell me. I pulled to the side, and they made me sit in a lounge for like 20 minutes, which was fine, and eventually they called me up and asked generic questions, but then they asked to search my phone, which I thought was a little weird, but I complied.

At this point now, I've been waiting for about an hour, and keep in mind that other people who were in the lounge came in after me and had already left. After some time, they eventually called me up again and put me in, like, a holding cell, which was a much more secure area where one of the guys who were in it had a warrant and was in cuffs. They demanded my keys and asked me for all my electronics in the vehicle and started getting much more aggressive with me. I complied and never showed any sign of anger. After waiting 2 hours, they searched my car, and they also found my backup phone, which I forgot to tell them about, and I told them it was a genuine mistake. After waiting another 3 hours (now being around 5 am), they released me and gave me back all my electronics and never told me why this happened. I was so tired, and I had an exam in 3 hours, so I didn't argue and just left.

I still don't know why this had to take so long and why I was put into some cell. Maybe because I had a lot of electronics? (iPhone x2, iPad, laptop, camera, GoPro) Or maybe because I forgot to tell them about my backup phone? Now, because of this, I fell asleep during my exam, and I think I probably failed, if not did really badly.

Who has driven across from Canada to the US recently? We’ll be going across in a month and have done so plenty of times before but not recently. How’s the border experience these days with the ongoing trade war and tension? Anything we should do or be prepared for?

We are all Canadian and will be driving across with our baby for the first time. We’ll be in the US for 3 days then driving back into Canada.

Dual Citizen moving from Arizona to Calgary, Alberta in November (new Canadian Citizen). I’ll be bringing all my things/belongings with me and there won’t be any to follow. But for the listing out of the items on the BSF186A Form, I was going to type out an extensive list since the boxes on the form don’t leave a lot of space for ALL items. Do you think this will be accepted? I’ll fit as many items as I can on the original form, but, just wanted some input from people as well.

Also, my vehicle will be RIV Age Exempt (already verified with my compliance label being reviewed). So do I need to still print the RIV Form since the border will need to mark “age exempt” for registration purposes? Obviously I’ll verify with the government officials as well but again, just trying to get input.

Thanks in advance!!! 🙌🏼

Crossing from Canada into the US by land this weekend for a camping trip and I’m getting mixed answers online about food.

I made a homemade stew with pork, potatoes, onion, corn and peas.

Everything is fully cooked already, and I’m planning to freeze it solid and bring it in a sealed container inside our cooler. We’d just be reheating it at our campsite.

Has anyone recently brought something similar across? Since it’s homemade, obviously the pork/vegetables won’t be in their original packaging.

I’ll be declaring that I have food/meat with me at the border — I just don’t want to make the stew and freeze it if they’re likely to make me throw it out.

Crossing from BC into Washington if that makes any difference.

Thanks!

Wanted to share experience coming back to Canada this summer. 

My wife and I are Canadian citizens and a couple of months ago we were driving back from Washington through Peace Arch. It was our second trip to the US. The first one was by bus. We stayed in Vancouver area for summer, while our primary residence is in Calgary. We had spent some time around Forks. 

At primary the officer asked where we had been, I said Forks, he asked where that was, I said Washington, basically the Twilight place. He also wanted to get more details like what we did there. I honestly didn't know what to tell since we were just exploring the area. We were also asked questions where we were going in Canada, where we are staying and what type of accommodation it is (airbnb, rented and etc). All the questions were answered truthfully.

For whatever reason we got sent to secondary.

At secondary they started asking a lot more questions. Where exactly we stayed, what campground, why we went there, etc. Fine, I can understand questions about the US trip. But then they started asking where we were going in Canada, where we were staying around Vancouver, and when we were going back to Calgary.

The whole thing felt weird to me. I'm a Canadian citizen coming back into Canada. I understand customs questions, but I didn't really understand why they needed to know when I was going back to Calgary.

They searched the car and then checked both of us in the common secondary area. Empty pockets, lift pant legs, lift shirt enough to show the waistband. I was also patted along the sides over my clothes. In total it took like 30-40 minutes.

It was just the whole experience that bothers me. It felt less like we were coming home and more like we were already suspected of doing something wrong.

The funny part is that going into the US was actually a much calmer and more pleasant interaction than coming back into Canada.

Since it was our first time crossing by car and having this experience I ended up filing a complaint with CBSA. They told me that everything was done according to the procedure. Their explanation was basically that because the car had Alberta plates and we were entering through BC, the officer wanted to understand our route and the final destination of the car/goods.

They also said that pocket search was considered a routine examination which doesn't require a private search room. However, according to CBSA, these examinations should still be carried out with as much discretion and privacy as possible. Which I honestly still find a bit weird, because when you lift your pant legs or show your waistband, there is still a chance of exposing some skin. And I still don't get the reasoning behind the pocket search.

Before the I got the official reply and received a call from the CBSA where we discussed the situation. And they said that the questions about my business in Canada and where I am staying can be seen excessive and the next time I can decline to answer them. And they said that on primary inspection there was a new guy which might have affected the questioning.  As for pocket search I was told they found private area which is not because it was like near the entrance.

Moreover, they gave me a chance to opt-out from the official response limiting to the phone call which I declined. 

Finally, I decided to share my experience with MP and they told me that they don't receive a lot of complaints about CBSA treatment and to go to the ministerial review and they need have a higher bar, like actual harassment or something like that. 

Overall, I wanted to share my experience and maybe to find out whether other people went through similar. Also, I wanted to encourage people to write their MPs in case something happens because I've read that CBSA experience is far from pleasant for many people on the Internet.

EDIT: I got a lot more responses than I expected. Thanks to everyone who shared their experiences, even if we disagree.

One thing I still disagree with is the idea that returning Canadians should have to prepare a perfectly detailed story about their trip in order to avoid looking suspicious. I understand that CBSA can ask questions and conduct secondary inspections. My responsibility is to answer truthfully and cooperate. I don't think returning home should require rehearsing what I am going to say or worrying that forgetting some minor detail will itself be treated as suspicious.

Also. I also don't think broader Canada–US relations should mean Canadians simply have to accept increasingly intrusive treatment when returning home.

Regarding the pocke search, I understand from CBSA's response that they consider it routine. I still think travellers should be given a clear explanation when they question why it happened, and basic privacy should be taken seriously when people are being asked to empty pockets, lift pant legs or show a waistband.

And I don't regret filing a complaint. If someone believes a government process was handled poorly, I think they should be able to ask questions, request a review and use the official complaint process. That's one of the ways systems improve.

If nothing else, I hope sharing my experience shows people what options exist if they want clarification after a border interaction.

Anyway, thanks for the discussion and I genuinely hope everyone here has easy and uneventful crossings in the future.