As of today,聽聽entering U.S. ports of entry will need to register.
鈥淭he Trump administration is enforcing immigration laws,鈥 said the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary, Tricia McLaughlin, in an emailed statement. 鈥淭hose who violate these laws will be processed, detained, and removed as required,鈥 she said.
鈥淟awful travellers have nothing to fear from these measures, which are designed to protect our nation鈥檚 security,鈥 said Customs and Border Protection assistant commissioner, Hilton Beckham in an emailed statement.
罢丑别听Canadian government made slight changes to the language聽in its travel advisory for the United States, clarifying that Canadians should 鈥渃omply and be forthcoming in all interactions鈥 with U.S. border agents and expect 鈥渟crutiny at all points of entry, including of electronic devices.鈥
Amid U.S. President Donald Trump鈥檚 immigration crackdown what are your rights at the border? Here鈥檚 what you need to know.
Who and what can customs and border protection officers search?
According to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website any people, bags and merchandise arriving in the U.S can be inspected by an officer, unless exempt by diplomatic status.
As a Canadian national is not a green card holder and not a U.S. citizen, 鈥測ou don鈥檛 have a hell of a lot of rights in the United States,鈥 said David Garson, an immigration lawyer who practices in both Canada and the United States and a founder of the Canadian Immigration Lawyers Association. 鈥淐ontrast that to Canada, where (people entering the country to visit, work or study) have, through legislation, a lot of constitutional protection in various ways.鈥
Searching bags
Border officials can seize your personal property, 鈥渋f they鈥檙e that suspicious,鈥 said Garson or, if you choose not to show them, you can be refused entry.
Before approaching the border, be sure you know exactly what is in your bags. While marijuana is legal in Canada, it is illegal under U.S. federal law to enter the U.S. with the drug in any form, although medical and recreational marijuana may be legal in some U.S. states, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website. Crossing or arriving at a U.S. port of entry with marijuana may result in seizure, fines or arrest, and may impact admissibility.
Searching your cellphone
U.S. Border officials have the right to ask for and search your phone. You can refuse, but this might result in you not being allowed to enter, said Garson. If you are asked and consent to handing over your device, it鈥檚 important to limit what they have access to. Say 鈥溾橸es, but I will open it for you,鈥 instead of sharing your password with them,鈥 said Garson.
Logging out of apps on your phone for things like email and social media accounts will help limit the amount of information a border official can access. However, choosing to delete things from your device completely or wiping your phone entirely may cause even more scrutiny from border officials. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e kind of damned if you do, damned if you don鈥檛,鈥 said Garson. 鈥淚f you give them the phone and they see it wiped, I think that would create suspicion as well.鈥
Can I legally turn around at the border?
No. If you鈥檙e on their soil, you are subject to U.S. laws. If you decide you don鈥檛 like the questions you鈥檙e being asked upon entry (from Canada), Garson said, 鈥淵ou do not have the right to leave, they have to let you leave.鈥
Arrival and Departure Forms
Non U.S. citizens entering the U.S. no longer need to complete paper Customs and Border Protection Form I-94 Arrival and Departure Record or Form I-94W Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival and Departure Record. Instead, Customs and Border Protection now gather travellers鈥 arrival and departure information automatically from electronic travel records.
At the land border, travellers will be issued I-94s electronically. If leaving the U.S. by air or sea, Customs and Border Protection will record your departure information from flight manifest information provided by the carrier or by Customs and Border Protection.
Travellers requiring an I-94 can apply online or use the Customs and Border Protection GO mobile app.
New Registration Regulations
Travellers staying in the U.S. for longer than 30 days must register online with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and fill out the Form G-325R, and submit fingerprints.
Canadian citizens that are registered are not required to submit fingerprints.
It is vital travellers aged 18 and older print and carry a copy of this form at all times while in the U.S. If you are found without it, you can be fined of up to $5,000 or sentenced up to 30 days in jail.
You do not need to apply if you are a U.S. permanent resident or were issued an I-94.
Crossing with a Canadian Passport, VISA or permanent resident card
Canadian citizens 16 years of age and older entering the U.S. by land or water must have a valid passport, a Trusted Traveler Program card or an Indian Status Card.
Canadian citizens aged 15 years and under entering the U.S. need a passport, an original or a copy of a birth certificate or an original Canadian citizenship certificate.
If you are a citizen of a country that is part of the聽, you don鈥檛 need a visa to enter the U.S. for stays up to 90 days. Instead, you must obtain pre-travel authorization via the Electronic System for Travel Authorization prior to your departure.
Canadian visitors are generally granted a stay in the U.S. for up to six months at the time of entry.
If for example, a Canadian citizen was born in Iran, 鈥渢hat person may encounter some difficulties depending upon if (the border officials) believe that person served in the military,鈥 said Garson.
鈥淎 visa only allows a foreign citizen to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry ... and request permission to enter the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials ... have authority to permit or deny admission to the United States,鈥 according to the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Consular Affairs website.
If your gender marker is ‘X’ on your passport
If your passport has 鈥淴鈥 as a gender marker, 鈥測ou might face entry restrictions into some countries that do not recognize your gender,鈥 according to the Government of Canada.
Be sure to check the Travel Advice and Advisory for each destination and transit country so you are aware of the countries you could be denied entry to. If you have ID that is still legally valid and lists either male or female, consider if it is safe for you to travel with that ID as well, and be prepared as 鈥淓ven if your Canadian passport indicates an 鈥榅鈥 gender marker, you may still be asked to provide binary sex information when travelling.鈥
鈥淲hile the Government of Canada recognizes the 鈥榅鈥 gender identifier, it cannot guarantee your entry or transit through other countries,鈥 according to the Government of Canada website.
Is there a safer way to travel to the U.S. ?
鈥淚f you鈥檙e driving over and you鈥檙e at a land port of entry, they鈥檙e obviously going to have a lot more control over you and your devices than they would if you were going through a pre-flight inspection through an airport, said Garson.
鈥淚f I go to the airport and go through pre-flight inspection ... I can ask to withdraw my application,鈥 said Garson. 鈥淵ou can ask to withdraw your application no matter what port of entry you鈥檙e going through, but it鈥檚 up to them to decide whether they want to let you or not,鈥 said Garson. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been my experience that at airports, they鈥檙e usually more likely to let you withdraw,鈥 he said.
Any Canadian citizens, including children, travelling to the U.S. by air, or even just transiting through the country, need either a passport that will not expire while travelling, or a NEXUS card.
Crossing the border with a criminal record
According to the U.S. Embassy & Consulates in Canada, Canadians who have been deported or removed from the U.S. or Canadians with a criminal record, including for driving under the influence, must satisfy other requirements to gain entry to the U.S.
Correction - April 8, 2025
The photo caption was updated from a previous version that misidentified the bridge border crossing shown in the photo as the Peace Bridge. In fact, it is the Rainbow Bridge border crossing, connecting Niagara Falls, Ont. and Niagara Falls N.Y.
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