US land Border remains closed to Canadians

[moonstone]

Well they've done it again -another extension.
Canada border: US land border restrictions extended through Oct. 21 (usatoday.com)
Hopefully this will be the last one as it appears the US is implementing new measures for those flying in that could be carried over to the land crossings.
Biden easing foreign air travel restrictions, requiring vaccines | CBC News

We are now making arrangements to have our car taken across to Detroit next month while DH & I fly from Toronto to Detroit to meet the driver. We have plans to leave here (north of Toronto) on Oct.21st, but we cant take a chance on the closure being extended another month at that time. The car transport, 2 one way airline tickets, and an extra day on the road to Florida will add over $1000. Cndn to the cost of our trip! We are hoping the company will allow us to cancel at the last minute should the border open. This 3 week timeshare stay was postponed from last fall due to the border closure and we cant delay it another year as we still have all of this years time/points to use, on top of last years.


~Diane

 

[Dori]

I feel your pain, Diane. I'm sad, but not surprised to hear of the extension, not allowing land border crossing into the US.
At this point, we are not going down to Florida in November, like we usually do. Normally, we would fly down, rent a car, fly home for Christmas, and drive back down in early January and stay until April.

I am really hoping that things are better by then and that we can drive down. Good luck with your trip. Have a great time and stay safe!

Dori

 

[MrockStar]

Canadians, I know its out of the way, but just fly to Mexico and walk rite in. No problem the southern boarder is wide open, unless your Haitian.

 

[geist1223]

I do not understand why the USA Government is keeping the Land Border with Canada closed but opening the Air Borders. But I have given up on trying to find logic with our Government years ago. We drove into Canada 10 days ago.

 

[bizaro86]

I do not understand why the USA Government is keeping the Land Border with Canada closed but opening the Air Borders. But I have up on trying to find logic with our Government years ago. We drove into Canada 10 days ago.

It was widely believed in Canada that the only reason the US land border was closed was because we had our border closed to Americans.

Apparently not. This did not become a factor at all in the election we just had here, so Canadians apparently as a whole don't seem to mind that much.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

We are in the process of cancelling our three weeks in Florida and South Carolina in November, plus the four nights lodging on the way down and back. Flying down and renting a car would be problematic due to the venue changes (three locations) and we have no interest in doing the machinations that Diane is having to go through, just to travel in the US.

Our decision was also influenced by two other factors. First, HGVC has now created a special reserve account for non-US owners and extended previously saved points from last year for use until the end of 2023. Additionally it will extend our 2021 points for free until the end of 2022. This gives us lots of flexibility. Second, we have been concerned for some time about the Delta surges in the places where we will be staying and how politically divisive it seems to have become concerning some of the obvious measures to control the spread, such as masking and physical distancing, let alone the much lower vaccination rates in the US.

As with others, we don't understand the logic in allowing Canadians to fly in, but won't even let fully-vaccinated Canadians cross the land border. In any case, we are just one set of visitors out of many that will not be spending any time or money in the US this year. It's their loss. We are also seriously considering going elsewhere for any future trips as well, since advance planning seems impossible in the US, with no criteria for reopening.

We are scheduled for our usual five weeks in St. Maarten in January/February. We normally spend time in the fall and late spring in the US south, but we are now considering making changes going forward. We have other choices, such as Europe and elsewhere in the Caribbean. The current administration can choose to continue to be totally inwardly-focused and ignore concerns by its largest trading partner. They can choose to pretend that we don't exist or matter, or somehow think we are just another Mexico, but we will vote with our wallets. Quite frankly, we've had enough!!

 

[Dori]

After being away from our beloved mobile home in Florida, we have been talking to several of our Canadian Snowbird "Florida friends". Two couples have sold, and many of us have considered that, if we cannot go down in January due to land crossing closures, we will also put our homes up for sale. The cost of maintaining is not cheap. I am so sad.

Dori

 

[Sandy VDH]

I have dual US and Canadian Citizenship. I live in US, but have family in Canada. I was planning on driving to Canada for an extended visit. Assuming because I have citizenship on both sides access either way should be fine. Am I correct, or do I need to research more?

 

[rapmarks]

I have dual US and Canadian Citizenship. I live in US, but have family in Canada. I was planning on driving to Canada for an extended visit. Assuming because I have citizenship on both sides access either way should be fine. Am I correct, or do I need to research more?

A friend of ours that married a Canadian almost fifty years just stopped to see us on their way a home from Canada. They drove to Canada and back through international falls. Why can they do that and others can’t?

 

[CanuckTravlr]

@Sandy VDH

Yes, you are correct.

You can enter Canada under either your Canadian or American citizenship, just as Canadians have always been allowed to do, and Americans have been able to do since August 9th. Unfortunately Canadians cannot drive into the US, only fly. Only Americans can cross the land border into the US from Canada for non-essential purposes. Since you are a dual citizen with an American passport, you will be fine to re-enter the USA.

You will need the ArriveCAN app, and a negative Covid test to enter Canada. Proof of full vaccination will avoid a 14-day quarantine at entry. At the moment, you will not need anything other than your US passport to re-enter the US by land, unlike if you were flying.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

A friend of ours that married a Canadian almost fifty years just stopped to see us on their way a home from Canada. They drove to Canada and back through international falls. Why can they do that and others can’t?

That is what we Canadians are complaining about!! Feel free to explain the logic to us, if you can.

Canadians have been able to fly into and out of the US throughout the pandemic. But the land border was closed in both directions for non-essential purposes (e.g. tourism) in March 2020 by mutual consent between the US and Canadian governments. Both Canadians and Americans have always had the basic right to return home via the land border, so that hasn't changed.

What has changed, is that Canada reopened on August 9th to allow fully-vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents to enter via land border crossings or by air for non-essential purposes. The Biden administration, whether due to inattention, lack of interest or priority, or whatever elusive logic, has continued to restrict Canadians, whether fully-vaccinated or otherwise, from being able to enter the US by land border crossing. They have now extended it another month to at least October 21st.

One of the multiple excuses suggested is that they seem to think opening the northern border would somehow be politically unacceptable without also opening the southern border with Mexico. Not sure how those two equate, but that is what we have heard. Worse is that they seem to have no published criteria or real plan for when or how that might change.

It's fully their choice, obviously. By the same token, it is now our choice to decide whether to spend our tourist dollars in the US or elsewhere, even if they now open the land border at some point.

 

[Sandy VDH]

@Sandy VDH

You will need the ArriveCAN app, a negative Covid test, plus proof of full vaccination to enter Canada. At the moment, you will not need anything other than your US passport to re-enter the US by land, unlike if you were flying.

Thanks, I did know about the ArriveCAN app, as my brother (also dual) has been back to Canada recently.

 

[MrockStar]

Your right, its all about the narrative.

 

[moonstone]

You will need the ArriveCAN app, and a negative Covid test to enter Canada. Proof of full vaccination will avoid a 14-day quarantine at entry.

Also worth noting, that many folks miss, is that the Covid test must be a PCR or one of the approved tests (COVID-19 testing for travellers - Travel restrictions in Canada – Travel.gc.ca ) and not a rapid antigen test that is so popular and accepted in the USA.

~Diane

 

[moonstone]

A friend of ours that married a Canadian almost fifty years just stopped to see us on their way a home from Canada. They drove to Canada and back through international falls. Why can they do that and others can’t?

I am surprised that the Canadian was allowed to drive into the USA. I have seen many reports on the various Snowbirds Facebook groups I belong to and on our news reports, of couples where one is American and one is Canadian trying to drive across into the US and the Canadian one is refused entry. Maybe your friend's spouse got an American citizenship?

~Diane

 

[dioxide45]

I am surprised that the Canadian was allowed to drive into the USA. I have seen many reports on the various Snowbirds Facebook groups I belong to and on our news reports, of couples where one is American and one is Canadian trying to drive across into the US and the Canadian one is refused entry. Maybe your friend's spouse got an American citizenship?

~Diane

Sounds like they live in the US, so could be either dual citizenship or a US permanent resident.

 

[rapmarks]

I am surprised that the Canadian was allowed to drive into the USA. I have seen many reports on the various Snowbirds Facebook groups I belong to and on our news reports, of couples where one is American and one is Canadian trying to drive across into the US and the Canadian one is refused entry. Maybe your friend's spouse got an American citizenship?

~Diane

I would think she did As I recall she came down in 1972 she must have dual citizenship. She said she hadn’t seen her family I two years,

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

I have dual US and Canadian Citizenship. I live in US, but have family in Canada. I was planning on driving to Canada for an extended visit. Assuming because I have citizenship on both sides access either way should be fine. Am I correct, or do I need to research more?

Hi @Sandy VDH ,You are fine as long as you do the ArriveCan thing / are fully vaccinated and have a 72 hour or newer Covid Test.
Our son (who is dua) did this in July as soon the automatic Canadian quarantine requirement was lifted. He actually walked across the Rainbow Bridge both ways.

..... couples where one is American and one is Canadian trying to drive across into the US and the Canadian one is refused entry. .....
~Diane

This is correct I am dual I called last week for an update and was told my wife could not enter the USA with me by land border.
I asked specifically about crossing to visit my 91 year old father : and was told if he had a medical emergency or was dying an exemption could occur .

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

......the southern boarder is wide open, unless your Haitian.

lots of business's looking for minimum wage workers .....
seems like a waste of tax money to fly them back to Haiti ?

 

[MrockStar]

Yes, except alot of them have communicable disease and other heath challenges,so we wouldn't want that to spread/kill innocent kids or older Americans right.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

... communicable disease and other heath challenges,.......

A well managed temporary foreign workers program with proper vetting would eliminate those with communicable diseases while addressing
labour shortages in certain sectors of the economy.

When oil prices were $100 a barrel - many Tim Horton's in Alberta were staffed this way.via employer applications.

Most of the crops in Ontario are picked by Caribbean and Mexican employees who are part of the Canadian temporary foreign workers program.
They typically go home for 3-4 months during our winter.and many return to the same employer the next year The employer has to do an extensive application process.

 

[dioxide45]

A well managed temporary foreign workers program with proper vetting would eliminate those with communicable diseases while addressing
labour shortages in certain sectors of the economy.

When oil prices were $100 a barrel - many Tim Horton's in Alberta were staffed this way.via employer applications.

Most of the crops in Ontario are picked by Caribbean and Mexican employees who are part of the Canadian temporary foreign workers program.
They typically go home for 3-4 months during our winter.and many return to the same employer the next year The employer has to do an extensive application process.

This would of course take an act of Congress in the USA, and we know how that goes. This would of course be an ideal solution, but it would also likely require certain sectors to pay higher wages than they currently do for under the table labor and some of those sectors are well connected politically.

That aside, when I was growing up in Ontario my other worked at an apple orchard. Every spring temporary workers would arrive. Most were from Jamaica. They would remain until just after the peak picking seasons and then remaining labor would help finish off any late varieties of the fruit. I just recall how before returning home they would all go to the store and buy up a ton of electronics, televisions, name brand labels and just about anything else that they either couldn't get at home or was much more expensive.

 

[MrockStar]

Iam very familiar with seasonal farm workers in MI and think its great, no problem. Please get vetted clean bill of health and get to work. We need all the legal workers we can get here.

 

[rapmarks]

Isn’t it a pity we know solutions but our politicians won’t enact them