Immigration Canada

Exclusion from Revalidation of a Nonimmigrant Visa Canada Citizens of Canada traveling to the U.S. do not require a nonimmigrant visa, except for the purposes as described below. Foreign government officials (A), officials and employees of international organizations (G) and NATO officials, representatives and employees assigned to the U.S. as needed to f ... [Read More]

Border Countries Canada and Mexico

Also to learn more about U.S. entry requirements from Canada and Mexico, select Foreign Visitors Entering the U.S. from Canada or Mexico to visit the DHS U.S. Customs and Border Protection website. Appointments are Required Any third country national (TCN)* present in the United States and visitors present in Canada who wish to apply for a nonimmigrant visa at any of our border posts in Canada or Mexico must make an appointment for an interview. U.S. Consular offices are located ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Text: U.S., Canada Implementing Bilateral Pact on Asylum Seekers

The Department of Justice is also publishing a companion final rule, which will govern the process by which immigration judges of the Executive Office for Immigration Review will apply the Agreement to cases arising under their jurisdiction. ...

The final rule implements the Agreement's several exceptions to its general proviso that asylum-seekers attempting to enter the U.S. from Canada at land border ports-of-entry be returned to Canada for consideration of their protection concerns. These exceptions include, among others, an exemption for unaccompanied minors and exemptions for some asylum-seekers with certain family members in the United States. The exceptions for asylum-seekers with family members in the U.S. recognize that those family members may be able to provide important support to an asylum-seeker while he or she is pursuing protection, and includes a range of relatives, far broader than those customarily recognized under U.S. family-based immigration laws, i.e., spouses, sons, daughters, parents, legal guardians, siblings, grandparents, grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews. In order for asylum-seekers to qualify for these exceptions, their family members in the U.S. must simply have some form of lawfu ... [Read More]

USIA - Portrait of the USA, Ch. 1

In 1986 Congress revised immigration law to deal withillegal aliens. Many of those who had been in the country since1982 became eligible to apply for legal residency that wouldeventually permit them to stay in the country permanently. In1990, nearly 900,000 people took advantage of this law to obtainlegal status. The law also provided strong measures to combatfurther illegal immigration and imposed penalties on businessesthat knowingly employ illegal aliens. ...

In 1924 Congress passed the Johnson-Reed Immigration Act.For the first time, the United States set limits on how manypeople from each country it would admit. The number of peopleallowed to emigrate from a given country each year was based onthe number of people from that country already living in theUnited States. As a result, immigration patterns over the next 40years reflected the existing immigrant population, mostlyEuropeans and North Americans. ... [Read More]

Tips for Travelers to Canada

E-mail: canadian.firearms@justice.gc.ca Drugs Penalties for possession, use, and dealing in illegal drugs are strict in Canada. Convicted offenders can expect jail sentences and fines. Drunk Driving [Read More]

2006 DIVERSITY IMMIGRANT VISA PROGRAM

NOTE: Entries must include the name, date and place of birth of the applicant's spouse and all natural children, as well as all legally-adopted and stepchildren, who are unmarried and under the age of 21 (except children who are already U.S. citizens or Legal Permanent Residents), even if you are no longer legally married to the child's parent, and even if the spouse or child does not currently reside with you and/or will not immigrate with you. Note that married children and children 21 years or older will not qualify for the diversity visa. Failure to list all children will result in your disqualification for the visa. (See question 11 on the list of Frequently Asked Questions.) ... [Read More]

Canada

Parliament passed the Government's proposed Immigration Act and the Governor General signed it into law in November. Part three of the act contains a section on Human Smuggling and Trafficking, which makes such action an offense punishable by fine or imprisonment, but this section of the act had not entered into force at year's end. The Government investigates and prosecutes cases of trafficking; however, law enforcement efforts directed at trafficking remain limited because trafficking is not yet a criminal offense. The RCMP does charge traffickers for violating a variety of other statutes when its investigations turn up instances of trafficking. In Toronto a combined federal and local task force (Operation Almonzo), which includes Toronto police, the RCMP, immigration officials, and social services groups, specifically is devoted to investigating the trafficking of women into sexual exploitation. ... [Read More]

U.S. Immigration Application Backlog Decreasing, Official Says - US Department of State

Aguirre has been addressing the immediate problems involved with establishing a new agency in a new cabinet department and dealing with the regulatory changes imposed following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Aguirre also is taking a long view of immigration management, and suggested that the U.S. Congress needs to make a wholesale reassessment of the legal regimen that governs immigration. ...

Washington -- U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS) has made significant progress in reforming an "old, embattled" bureaucracy and is making solid inroads in reducing a longstanding backlog in immigration applications, according to CIS Director Eduardo Aguirre. ... [Read More]

Department of State Washington File: Fact Sheet: President Bush on Immigration Policy

-- Better Coordinates Immigration and Customs Policies with Canada and Mexico: Millions of people and billions of dollars of goods move legally between the United States, Canada and Mexico each year. The United States seeks to deny potential terrorists easy entry into the country from Canada or Mexico, while ensuring that legal travel and commerce continues with minimal border restrictions. The Directive orders the Secretaries of State and Treasury and the Attorney General to increase the sharing of customs and immigration information with Canada and Mexico, and work with our neighbors to develop a shared immigration and customs control database. These efforts will ensure the maximum possible compatibility of immigration, customs and visa policies. ... [Read More]

Canada (07/05)

In 1995, the United States and Canada signed a liberalized aviation agreement, and air traffic between the two countries has increased dramatically as a result. U.S. immigration and customs inspectors provide preclearance services at seven airports in Canada, allowing air travelers direct connections in the United States. The two countries also share in operation of the St. Lawrence Seaway, connecting the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean. ... [Read More]