I know that the border between the US and Canada has tightened considerably since 9/11. From personal experience, I can assure you that Canadian customs and immigration folks are not kind and friendly towards mileage runners.

I never make pure MRs... it is always a place that I would generally never get to otherwise, and I usually spend at least one night. Well, last week, I showed up at an Alberta airport... told the first agent I was just there as a tourist, one night... sent for secondary inspection where I was interrogated and searched for nearly two hours... laptop searched for child pornography etc. Finding none, the agent asked: "Do you have any pornography on here at all? I find it difficult to believe that you have nothing."

Essentially, they could not fathom why someone who said they did not know anyone, was not meeeting anyone etc. would come for just one night. I told them over and over that indeed that was the case... here is my return res #, car rental confirm, hotel confirm... a wallet full of platinum cradit cards etc.


Anyone else have any "fun" Canadian customs stories to tell?

There's a similar thread (while not specific to Canadian customs, there are stories dealing with experiences in Canada with both immigration and customs)

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=277938

Also stories in the travel safety and security forum as well.

Wow, that's ridiculous! TWO HOURS?!?!?!

That being said, while I have heard a lot of bad things about Canadian immigration, it was quite painless when I was in transit for the last time for 14 hours. I guess the fact that I was flying SFO-YYZ-TPA, which is somewhat logical helped. Either way, the agent was FAR from nice!

The above thread has a very similar saga to mine from Calgary. It is rather amusing... if you say you are on a business trip, then a short overnight stay somehow makes sense to them, but you will get grilled on the nature of the business. Plus it is just not true!

If you are a tourist and staying a week, you'd be more welcome than someone only staying a short time.

If I'm flying in and flying out in <24 hours, I just tell them that I am transiting and they tell me to enjoy my short stay. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I don't think that that will work at places like Calgary, Edmonton, Kamloops and so forth. And even in YVR and YYZ, I question whether or not they will "buy" that.

Well it worked the 6 times I did it in YYZ last year, but you are probably correct that the smaller airports might question it.

I've done several "transits" of YYZ, 2 with overnight stays, and never had a problem or serious questioning about how long I was staying by Immigration. However, I got a thorough dressing down trying to leave the Customs area with only my rollaboard. The agent at the door had difficulty believing I had only my rollaboard and small backpack and repeatedly asserted very firmly (felt like shouting, but I'm not sure of the volume) that I had to collect ALL my luggage at that point, despite the fact that I told her again and again that what I had on my was all there was.

I had a similar experience on a mileage run with a one night layover at YVR. I waited for 40 min in the regular international arrivals lines. The agent in my line did not believe my story of a mileage run, although I had my return ticket and hotel reservation at hand. I also felt that the concept was new to at least this particular agent.
So I was send to secondary inerrrogation. I was only allowed to take my shoulderbag inside, my other carryon had to stay outside in a big pile of unmonitored pieces of luggage. They had two lines in there one for travellers with work visa and one for people where they did not believe their story. Waiting in line for 1.5 hours I was surrounded by Chinese, Mexican and Eastern Europeans. Secondary Contol Immigration Officer was friendly but none the less asking me again again, why I would fly all the way from Germany to Canada and just stay for a few hours. He tried to talk me into admitting that I have a girlfriend that I want to see in Vancouver. But mostly he was trying to find ot if I intend to work in Canada. I understand that single one day travellers migh look suspiciously looking for illegal jobs. But I have a good job as a physician, which I proved by my employer ID und my international Doctors ID. After 20 minutes, he let me go and proceed to customs. There my shoulderbag an my carryon was searched thoroughly. But what I find personally disturbing is the practice of searching laptops in the open, people waiting behind you. Browsing through hundreds of picutures, of my family, friend, collegues and lovers or what ever there was he didn't find anything that he objected.
So finally after about 2:40 minutes I stept out into a friendly sunny evening in Vacouver, the snowy montains howering over the city in a distance.

Well it works the other way also. Most Canadians can tell you they had the same experiences with US entry and many of them where before 9/11. I once had US customs go through my car ashtray with tweezers saying over and over "If I find a seed, the car is mine". That was only the start of it. Generally US customs officials have been much more rude in there behavior but the Canadian officials since 9/11 are catching up mostly because of US government pressure to crack down. After all everyone knows those 9/11 terrorists came through Canada.

Of all the immigration/customs I travel to in the world, I find the Canadian's the most difficult. I have stopped doing business, and transiting through Canada due to the "grilling" I seem to get at Toronto. We have dropped any business with Canada since we will not subject ourselves to their immigration agents.

While it does sound a bit suspect that a normal male would have no pornography on their laptop you still did not deserved to be grilled for so long.

I transit Canada all the time for LCA and OTP deals. Never a problem for staying a day or two. (YVR and YYZ)

We have done the same, costing the Canadian economy quite a bit of money!

Due to legal issues in the US, we need to hold meetings with a select client outside of the US, so Toronto/Montreal has been quite convenient in the past. But in the past five or six years, the list of horror stories grows of how rude and unwelcoming the immigration and customs officials have been.

One Asian member of staff was grilled for a few hours, searched and finally let in. He was in such a state when he arrived at the Four Seasons in Toronto, he couldn't take part in the meeting but had to see a doctor to get him calmed down.

So, we've moved our business to Bermuda, the Bahamas or Mexico...so that is -six to eight meetings per year,
-return business class air tickets (which have often been on Air Canada),
-meeting rooms,
-accommodation and meals (often at the Four Seasons in Toronto),
-plus any addition purchases on shopping expeditions, theatre, etc.
All that LOST because a few border control agents haven't been put through a "Welcome to Canada" course... they sure could use it!

When I flew into YYZ, and on a late night flight routing through DFW (international sector flew in via the US), the Customs agent asked me what I had, and I said I was just transiting back to the US, as I got a good deal on a biz fare to YYZ.

He asked me how much I paid, and then said fine...I was free to proceed.

I gather that anything could happen if I fly it again - one never knows!