Crossing the Border



My husband has a visual impairment that can’t be totally corrected with contacts or glasses, so he’s not legally allowed to drive. But, I had a whole apartment’s worth of stuff to bring down to Chicago, a 19-hour drive from my home in Saskatchewan. So my sister and brother-in-law (Calgarians) agreed to help us drive down, with my car (which we imported), and with a U-Haul rental (containing all my stuff). Ultimately, it made the most sense for me to drive to Calgary after collecting my passport in Saskatoon, have my husband fly to Calgary, and meet up with my sister and brother-in-law there, before turning around and driving all four of us back to Saskatoon to pack the U-Haul and head to the border. This way, my sister and brother-in-law could fly directly from Chicago to Calgary a few days later.


We took turns driving the U-Haul and my car because my car is more fun and way easier to drive (it’s a six-speed manual with a pretty zippy engine, where the U-Haul doesn’t even have cruise). But it was important that I was the one who drove my car across the border, and that I crossed before my stuff (even if we crossed one after the other). When we arrived at the border, I gave them our passports (just mine and my husband’s, because the other couple was in the U-Haul behind us). When they asked us what the purpose of the trip was, I said I was immigrating, so they sent us inside the building (which we expected). I was called to the desk two or three times to provide little details, such as my mailing address in the USA, and to take a photo of me, and then they were done processing me as an immigrant, so it was on to my stuff.


I had called ahead to the border and asked if I needed to have a manifest of every item in the truck if I was accompanying it. Because lots of people fly when they immigrate and have their stuff shipped (because apparently they’re swimming in cash?), I had read a lot of things that said to make sure to have a manifest with you when you fly so you can declare all your “goods to follow”, but because my goods weren’t following, I wasn’t sure I needed it. The person on the phone said it would be good to have, but to note that I could just say “DVDs” rather than actually itemizing each thing, for example. So I did that while my husband and brother-in-law were packing the truck--just jotted things down on a piece of paper. I am glad I didn’t spend much time on this part, because they didn’t ever ask for the manifest.


The customs officer followed us out to the truck and poked around inside. I didn’t do this on purpose, but the rearmost bin (so closest to the officer) had both of my university degrees on top. He popped that bin open and saw the degrees, and I think there was maybe a bit of classism because he immediately became visibly less suspicious.


Importing the car was TERRIFYING, and here’s why:


I have a Honda Civic (which I bought about a year before I moved, and I bought it used). While I was shopping for that vehicle, I had been in touch with a Honda dealership about maybe buying new, and they sent me a link about how to import a Honda vehicle to the USA if necessary. I followed those steps, and here was the gist:


Contact American Honda for a letter that states the car meets DOT (Department of Transportation) and EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) standards.


Contact Canadian Honda for proof that the vehicle was manufactured in Canada (to avoid paying duty, because of NAFTA), and that there are no outstanding recalls.


So, I did both of those things, and I found out that the vehicle meets EPA standards, but not DOT because it doesn’t have a tire pressure monitor system. TPMS are required in US vehicles manufactured after 2007, but in Canada, they’re not standard in most vehicles prior to like 2016. Mine is a 2012. The letter also stated that in order for the car to be imported it would have to be retrofitted with the appropriate part from the manufacturer. That’s not really an option with a TPMS because it would require stripping the car down and essentially rebuilding it.


But, there are after-market options. So we had a mechanic install a super easy after-market TPMS system and hoped the border would let us cross with it. They could easily say no, because it isn’t the original part! But here’s how it went down at the border:


Customs Officer: “So...it doesn’t have a tire pressure monitor?”


Me: “That’s right”


CO: Ok...so then this is the receipt for the mechanic who installed an aftermarket system?


Me: Yes.


CO: ...well that seems reasonable.


And that was that. SO MUCH ANXIETY for nothing.





Voila! American permanent resident!!!

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