US Waiver for Canadians

Here's an interesting post about the American position on traveling to Canada with a criminal record. The War on Terror hasn't caught many terrorists. But at the Canadian border, it's snagging thousands of tourists who are denied entry due to convictions decades ago for relatively minor offenses. You can read the complete article here .

Now that I have my waiver, I'm starting to consider what the process might be to renew it. Some questions that I will be pursuing: Do I need to re do the C-216C and resubmit it to the RCMP for a date stamp and endorsement? Do I have to request again the document from the RCMP showing my prior convictions? Do I have to reappear for the interview with the US border office to complete the application I-192? Will processing of the application be faster the second time? Can I expect, based on my current waiver that the next one will be good for 5 years? And some additional questions which are directed at my career aspirations: With the waiver, can I apply for an L1 work visa? Can I relocate to the USA? I'll be focusing on finding answers to these questions. If you have any insight, please use the comment section of this post. Thanks

I stumbled on to an interesting article which could effect those applying for waivers. There is a proposal by the USCIS to increase the fees for processing. For example, the I-192 application for advance permission to enter as a nonimmigrant is currently $265 US. The proposal would increase it to $545 US (a, $280 or 105.7% increase). You can read the full article here: Proposed USCIS Fee Adjustments

Today I landed in San Francisco. Another of the 6 trips to the United States that I have taken thus far with my I-194 waiver over the past few months. A couple of points from my experience: Processing time is much slower now than in the past (specifically before I needed a waiver to travel to the US). Note: Make sure you arrive at the airport with extra time before your flight! In my experience the officer always reads the waiver and cover letter in full (almost like it is the first time he/she has ever seen anything like it). They almost never ask me questions about it (like, "what did you do"). I always present my waiver right away accompanied by the completed I-94. The officer enters what appears to be a novel into his terminal (I assume it is the details of where I am going and how long I am staying and file numbers). They rarely ask me of my intended intentions in the US (in the past I used to get drilled every trip). Besides the extra time required the proce...