US Waiver for Canadians

The popular social network site Twitter is a great resource to follow for those caught up in the inadmissibility waiver net or anyone interested in immigration law, policy, border protection, etc. The US Embassy in Ottawa is also part of this community as are many other notables. Here's a list of some of them: @i194waiver Ryan Smarty (administrator for this blog). Follow me for updates on this blog and other related news. @ usembassyottawa Embassy of the United States of America, Ottawa Canada - US Mission to Canada Website Updates. @ LaurelScott Immigration lawyer ( Houston, TX). I blogged about Laurel recently and her Live Attorney Chat Wednesdays . @ Immi _Issues Jennifer McFadyen -editor for About. com's Guide to Immigration Issues . @ LegalDocs Legal information covering all aspects of Immigration Law, provided by leading attorneys and law firms (and streamed via JD Supra). @ ImmigrationGuys (Florida). Latest Immigration News from real-life (in the trenches) Immigr

President Barack Obama intends to nominate lawyer David Jacobson, a key fundraiser during his presidential campaign, as the new ambassador to Canada, the White House announced Thursday. The White House said Jacobson, 57, who served as deputy national finance chairman for the Obama campaign, is currently serving as special assistant to the president, helping fill vacant administration jobs. Read the complete CBC article: Obama fundraiser to be named U.S. ambassador to Canada This is good news for Canada: A close friend of Obama getting this position in Ottawa demonstrates the importance of the relationship with Canada for the Obama White House. What does this mean for Canadians' who require the waiver of inadmissibility? A faint hope that the new ambassador can help to over haul some of the current waiver bureaucracy (for example, a return to a lifetime I-194 instead of people having to renew every 1, 2 or 5 years). I'm now on Twitter: i194waiver .

Interesting news which may potentially effect I-194 waiver recipients down the line: As part of a new initiative, non-U.S. citizens leaving the United States from Detroit and Atlanta airports should expect to have their biometrics collected before boarding their flights. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers will collect biometrics at the boarding gate from non-U.S. citizens departing from Detroit ; U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers will collect biometrics at security checkpoints from non-U.S. citizens departing from Atlanta . These pilot projects are expected to continue through early July. Non-U.S. citizens departing the United States from all other ports of entry will continue to follow current exit procedures, which require travelers to return their paper Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record) or Form I-94W (for Visa Waiver Program travelers) to an airline or ship representative. Read the complete article: DHS Begins Test of Biometric Exit Pro

Per the previous post, U.S. customs officials said they won't strictly enforce new identification requirements at land and sea borders with Canada on June 1 because of business leaders' concerns about the impact on trade and travel. The U.S. "will have a flexible enforcement policy on June 1," said Jayson Ahern, acting customs commissioner. Eventually, "we'll get to a point where" full compliance will be required, he said. Read the complete article: New border rules won't be strictly enforced, U.S. official says Obviously, recipients of the I-194 waiver program should be possession of all necessary documents before making a trip state-side.

As of today, people travelling to the United States by land or water will need a passport or other approved documents such as the NEXUS card used by frequent travellers, the Free and Secure Trade (FAST) card used by truckers, or one of the enhanced driver's licences offered in such provinces as British Columbia, Manitoba and Quebec. The rules are part of the U.S.-imposed Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative intended to enhance border security. Read the article: Tougher passport rules