In Toronto Pearson do US and Canadian citizens use the same line at immigration. In many US airports at immigration the sign says, for example: "U.S. and Canadian citizens". In almost every us airport I've flown into from out of the country Americans and Canadians use the same line. Is this the case at Toronto Pearson or any other Canadian airports?

Question

pythonpoole · Answer

@aaronl1 I'm not sure about Toronto, but at the Vancouver International Airport I believe the customs/immigration lines are split into "Canadian Residents" and "Visitors to Canada", as seen in this photo: http://c8.alamy.com/comp/J4ABGT/international-arrivals-immigration-and-customs-control-area-vancouver-J4ABGT.jpg

I would suggest that you simply follow the instructions on the signage when you arrive. Do not assume that you can use the same lane as Canadian citizens unless specified otherwise.

The US often groups Canadians together with US citizens because Canadians do not need a visa or an ESTA to fly to the US (whereas almost all other foreign nationals need either one or the other).

Side note: Be aware that Toronto Pearson has US customs & immigration pre-clearance available on outbound flights to the US. This means that in many—but not necessarily all—cases you will go through US customs in Canada before boarding your flight to the US. When you arrive in the US, the airplane will then dock at a gate where you can collect your baggage and leave the airport without having to go through US customs again.

pythonpoole · Answer

@aaronl1 Well it's worth noting that the ESTA program is well established and has been in effect since 2008, but Canada's eTA program is new (as of about one year ago).

In any case though, it's up to each country to decide how they want to separate their customs/immigration lanes and process travellers.

I was merely suggesting that one reason the US may choose to process Canadians in the same lane is because there is little-to-no paperwork involved when processing Canadian tourists (just as there is little-to-no paperwork involved when processing US citizens). So both US citizens and Canadians can share the same lane and keep it moving efficiently with minimal delays.

As to why Canada doesn't do this, I don't know. Perhaps some airports do, that I'm not sure of. I know the land-border crossings do not make any distinction between US and Canadian citizens—the lanes are usually separated into NEXUS lanes (priority lanes for trusted travellers), AUTO lanes (for regular vehicles) and TRUCK lanes for commercial trucks etc.

madily · Answer

Do you mean customs? Or immigration? I've never heard the term immigration used for airports.

madily · Answer

@aaronl1 The Canadian Border Services Agency does both customs and immigration in their questioning. It is colloquially referred to exclusively as 'customs' here and I wouldn't consider that incorrect. I was curious as to why I had never heard the term before, so I looked into it.

Your response to me seems rather ill-intended. You had a clear answer from someone else, and you seemed to have the sole intention of making me feel stupid. I don't think that was very nice.

Here's the blurb anyways from the Ottawa airport site about immigration and customs. They mention both terms in the Canadian one but the US one refers to customs exclusively. Likely it is colloquially used in the same way in the states and that is why you hear it used in a way you find incorrect.

Usuario eliminado · Answer

Yes, if I remember correctly, American and Canadian citizens use the same line at customs/immigration.

WillHDesroches · Answer

Yes, crossing international borders will put you into the same customs lineup as Canadians returning to Canada, domestic flights have their own lineup as they didn’t leave our borders

WillHDesroches · Answer

@aaronl1 the first half of my statement answered your question actually, the second half is a comparison

WillHDesroches · Answer

I’m not talking about land border crossing either? How would you cross the border and be at pearson at the same time

WillHDesroches · Answer

@aaronl1 i said flights but okay then bud

oldthrall · Answer

I just flown in from overseas to Toronto Pearson recently and there's basically 3 lines: all passports, express (if you fill out the customs declaration and use those machines before you reach the room you can skip the line with the electronic receipt), NEXUS, and I think plus a line for crew members.

oldthrall · Answer

there's no longer a visitors line or Canadian passport line separated out