Why do Canadian Immigration officers get so disrespectfull to people entering Canada?

Question

Yet when you enter back in to State the US immigration treats you with dignity and respect.Everytime I drive or fly to Canada I have to put up with very cold hearted or disrespectfull officers at the port of entry.Never did I get mistreatment from Their counterparts in the US, infact the very opposite of Canadian.

Answer 1

Weird. I am Canadian and you must be going back to a different US Customs than I am. I have had my share of customs agents on both sides of the boarder that were disrespectful. But I'd say the worst were American agents. I have ignored rude and racist comments, discrimination, disrespect and so forth.

Maybe it has to do with each type of agent generally treating their own kind better.

Answer 2

I am a white Canadian that goes down to the USA every now and again. I have never had any case where the border agent on EITHER side was rude or disrespectful to me.

On the other hand, they do give you this impression that they are suspicious of you and may sometimes ask the same question in a different way to see if they get the same answer.

If you give them a reason to suspect something about you, they will push and prod you until they are convinced that you are not a threat to their country or that you are hiding anything. That is their job.

Now I did hear of a Punjabi co-worker who recently went down to Detroit from Canada to visit relatives there for a wedding, and he encountered a US border agent who seemed to be a bit racist. Although my co-worker goes to Detroit area regularly and never had an issue before, suddenly this last time the agent gave him a hard time.

Here is a sample transcript of his conversation with the US border agent. The lines in quotes are what the agent said to my co-worker:

====================
Good Morning Sir.
"What do you mean by that?"
I was just greeting you. You can take it anyway you like.
"Where are you going?"
Detroit
"What are you going there for?"
My niece is getting married and we are going to the wedding in Redford.
"I thought you said you were going to Detroit?"
Redford is a suburb of Detroit, sir.
"Are you and your family in the country legally?"
Yes sir.
====================

That last question really upset my friend but he kept his composure. He asked me how anyone was supposed to answer that. If they were in the country illegally, would anyone seriously answer that truthfully? And would that be asked to a white person?

I hope that you have better experiences with the agents that you meet in the future. Please remember that as long as you keep the conversation short and do not try to make jokes with them or are unpleasant yourself, they will likely wave you through with little or no difficulty.

If you feel you have been discriminated against, then be sure to make note of the exact time you passed the border checkpoint, and which booth you used. If you can get the agent's name, do so and then register a complaint about the way you were treated once your trip is over.

Answer 3

My husband works on the Canadian border (not as a customs officer) and I can truthfully say that I have never seen any customs official treat a person without respect. In spite of the fact that I have heard people curse and swear at them, and almost come to blows. They still maintained a courteous and professional attitude.

American customs officials have invariably been respectful, even if their questions are somewhat irrelevant at times. I have heard of some cases by them, from friends, that almost amounted to harassment.

Answer 4

When a person is applying for admission to a country, they are under an obligation to answer any and all questions honestly. If you have trouble telling the truth, perhaps you should not apply for admission to Canada. If the officer asks you, "What's the purpose of your trip?" and you fail to tell him the truth, you could be accused of gaining admission to Canada through false and misleading statements. One of the things immigration authorities look for is a "quick sequence of events." An example of a quick sequence of events would be: Applies for admission as a visitor. Begins to seek employment shortly after arrival. Finds a prospective employer. The employer files an application for a work visa for the applicant. The applicant applies for permanent residence shortly after arrival. The above actions all point to a less than candid application for admission at the time of arrival. You need to eliminate any chance that you would be accused of misleading the inspecting officer at the port of entry. As for going to the U.S. to gain an extension of your time in Canada, it's an old trick that rarely works for people of working age. Eighty year old grandmas normally don't have much trouble with that scheme, but very few people who are of working age succeed. Remember, it very easy to deny someone entry at a land border.

Answer 5

I concur that the Americans are the worst, and I'm an American citizen. They ask you all these stupid questions about why you went where, what did you buy, where is your husband, etc. I got asked this because I was traveling with my brother-in-law and my sister was on a different plane (due to using flyer miles.) Now, how is that vital to national security? All this time that guy was just staring me in the eyes. I sure look like a threat to my own country, I guess.

Answer 6

You and I must be using different agents. When I go to Canada, the Canadian officers are polite and quick. When I return home to the US is where the attitude begins.

Answer 7

I have no idea, but there is an old family story:

Some relative was a border guard back in the 20's. His family members passed thru his toll booth (or whatever they had back then) with no problem.

On their return, they also passed thru his toll booth, but that SOB turned them in for having "new tires".. which they did NOT get in Canada!!!

Guess that's why I don't know anything of my relatives over the border!

Answer 8

Hmmmm You and I must cross at very different places. I have never found the Canadian Customs workers to be anything other than polite and helpful, as the U.S. agents generally are, also. But if there is going to be a difficult one, it will be coming back to the U.S.

Answer 9

As a Canadian citizen, I found the reverse was true... US was rude & abrupt to us as we entered, Canadian side pretty much just waved us through.

I guess it depends on your citizenship and which guard you get, and what kind of day they've had. They are human, after all.

Answer 10

Funny thing, I find US immigration rude and arogant when I enter the States from Canada......i guess it just depends on your perspective.