Hi, Sarah.

I’ve been reading your site for quite a while, and enjoy your writing very much.

You wrote: “The customs authorities want something, anything that proves that you have a permanent address in the States. That’s it.”

It’s really not that simple. Technically, you have to provide proof of citizenship, either a passport or a birth certificate. Canadian border folks tend to be very lenient, so she’d probably get into Canada, but she’ll have a harder time getting back into the US – especially if she looks at all “foreign,” has any trace of an accent, or has an unusual or unusually spelled name.

Just like you, I personally have no trouble crossing the border, but I know a lot of people who have, including my Canadian husband, before we were married.I would also suggest that neither of them mention that they’re visiting a sweety when they’re crossing. It’s possible to be banned from either country if the immigration official believes that you have intent to immigrate illegally, and there is no recourse. This could be a problem for them if they are planning to live together in the same country eventually.

If the writer’s mother won’t hand over her passport, she could declare her passport stolen and get a replacement.

Tortoise

Dear Tortoise,

Thanks for the kind words.

I still contend that, if she’s crossing in a car with US plates and has some form of US identification, she won’t have a problem.Still, you make a good point about not saying that she’s visiting a girlfriend.

And, again, she should really get her passport back.It’s theft, and if her mother doesn’t turn it over, she should take steps to get a new one.

[11/27/00]

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