Border crossing classification

April 5, 2006 1:42 PM

Crossing the border for a job interview. Is this work, business, or personal?

When you fly to the US from Canada, the little form has tick boxes for, as I recall, work, business and personal visits.

I'm flying to the US for a job interview. The interview is with Americans, but if I get the job, I would work in Canada, not the US, so I'm not going there to actually work. I currently volunteer for the organization I'm inteviewing for a job with, but I'm not sure that counts as business. Is it personal because I don't yet work for them?

I tried asking on the US Customs & Immigration site, but they haven't answered my email and I fly tomorrow. I'd rather not ask at the airport because I tend to get flustered around the customs & immigration people.

And for the benefit of those who always wonder about these things, this is anonymous because my current employers don't need to know I'm applying for a new job.

posted by anonymous to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

I would refer to it as a personal trip.

Even though you are meeting with a prospective employer, you are not receiving remuneration for your trip (other than they are paying your air fare). In other words, you do not expect any revenue generation from your trip. Beyond that, it is a matter of semantics.

Good luck!
posted by fox_terrier_guy at 1:58 PM on April 5, 2006

I recently did this, and when asked told them straight up it was for a job interview. They asked if it was a good job and I said yes, a great job. That made them happy. Even customs people like the knowledge that their country has great jobs that excite people. They wanted to know when I was coming back and I summarized the days of my interview schedule so they didn't wonder if I was aimlessly job interviewing. That seemed to satisfy them. I don't remember what box I checked, but I could have defended either one and the form didn't matter since I wasn't selling anything. And in a way it explained why I didn't bring home a bevy of touristy stuff to declare. So just be honest and open when you talk to them and don't try to sneak over anything Cuban on this particular trip.
posted by dness2 at 2:00 PM on April 5, 2006

I would tick business. And tell them you're interviewing for a Canada-based position, not a US-based position. And you'll only be here for x days.

It's safer to say business and explain it down, than to say personal and then explain it up.

It's like when I bring food into the country. I always check the little box about food, even if I know the food concerned is innocuous (like candy). And then the US immigration staff member almost invariably changes it to unchecked for me. Which is ok.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 2:03 PM on April 5, 2006

Be honest. I had a similar experience to dness2 about 5 years ago (I got the job, and still have it!). The border folks weren't particularly nice and asked me a bunch of questions, but it would have been worse if I had lied.
posted by batboy at 2:05 PM on April 5, 2006

You're actually required to check the "food" box if you're bringing over any type of food. This includes bottles full of Coca-Cola.

I had a customs agent explicitly say that to me—food is food is food. So I'm guessing you might want to err on the side of caution. Especially since you're entering the U.S. from Canada and not the other way around.
posted by oaf at 2:11 PM on April 5, 2006

Tick personal. The business category has some documentation requirements, including a letter from the company stating the purpose of your trip and the reason why you in particular must attend. Most people do not have that kind of documentation for a job interview. Tell them, if asked, that you are going for a job interview. It won't be too big of a hassle (when I drove to a job interview, they took my car keys and searched my trunk, but did not turn me in for secondary inspection).
posted by crazycanuck at 4:52 PM on April 5, 2006

If you're getting paid for this trip it's work. However, meetings of almost any type that solely involve talking (as opposed to you building something, repairing something, bringing in parts for something, or teaching something) are covered by NAFTA and will not require any kind of visa.

The lowest standard for work is doing something that *someone* would get paid for normally. If you fly to the US to volunteer as a camp councellor for some kind of chartiy camp you'd need a visa (although they usually waive the requirement if you're actually not getting anything more than room and board) so be careful what you say about volunteering. If there isn't any on this trip, it shouldn't really be mentioned.
posted by tiamat at 5:06 PM on April 5, 2006

If you are the kind of person who gets nervous around authorities, I'd check "business" and explain you are going to an interview with a US entity for a position in Canada. If you are honest, and extra paperwork that you don't have is required, and you don't draw a total jerk, they'll still let you through.

If you grew up on the border, and it would never occur to you to declare the Coffee Crunches and Ozonol under your car seat, say personal.

So much depends these days on luck of the draw. Since you are unsure enough to ask this question, I'd recommend the first option (I'm a borderer who crosses all the time, but not anyone official).
posted by QIbHom at 5:37 PM on April 5, 2006

Wasn't there a post a few weeks ago about some poor guy whose family or neighbours had come to the US to interview for jobs and then they'd been caught with resumes and letters of recommendation?

Check out the requirements for the business visitor visa. Get all the documentation. E.g., the letter from the employer saying this is not for compensation and that you're just going down to learn more about the company. I know someone who was recently prevented from crossing the border to speak (unpaid) at a conference -- he was having his flight compensated. So you need to have something that says you're not receiving any compensation in any form for the trip. You might also want to call the US embassy in Canada and heck with them.
posted by acoutu at 10:02 PM on April 5, 2006

er, uh, check.
posted by acoutu at 10:10 PM on April 5, 2006

Anecdote to show the mind-set of U.S. Immigration officials:
My husband and I were crossing from Canada to the U.S. to help my mum move. After a whoooole buncha questions the officer said that he shouldn't let my husband through because, "he was taking a job away from an American citizen." We made it clear it was unpaid work but it didn't matter. The officer said unpaid or not, he should not let my husband across the border. He ended up letting us through but made it clear that in the future we're always, "just visiting."
posted by deborah at 9:06 PM on April 6, 2006

There was a write-up in the Ladner paper a few years ago where a guy was going down to Point Roberts to help his friend get his car started. He was denied entry for the same reason.
posted by acoutu at 9:37 PM on April 6, 2006

Just a follow-up, for anyone who might care.

I was anonymous. I said 'For a job interview' at the border, because I was already so visibly nervous by the time I got there that I knew I couldn't possibly carry off a lie. It was the fastest border crossing ever, the guy never asked me a single other question just stamped and let me move on.

Also, I got the job.
posted by jacquilynne at 11:09 AM on April 27, 2006