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[pct-l] Re: Entry to USA from Canada on the PCT



Yes, back again with the mostly boring issue of the border crossing,
sorry about plaguing the list again with that but I've been gathering
bits of info from different sources and I think I need your opinions
again.

Let's say I fly into Seattle and take a bus to Vancouver to get to
Manning Park as soon as it's possible and then hike the PCT from the
northern terminus back to the US so I'll be entering the US illegally,
strictly speaking.

I've been trying to find out what would happen to my arrival/departure
record (I-94 card) when I leave for Canada by road. I've been told (by
individuals in the same situation as me) that as far as last year no
check was made on the US-Canada border by US customs (when leaving for
Canada) and I've also found on the web that visitors to the US do not
need to hand their I-94 card to US customs officials when they're
visiting Canada for less than 30 days (and planning to return to the
US), rather they have to keep it until they leave the US definitely.

Apparently, US customs don't bother with visitors leaving for Canada and
upon return to the US they just check, by means of passport and I-94
stub, the visitor is still allowed to stay in the US (90 days under the
visa waiver program for tourists in my case) and let him/her in. Given
all these, I honestly see no problem in re-entering the US through the
PCT. Maybe Canada border control checks me into Canada and feeds US
records with that data? or somehow stamp my passport with a Canada entry
register that can somehow leave a blank somewhere if I leave Canada
through the PCT instead of an official border post?

Nevertheless, I'm still concerned by all the advise I've got here
against doing this, basically from US citizens (while non-US people's
opinions have been rather positive). I don't mean to question the
knowledge or the goodwill to honestly help of all those from whom I got
that advise but I'd like you all to tell me what do you think could go
wrong or in which scenario do you think I could have a problem. Any real
life example you might know about could help me assess the potential
risks. Please also tell me if there's anything wrong in the exposition
above, particularly about how the I-94 thing works.

Again, don't get me wrong, it's not like I want to force you to tell me
what I want to hear but that I honestly don't see how I can get into
trouble (unless I meet a border patrol on the border along the trail but
it seems that's highly unlikely).

I'll try to shut up after this one, I promise :)

Thanks in advance
Inaki
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