so if a passport is getting back into a country, why did I need to show one when I was trying to enter Canada? Rather, a passport is for trying to enter a country (any country) but not when I leave?
Right. Basically nobody cares who is leaving, but to enter somewhere you need the documentation.
The US confuses the issue a little by having some of their checkpoints located in the foreign airport. So for example you have to show a passport before you board a plane from Montreal to New York. But it's not because the Canadians care who's leaving - it's US Customs.
My general impression regarding the USA/Canada border has been that the Canadian border guards are all "Welcome to our country! Have a pleasant visit!" while the American ones are more "Who the fuck are you and why should we let you in?!?"
A passport is where the visas go. You guys just don't really use visas much.
Ugh, I should be sleeping. Canna sleep.
the Canadian border guards are all "Welcome to our country! Have a pleasant visit!"
This might be because you're American.
They're sure not that way to a Jamaican former-Canadian resident. And listening to them threaten people crossing their border was very illuminating. And, I'm sure, ultimately useless.
Yay on the new job, msbelle!
I should get back to my grading. Feh.
My experience has been that French-Canadian border guards are not very nice people.
A passport is where the visas go.
I love it when ita gets all logical. Thing of beauty.
French-Canadian border guards are not very nice people
no shit. But most of the Canadian border guards in airports have not been all that pleasant. As a traveler, I'm not that pleasant either though.
The US confuses the issue a little by having some of their checkpoints located in the foreign airport. So for example you have to show a passport before you board a plane from Montreal to New York.
The US also makes airlines collect all nationalty info before boarding and if doesn't match exactly to entry at US Customs they face a stiff fine.
My general impression regarding the USA/Canada border has been that the Canadian border guards are all "Welcome to our country! Have a pleasant visit!" while the American ones are more "Who the fuck are you and why should we let you in?!?"
This was not at all my experience, as I spent over an hour after my last flight to Toronto trying to explain to immigration that, no, I was not moving to Canada.
Most of my Canadian border crossings have not been into Quebec. But the border guards are about averagely assholish, slanted to more when I listened to one in particular run through "We're gonna get you, don't even look at Vancouver funny" threats. It was depressingly mechanical bullying.
