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shadowkatOkay both Canada's Visa/Green Card requirements and the US's should be smacked upside the head on this one?
R.E. Burke - famous British Cartoonist is detained by US ICE after being detained and refused entry into Canada due to a Visa mixup
I saw this initially on FB and was confused by it. I thought that travelers from the UK did not require VISAs for Canadian or US travel?
This article kind of explains the gist of the mix-up. RE Burke was staying with a family, and paying for her room and board by doing household chores.
"Ms Burke, an artist from Portskewett, Monmouthshire, began backpacking around the US on 7 January.
She had flown from New York to Portland, Oregon, where she spent time with a host family, helping with household chores in return for accommodation.
At the end of February she travelled to Seattle with plans to travel to Vancouver in Canada to stay with another family.
However, when she reached the border, Mr Burke said the Canadian authorities denied her entry as they were concerned she may try to work illegally.
She described how she spent six hours at the border, waiting while officials were "trying to determine if what I had been doing in America counted as work".
***
She said she was "interrogated" and, despite explaining she was "not paid at all", it was decided she had "violated" her visa."
Canada has always been nasty about working illegally in Canada - they only want Canadians to work there, or people who have an approved work visa, which is really hard to get. (Work Visas are also known as Green Cards in the US. And even if you are married to an American - you have to have citizenship to be able to work without a VISA.) Nationalism will kill us all (I swear).
Many countries strictly interpret what constitutes compensated work - even if no money changes hands. And under the best of circumstances, processing within by the US immigration system can move slowly.
Circumstances are far from usual in the US at the moment, however. The Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement across the US, so these experts caution that anyone entering the country should be careful to ensure that all their documents are in order and that they are clear about their intentions upon entering the country.
American immigration policy and enforcement is changing under the new administration, and there is less tolerance for even seemingly honest mistakes.
Such advice comes too late for Ms Burke, who is currently caught in a bureaucratic limbo. She's trying to stay detached from this, trying to see this as an experience to talk to the people in there and share their stories as well.
It's an unusual circumstance - she says she is unlike most of the more than 100 detainees in her building in Tacoma - many of whom have been held for months or even years. She wants to travel back to her home in the UK as soon as possible, while others she speaks to, from places like Mexico, Brazil and Russia, have family in the US and are unwilling or unable to return to their home nations.
That's scary. I wonder if Canada and the US realize their idiotic VISA practices could kill Tourism dead? We kind of all depend on it?
R.E. Burke - famous British Cartoonist is detained by US ICE after being detained and refused entry into Canada due to a Visa mixup
I saw this initially on FB and was confused by it. I thought that travelers from the UK did not require VISAs for Canadian or US travel?
This article kind of explains the gist of the mix-up. RE Burke was staying with a family, and paying for her room and board by doing household chores.
"Ms Burke, an artist from Portskewett, Monmouthshire, began backpacking around the US on 7 January.
She had flown from New York to Portland, Oregon, where she spent time with a host family, helping with household chores in return for accommodation.
At the end of February she travelled to Seattle with plans to travel to Vancouver in Canada to stay with another family.
However, when she reached the border, Mr Burke said the Canadian authorities denied her entry as they were concerned she may try to work illegally.
She described how she spent six hours at the border, waiting while officials were "trying to determine if what I had been doing in America counted as work".
***
She said she was "interrogated" and, despite explaining she was "not paid at all", it was decided she had "violated" her visa."
Canada has always been nasty about working illegally in Canada - they only want Canadians to work there, or people who have an approved work visa, which is really hard to get. (Work Visas are also known as Green Cards in the US. And even if you are married to an American - you have to have citizenship to be able to work without a VISA.) Nationalism will kill us all (I swear).
Many countries strictly interpret what constitutes compensated work - even if no money changes hands. And under the best of circumstances, processing within by the US immigration system can move slowly.
Circumstances are far from usual in the US at the moment, however. The Trump administration has stepped up immigration enforcement across the US, so these experts caution that anyone entering the country should be careful to ensure that all their documents are in order and that they are clear about their intentions upon entering the country.
American immigration policy and enforcement is changing under the new administration, and there is less tolerance for even seemingly honest mistakes.
Such advice comes too late for Ms Burke, who is currently caught in a bureaucratic limbo. She's trying to stay detached from this, trying to see this as an experience to talk to the people in there and share their stories as well.
It's an unusual circumstance - she says she is unlike most of the more than 100 detainees in her building in Tacoma - many of whom have been held for months or even years. She wants to travel back to her home in the UK as soon as possible, while others she speaks to, from places like Mexico, Brazil and Russia, have family in the US and are unwilling or unable to return to their home nations.
That's scary. I wonder if Canada and the US realize their idiotic VISA practices could kill Tourism dead? We kind of all depend on it?
no subject
Date: 2025-03-11 01:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-11 09:57 pm (UTC)My brother couldn't work in Canada when he was living there and going to school - they wouldn't let him. And he could only stay there as a student, or visit.
The reason is taxes. If you are working in another country - you need to be able to pay that country's taxes or should be - and that requires documentation and a tax ID. If you aren't a citizen - you won't have the tax id or documentation unless you get a green card. So they are losing taxes (social security, medicare, income tax), and the higher a country's taxes - the harder it is to get a Visa to work in that country. Denmark won't let people work there either - who aren't citizens. Same is true with the UK - you need a visa now to enter the UK countries, and need to prove you aren't going there for work. So it's by no means isolated to the US and Canada. The UK has now enforced it's own VISA restrictions.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-13 07:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-14 11:52 pm (UTC)The only difference is the EU doesn't have a centralized government, instead its a conglomerate of member countries engaged in a union for trade and economic and defense purposes.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-15 06:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-03-15 05:33 pm (UTC)It is very different from Europe, but also very similar. What's different is we have a centralized federal government, and federal laws, also educational standards, regulations, and language that is the standard more or less across the board. But state laws vary. Much like European laws vary.
Example? Nevada allows prostitution, open gambling, and marriage without a legal license. You can just get married - as long as you have a licensed person performing the marriage. And that marriage is recognized by other states. Everywhere else? You need a license and it takes a bit longer.
And most states don't allow gambling, or prostitution.
Utah is the only state that permits bigamy or polygamy. None of the others do.
The US is also bigger and has a bigger population. And is made up of all of the immigrants and cultures of Europe, Asia, Africa, etc. Unlike other countries, the US, Canada, Mexico - are basically all immigrants or indentured servants or slaves. Trump's grandfather immigrated from Germany to avoid serving in WWI.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-15 05:46 pm (UTC)IDk US history is rather bloody, it wasn't any better back then...
Date: 2025-03-16 02:47 am (UTC)And the American Revolution was bloody. A lot of people died trying to form the United States of America. It was not a peaceful decision. I studied that conflict repeatedly in school - it was a long and painful war.
The 13 original colonies of the United States were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia - under British Rule.
Those were the ones that fought the American Revolutionary War. And by the way? They didn't all necessarily agree to fight Britain. Some people wanted to stay with Britain and remain under British rule. It was by no means unanimous. I'm not even sure it was a clear majority. They did not get along.
Worse? We had the French and Indian War first aka the 7 Years War (it was long and bloody - and the film the Last of the Mohicans, along with the books of James Fenimore Cooper were written about it and during it)- where the British were fighting the French over Canadian territory and US territory. I can't remember who won. Oh, the British - they got Canada, but we have French Canadians because of it.
"The French and Indian War had significant consequences, including:
British Dominance: Great Britain gained control of vast territories in North America, solidifying its position as a major colonial power.
Seeds of Revolution: The war led to increased British control and taxation in the American colonies, which contributed to the growing tensions that eventually led to the American Revolution.
Bicultural Foundations of Canada: The Seven Years' War laid the bicultural foundations of modern Canada"
Then there was the War of 1812 - which was basically the newly formed United States fighting with Britain over the expansion of its territories. US tried to annex part of Canada away from Britain during that WAR (so the desire to grab Canada happened before), and Britain was helping the Native Americans (Indians) keep the Western Territories such as Ohio, etc.
Florida came about with the Adams-Onis Treaty or Transcontinental Treaty:
"The U.S. acquired Florida through the Adams-Onís Treaty (also known as the Transcontinental Treaty) of 1819, which ceded East and West Florida to the United States from Spain.
Here's a more detailed explanation:
Ratification and Transfer: The treaty was ratified in 1821, and the U.S. formally took possession of Florida in 1821"
Basically they bought the territory from Spain.
And before that? They bought Lousiana, Mississippi and the territory clear to the Rocky Mountains from France.
"In 1803, the United States purchased the Louisiana Territory from France for $15 million, effectively doubling the size of the nation and encompassing land from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains.
Key Facts:
Date: April 30, 1803
Price: $15 million (roughly equivalent to $340 million today)
Land: Approximately 828,000 square miles, stretching from the Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains and from the Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian border.
States: The Louisiana Purchase territory now makes up all or parts of fifteen states: Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Nebraska, and parts of present-day New Mexico, South Dakota, Texas, Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado. "
I think Europe decided to stop fighting with the US and just sell the territory to the US instead.
There were some wars in there, Texas was won via a War. Texas became the 28th state of the United States on December 29, 1845, after being annexed by the U.S. as an independent republic following its victory in the Texas Revolution against Mexico.
Following the Mexican-American War, Alta California was ceded to the United States in 1848. (The US wanted California because of the Gold Rush. It's always about money and resources. Humans are greedy asses.)
The Spanish-American War, a brief but impactful conflict in 1898, saw the United States emerge as a global power after defeating Spain, leading to the U.S. acquiring territories like Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines, while Cuba gained independence.
In the middle of all of that? We had the Indian or Native American Wars, and the Civil War, which lasted a long time in the mid-to-late 1800s.
I'm trying to think of a century in which the US hasn't been at war intermittently either with itself, its neighbors, or with the countries overseas? 18th? French and Indian War, Revolutionary War. 19th? War of 1812, The Civil War, the Indian Wars, Spanish-American War, Texas Revolution, Mexican-American War. 20th? WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Gulf War, the Cold War with Russia, 21st? Afghanistan, Iraq, then Israel/Gaza, Ukraine conflict...and now whatever the idiotic Republican Party is planning.
People need to get over their greedy power hungry selves and stop making the same dumb mistakes over and over again.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-11 01:53 pm (UTC)Canada has always been very strict too.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-11 10:01 pm (UTC)Although, I think tourism may go down world-wide? Mainly because people are going to start being afraid to travel. It's not just the US enforcing higher restrictions, so too is the UK, with it's new VISA requirement for travelers living outside the UK. I didn't need a VISA to visit the UK or Europe until now.
And VISA's are a pain to get.
Latin America will probably get more US tourists, along with the Caribbean and Mexico which don't require Visas, and possibly Canada, depending on what happens there.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-12 05:37 pm (UTC)it’s not actually a visa for the UK, it’s a visa waiver. The US has the same for people visiting as does Canada, as will the EU soon too.
no subject
Date: 2025-03-12 10:23 pm (UTC)The reason everyone is freaking out about the US - is up until 2016, the US didn't. Our Immigration Policy was pretty loose, and it was looser during Biden. It was easier to immigrate to the US than just about anywhere else. China doesn't let anyone in, nor does North Korea. Russia has hefty restrictions. But so do a lot of the Scandinavian countries. Europe used to be looser - but the EU tightened restrictions, and Brexit - resulted in the UK tightening restrictions. It was never completely loose? But it's tighter post-9/11 than it was pre-9/11.
The orange menace isn't really affecting day to day life in the US all that much? If I were to turn off the news and avoid social media completely? I'd probably be unaware of it? It's not affecting my agency at the moment - its State, and our Federal funding is still intact. And if you were travel elsewhere, most likely the same.
The US is a huge country. To put it in perspective? Germany is about the size of one tiny state. All of Europe could most likely fit on one coastline.
It's not like Germany or Italy during WWII, those were smaller countries. It's not even like China. I can say I hate the Doofus, and not have any ramnifications. Also NYC? It has anti-trump posters on subways.
It takes 7 hours in a plane to get across the US. It's about a week by car, maybe more depending.