On Wed, 08 Sep 2004 10:43:46 -0500, the renowned Don Foreman
wrote:


I musta said a "wrong thing" in Vancouver, though I don't know what
that might have been. Never had a speck of trouble entering the UK
or Europe for business or pleasure.

Worst case seems to be a lone (ie. not a corporate employee) person
entering with "tools", equipment or commercial quantities of goods of
some kind (that you could earn a living from) in hand.

It's always okay to go for pleasure, to go to a trade show (even with
reasonable samples in hand), to make a sales trip (even with
commercial samples). So, if you're there for a meeting, to visit a
trade show, and to visit friends/relatives, you know which ones to
mention first. Degreed engineers (and a few other folks) are a special
privileged category so always give that as your occupation (only if
it's true, of course).

Things where you are billing a foreign company for work actually done
for them on foreign soil are indistinguishable from working there as
an employee, so you become potentially subject to all kinds of tax and
work permit regulations (both the IRS and CCRA like to get their pound
of flesh). It MAY be okay, depending, but they will have to ask a lot
of questions.

US immigration in particular sometimes is suspicious that a "visitor"
is actually a returning illegal immigrant that has set up shop in the
US, and likes to see even rudimentary proof of living/working
permanently somewhere else (driver's license, business card etc.).
Anything out of the ordinary (for example, a "visitor" holding the
return half of an airline ticket originating in the US, or
suspiciously little luggage) can trigger further questions.

Unfortunately, further initiatives that make short-term precleared
business travel easier (such as the E-APEC business travel card) are
more on the back burner these days in North America.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany
--
"it's the network..." "The Journey is the reward"
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