Canada via US - necessary to clear US emmigration?

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elefantfresh

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I'm heading to Canada in the new year via Chicago - do i need to clear US emmigration or do they keep us in a "holding pen" and then just clear Canadian emmigration on arrival?
Thanks.
 
As I recall, you clear Canadian immigration in the US when you land (a bit like the way you clear UK immigration when you land in Ireland).
 
I believe you clear US immigration in Ireland and the Canadian Immigration when you land in Canada, you have to fill out a immigration and customs card and present it to the officer when you arrive.
If yoganmahew is correct about clearing UK immigration when you land here as above, that is possibly because there is no 'customs' when you go between the UK and Ireland, the USA and Canada are different as you have to clear customs and immigration anytime you cross the border.
I am open to correction.

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I too am open to correction - the last time I travelled was pre-APIS.
 
Now I don't know what i have to clear!!! Hmmm.....
I suppose ringing a travel agent would get me the answer. I just thought that landing in an airport was not officially entering the country as such. For example, if i was going to Oz via india then I don't need a visa for India if its just a connecting flight?
 
You have to clear immigration and customs in the US. Does not matter whether or not it is a connecting flight.
 
I am just back from holidays in the US and Canada. We went from Shannon to Philadelphia with the US immigration clearance done in Shannon where we got the green visa stapled to our passport. We went from Philadelphia to Toronto where we cleared Canadian immigration in Toronto on landing with no problems as long as we had the original green visa. We went from Toronto to New York where we did the US immigration thing before leaving Toronto same as in Shannon but no need to fill up another green visa as long as the original one has not expired. All in all no problems encountered.
 
Elefantfresh, you will have to complete the US immigration forms regardless - the key is where you are flying out from - if it is Dublin or Shannon, then you at least get it out of the way in Ireland - all you have to do in the US, is go through the customs check (quick) - if you are flying via the Uk for example, you will have to go through the full immigration lines in the US - this can take some time!
 
Another question on emmigration/customs - i'll be in canada next feb and want to do a day trip to the US by car - whats the situation crossing? Is it a relativly straight forward effort or how does it work?
 
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