best POE for TN in southern Ontario?

Hi everyone,
I will be applying for a TN under the Management Consultant category. I understand that this is the most scrutinized job title. Does anyone know of a point of entry (border crossing) that is "easier" that the others? I have heard that the Peace bridge and the Rainbow bridge into Buffalo, NY are notorious for turning people back. Any thoughts on the Detroit/Windsor POE?

Thanks!

Detroit = HORRIBLE. You would be better to go through Sarnia/Port Huron, speaking from personal experience. Detroit is actually rated as one of the worst in stats on different forums and on the statistics list of POE's granting TN-1's. Unless it's a cut-and-dry case such as nursing, they are very aggressive.

Port Huron processes 24/7, while Detroit processes only during business hours unless the TN-1 is for nursing.

Detroit = HORRIBLE. You would be better to go through Sarnia/Port Huron, speaking from personal experience. Detroit is actually rated as one of the worst in stats on different forums and on the statistics list of POE's granting TN-1's. Unless it's a cut-and-dry case such as nursing, they are very aggressive.

Port Huron processes 24/7, while Detroit processes only during business hours unless the TN-1 is for nursing.

are these stats available online somewhere?

by SarniaGrl » Mon Jun 29, 2009 10:48 am

Detroit = HORRIBLE. You would be better to go through Sarnia/Port Huron, speaking from personal experience. Detroit is actually rated as one of the worst in stats on different forums and on the statistics list of POE's granting TN-1's. Unless it's a cut-and-dry case such as nursing, they are very aggressive.

I'm not sure where you can obtain these stats but she is absolutely right. The Windsor/Detroit border is NOT where you want to get your TN processed. I used to live in Windsor and crossing the border every time for me was a nightmare. They pulled us in for inspection one time and they were awful towards us. Not to mention we saw a woman attempting to cross with an H1B already stamped and they still gave her a hard time. Not a good border at ALL. The peace bridge is good for processing and Toronto Pearson as well. I would say the peace bridge would be better for you though under this category.

The stats I mentioned came in the TN Visa kit I had bought from this site, well after my experience at Detroit. It's a comprehensive list of POE's and their stats. I'm not sure if it can be accessed online as well. In reading through other forums (Grasmicks comes to mind first), I've read of plenty others who've had a terrible time at Detroit.

Like Dremani described, even crossing back in with a valid visa can be nasty. I crossed back over one night at Detroit and the guy at primary was ugly from the get-go. He yelled I was to have my passport page up and showing my TN-1 the next time, and not to make him get out of his chair to look at it again or else. Professional, eh? That was the last time I crossed there.

I did a search on 'Detroit border crossing +TN visa' and there are hardly any postings. However, the net is filled with horror stories of people trying to obtain their TN at Pearson or Buffalo. Going by the thought of only bad experiences produce postings online, I would guess most people had good success at Detroit? Otherwise, we should be seeing a lot more posting on Detroit- wouldn't you agree?

Also, where are you finding the stats from? I would love to see it if it's available on line to the public.

Detroit = HORRIBLE. You would be better to go through Sarnia/Port Huron, speaking from personal experience. Detroit is actually rated as one of the worst in stats on different forums and on the statistics list of POE's granting TN-1's. Unless it's a cut-and-dry case such as nursing, they are very aggressive.

Port Huron processes 24/7, while Detroit processes only during business hours unless the TN-1 is for nursing.

Fill out the complaint form. They have to give you one if you request it, I discovered this at Calgary when I had a problem and I didn't actually want to complain about them, I wanted to complain about Sweetgrass (not because of the staff, because of a technical problem), so I asked for a complaint form and started scribbling away on it and all of a sudden they became extremely polite and helpful (not that that they were especially impolite and unhelpful to begin with).

The agent you ask for the form has to stamp it with their ID number as well on the front, so it you're in the mood to write a snotty letter you've got all the info.

I crossed through the Buffalo border and got my TN visa (for management consultant) no problem. I waited forever in a room to get called, then had a few questions asked, and that was that. I was reading about all the horrific experience people have had, so was expecting the worse.

After a particularly bad time at Detroit, I did some searching online and found plenty of feedback in regards to experiences at Detroit. In ordering the TN Visa kit from this site, it contained a stat list of all the POE's which backed up what I had found online. It shows Detroit(air/93%) having a high recommendation vs. Detroit(land/7%) at a medium recommendation. In contrast, Buffalo(land/97%) shows a high recommendation vs. Buffalo(air/2%) with a low recommendation based on the volume of TN's granted. In the end, it's all stats and my original answer was based on my experience and subsequent research and reading. If you have a solid, air-tight petition and matching credential, then by all means, Detroit may be fine.

Fact is, any POE can be a bear, given the officer you get and the paperwork you have to support the petition, however, Detroit has a bad rep even amongst immigration lawyers. In the end, it's all luck of the draw when applying at a POE.

Yes, the horror stories. I can tell you hundreds of horror stories. You see, i'm one of those know nothing Officers that has to put up with the inevitable ten cases of TN Fraud a day. Not everybody that applies is treated poorly. Most of the time when you are treated poorly it is because the Officer is just an ass. I work with a couple. But most of us go out of our way for applicants that are legitimate. If you read this board you can plainly see that their are many that come here to find a way into the USA using false information and applying for TN positions they don't qualify for. And you guys wonder why we are so wary of just passing out work visas.

Its nice to see "Steve" give out good information, he seems to give good honest and legal advise. Kudos Steve!