Best POE for TN Visa

I know there can be different experiences based on the officer you happen to get, but I wanted to get some input on what my best course of action is.

This is my situation, I am currently working on TN visa in Northern California, I've recently received a new job offer and so I want to apply for a new TN. I don't have the time to submit a I-129. So here are the options I am considering. Drive up to B.C. and get the TN at the Peace Arch OR fly to Toronto (where my "permanent residence" is) roundtrip and get the TN at Pearson.

Driving to BC would be a little cheaper, but I don't have any experience crossing at that port, and if something went wrong I'd be stuck on the "wrong" side of Canada (although my current TN doesn't expire until August so I don't really envision them not letting back into the U.S.). Conversely, flying to Pearson would be more expensive, but if something went wrong, I could stay with family, and I've gotten a TN twice successfully at Pearson. I suppose I also have the option of flying roundtrip to any other Canadian city.

So I guess my question is the Peace Arch typically a better place to get a TN than Pearson? Are airports generally preferrable to the border? Any general advice and experiences would be helpful. Thanks.

People been on here who've been approved and denied at both POEs, I don't think there's much difference. Land borders I think are the better option because they can keep you hanging around. At the end of the day they're all reading the same instructions from the CBP field manual. It's not so much the POE as the specific individual you get. The ones that do seem to be worst than most though are Derby Line, VT and the Peace Bridge based on the comments on here. But it depends on your TN-1 category.

The hardest ones to get are Systems Analyst and Management Consultant because the manual has specific warnings about those two categories in it.

Bear in mind you can use any Class A POE, you could go to San Ysidro if you want, it's just they're going to be less familiar with TN-1 so you might be kept waiting longer.

Land crossings tend to be better than the airports for some reason. Also, at the airport, you run the risk of missing your flight if there is a particularly long wait to see an officer or if you have a complicated case. In my experience, Pearson is a horrible place to apply for a TN. The officers I've encountered there are really rude. I don't know much about the Blaine crossing, but it does have a bad reputation in terms of how it treats TNs. It could just be a rumor, but it's worth noting.

I haven't had any problems at the Peace Bridge crossing (Queenston/Lewiston is another story) or at the Champlain crossing, but these locations may not be all that convenient for your purposes.

I wouldn't fly to Toronto just to get a TN. You'd be better off just driving down to Blaine. You might also want to try Port Angeles.

[/quoteThe ones that do seem to be worst than most though are Derby Line, VT and the Peace Bridge

Hey Steven is that Peace Bridge Buffalo? First time when i went to get my TN through a lawyer he informed me to go to Peace Bridge Buffalo

Just wondering
Thanks

Peace Bridge has one of the only "NAFTA Specialist" left in CBP. That is why lawyers usually point their clients in that direction. NAFTA Specialists went away when CBP was created in 2003. Hopefully they will be bringing them back in the near future.

To clarify. A "NAFTA Specialist" are individuals that got extra training and also dealt soley with NAFTA on a daily basis. When CBP was created by Bush, he thought that all officers should know how to do every job.....which is impossible. So it creates Officers that are good at alot of things, but not great at any one thing. (with some exceptions, there are Officers that are gifted in all areas)

I will be flying in to Buffalo late at night and driving to the Toronto area. I was hoping to be able to apply for my TN on my trip home from the airport (looping around to re-enter the states) but this will likely make my time of entry after midnight. Has anyone had any experience with TN application at that hour at any of the Buffalo area crossings or know of any reason that it wouldn't be done?

Thanks.

When CBP was created by Bush, he thought that all officers should know how to do every job.....which is impossible

Leave it to the politicians to come up with ingenious ideas. Its good to know i'll go back to Buffalo this year last year the guy at Buffalo was extremely professional i was sitting outside and when i looked in the glass door i saw him reading my letter it took him about 4-5 minutes which was a lot but when they called me in he did tell me that the letter was perfect. HR provided me the letter based on what i did i was nervous as our lawyer don't deal with TN at all .

I will go during office hours so i can get a hold of the NAFTA professional.

Thanks lawsrlaws

-- Wed Aug 19, 2009 6:04 pm --

Has anyone had any experience with TN application at that hour at any of the Buffalo area crossings or know of any reason that it wouldn't be done?

From what i have heard and seen on several msg boards including this one and from many lawyers on message board try during 8:00 am - 4:00 pm. Its a good thing to meet a NAFTA OFFICER rather then someone who don't understand what a TN is which you'll get, if trying at midnight

Thanks

I guess the people who moaned about the Peace Bridge on here were simply caught out by someone who knew what he was doing.

The ones that do seem to be worst than most though are Derby Line, VT and the Peace Bridge based on the comments on here.

That's strange. My wife and I have been using Derby Line, VT for the past three years, and we have never had a problem with them, ever. We both have jobs that fall very clearly under a specific TN category, though, so there's little room for interpretation (or mis-interpretation) for us. Perhaps that's the reason for the ease of processing for us. I don't know.

Been a lot of people on here who moan about Derby Line, do a search, I'm sure some of their posts will come up. But obviously people usually only post when they have a problem. And of course it depends on who you get and when this was, I can remember crappy experiences at various POEs but they were years and years ago. CBP compile their own list based in part on how many complaints are filed at the POE.

Incidentally, did anyone else see the story about Derby Line on Homeland Security USA over the weekend? I thought that was a truly bizarre look inside the world of bureaucracy. They've got one Border Patrol guy who seems to spend a sizable chunk of his day sat at one end of a road there that runs along the border, because one sidewalk is in the US and the other is in Canada. And apparently having children in Vermont now is officially frowned upon so Canadians have to go to a different hospital. They interviewed one woman who said it could get awkward because sometimes her dog wants to crap on the other side of the border!