Nexus Cards

It may make a difference if you are commuting to a job in the States versus, in contrast, you have a job in Canada which involves frequent assignments in the States. The former, I suspect, may be an issue increasing the risk of RQ, elevated more depending on the number of nights you spend outside Canada.

In either instance, a Nexus card is probably a very good idea for its usual purposes, that is facilitating border crossings.

I never used the Nexus lanes, so I do not know their procedure, but at the least your vehicle's license plate is scanned, so they know every time your vehicle entered Canada -- except such records are not always complete, for various reasons including, for example, weather conditions or dirt obscuring the plate causing it to fail to register. (Actually, this is true for general lanes as well.) Of course, if they scan the Nexus card, that too will create a more definite record.

Ditto for entering the U.S. But, I do not know the extent to which this information is shared. I suspect it is readily shared, but do not know for sure.

Until you actually obtain citizenship, I would recommend keeping an exact log of all travel across the border (that is what I am now doing). That way YOU know and YOU can accurately report all trips if and when asked. After all, you are obligated to report/declare absences truthfully, if asked, regardless of what other records there may or may not be of border crossings.

If you have already applied for citizenship, a precise record of your coming and going across the U.S. border since applying should have little impact so long as you are actually living in Canada, though again, if your employer is in the U.S. that alone may trigger RQ. I am not sure what the citizenship officer examines when you appear for the interview, in terms of CBSA databases and other records accessed by CIC (they see more than what we know about, I believe . . . but how much more, no idea), but again, if you are living in Canada and your employer is Canadian, that in itself should not raise an issue.

Edited by dpenabill - 22 May 2010 at 5:12pm

Reminders of stuff you probably know well:
Day trips to the U.S. do not count as an absence. Daily day trips, though, such as commuting, will probably create a record that is of concern if not problematic.

I wonder if a hundred such trips a year (two per week) will invite a bit of heightened scrutiny.

Owning a home and having family in Canada, and being employed by a Canadian employer, probably makes the whole assessment process a lot, lot easier. (I am self-employed and my office is in my home, and that just happens to be one of those factors which increases the risk of questions, perhaps even RQ.)

Personally, since I no longer make frequent border trips (I used to live a border straddling lifestyle, before marrying a Canadian and becoming a PR), I plan to wait until I have more than 1095 days physical presence even not counting the day trips. I am very much looking forward to becoming a Canadian citizen and am being diligent about making that happen as smoothly as possible.

It will be awhile for me. I am in Ontario but nearly a thousand miles from Toronto.

Technically I could apply early next year (if I count time I was in Canada prior to landing -- I have the extended VR to document presence) but I plan to wait until I have a full 1095 days plus after landing, so it will be early 2012 before I even apply.

Yeah, taxes. U.S. and Canadian. CPP versus Social Security (I still have not gotten that part resolved . . . need some paperwork from CRA and CPP to send to U.S. and . . . yeah, headaches).

But the commute is easy. In fact, right this moment I should probably go to work for awhile (I've too long put off working on a manuscript due Monday) . . . so I will turn my chair and glide over to my work computer (I keep my personal and work stations separate, for lots of reasons, and taxes being part of that scheme).