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Comment by wyclif | Hacker News Reader

never enter the US with an unclear leaving date

He makes it sound like this is an evil US policy. But in fact, every country I've ever visited outside the US, and I've visited a lot, asked me when I would be leaving and issued the appropriate visa. For example, if you visit the Philippines, the initial visa is 21 days. You can extend the visa, but again you must inform the government of your leave date. But if you mess around with Customs on this, you're likely to get in trouble all over the world, not just in the US.

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Honestly, the same is true for Canada.

I was in Toronto for a week for work in December, and part of entering the country was presenting a letter signed by our Canadian office verifying that I really would be leaving on the set date, that my accommodations and travel out of Canada were already booked and paid for, etc.

Having travelled to both Canada and the US for a dodgy-looking (but in both cases totally legitimate) 3 month visit, I can tell you the Canadians are very much stricter than the American border guards.

This has not been my experience, but both are much stricter to those who are not their citizens, since they're pretty much charged to be. If you're an American entering Canada, expect to get asked why, and vice versa. It seemed like the OP was trying to enter on a non-work-authorized visa waiver, and that's just not kosher to USCBP. I say this as a US immigrant from Canada.

Always make sure you have your ducks in a row at the border. I still find it hard to believe that someone approved to YC would not know that. If you're doing anything more than just visiting, you probably need to apply for a visa in advance. Lying to CBP (they call it "misrepresentation") is grounds for a lifetime ban from the US.

Well, I entrered Argentina with a back tickett in 6 months, and asked for the 90days automatic tourist visa at the border (and got it), got a bit lost and re-entered the international zone with my stamped in passport, the border guy recognize me, and guide me back in the national zone, up to my luggage. I then crossed twice the border with Chile during the week-ends to get new 90 days tourist visa (and it was clearly way more difficult for an Argentine than a European, also they have special treaty and are neighbor).

Here in Europe, we have mostly no border between 15 states, when you cross one by car, you have a few signs on the side of the road: flag of the country you are entering, european flag, and local speed limits. That's pretty much it.

Schengen Agreement, which eliminates border control is in effect in 26 countries (including non-EU countries, like Iceland, Norway and Switzerland, but excluding some EU countries, for example UK).

I cross the border between the Republic of Ireland (independent) and Northern Ireland (part of UK) in a car all of the time, never stopped once despite lack of Schengen.

Are you a British or Irish citizen? Then you can do it, because of the Common Travel Area (Irish border authorities do conduct random checks, though). It is, however, strictly speaking illegal for somebody holding only a British visa to cross into the Republic, or vice versa.

Schengen is just one mutual agreement of no border controls between member countries and enforced border controls to other countries. Any 2 countries which are not part of Schengen are free to enter a similar bilateral agreement.

This border is a bit particular, it's the place where a long religious war has taken place.

They may not be religious, but many borders (probably most of those which aren't due to the natural geography?) are the subject or result of some kind of conflict. So is this border really that special? Probably most borders in Europe were the subject of conflict within the last 100 years, but we've ended up with the Schengen agreement nevertheless.

I think this is a very recent conflict. Not over the border exactly, but between the religions.

It's been going on for over 400 years:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segregation_in_Northern_Ireland

Yes, but the Irish-British common travel area has been in existence since the instant there was a Republic. Our (Ireland's) visa policy on EU citizens is to all intents and purposes formulated in London because we're not going to have more than minimal border checks with the North and the UK isn't going to have internal border controls between the North and Britain.

Not as weird as the fact that Irish people without UK citizenship, resident there can vote in all elections, and that UK citizens resident in Ireland can vote in all elections bar for President (seeing as Irish people in the UK don't get to vote on the Head of State.)

Any country you need a visa for prefers in all cases you to have a round trip ticket.

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