PR of Canada travelling to Cincinnati, layover at Detroit on a B1/B2 visa
I am travelling to Cincinnati from Lester B Pearson Intl airport with a layover in Detroit. I have a B1/B2 visa. I am also a Canadian PR. Will I have to go through customs when I land in Detroit? If yes, my layover time is 48 mins. Is that enough time to finish going through customs and all other procedures?
Thanks in advance for the help!
Best Answer
Most major Canadian airports have a US border post in them, including Pearson. For direct flights from these airports to the US (Detroit) you'll pass through the US border pre-clearance after check-in and before getting to the departure gate in Toronto. You'll want to arrive a little bit early to the airport in Toronto to account for the time it'll take you to go through the US border before your flight departs.
(A notable Canadian airport without US pre-clearance is Billy Bishop Airport in downtown Toronto. Porter Airlines' US-bound passengers complete immigration on arrival like those from any other non pre-clearance airport in the world.)
In Detroit your flight will arrive alongside domestic US flights inside the departures security area. You can proceed directly to the gate of your connecting flight. You should have plenty of time.
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Do I need to go through immigration for a connecting flight?
A port-of-entry is the first airport you land at in the US Even if you have a connecting flight, you need to go through the immigration procedure, pick up your luggage, re-check it and get on the next flight.Do you need a visa for a connecting flight in the USA?
Travelers must apply for and receive ESTA even when transiting in the U.S. to a third country without a visa. You must apply for ESTA in any of the following cases: transit, transfer, or stopover (layover).Do transit passengers go through immigration?
Transit passengers You are a transit passenger if you are not leaving the airport and not staying in that country. In this case, you often don't have to go through immigration or customs.What does immigration check at the airport?
The officer at primary inspection will verify your identity and check your name against various computer databases. The officers are on the lookout for people who might be a security risk or who are using a tourist or other nonimmigrant visa to gain entry to the United States for illegal purposes or a permanent stay.How To Get USA B1/B2 Visit Visa From Canada | Canada Couple
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Answer 2
Pearson airport has a US customs pre-clearance. I have traveled from US-Canada-Back through Pearson several times on my student visa + Canadian PR. After you check in your bags at Pearson you'll go through security clearance and then US CBP (immigration). You might wanna arrive at Pearson atleast 3 hours in advance, since last time it took me 1 hour or so to go through US customs at Pearson. Once you clear US preclearance you are technically in US domestic terminal even though you are physically in Toronto. Thereafter you do not need to go through US customs and immigration again.
As to whether the 48 minutes at Detroit are enough, I would think so, based on extensive domestic travel experience. Really depends on how far you have to walk from gate to gate, in Detroit.
Check out this link for preclearance Canada locations: https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/operations/preclearance
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