Border Shutdown

We have been going in once a week. Clear mail. respond to emails, and because citizenship people cannot seem to find anyone to do a photo, we have done a couple of "passport style" pictures. We will take fingerprints during that day but we only are open 12-4 and since all the fingerprint people in the GTA seem to think they are an essential service (they are not) fingerprints are open. One place is open 7 days a week and says he stills sees 10 people a day.

Part of me wants everyone like this closed down, because there is no way you are open 7 days a week and are able to prevent this spread. This guy is going to get someone killed. Part of me also doesn't want to judge him since I don't know his circumstance. My choice is to be open 4 hours a week (I always take calls no matter what 24/7) but we may stop this as well since we want to be part of the solution, not the problem. In a 4 hour period, disinfecting everything and staying as safe as possible is exhausting. There is no way businesses can be doing this even 5 days a week.

I think that it is a risk being open and seeing people during this pandemic. I also do not think this is even allowed under Ontario law but I could be mistaken. My people stoppled the home visits a day or 2 after I made that post. I just made the comment because I thought you had mentioned our home visits but you also admit to going in and currently still doing passport photos and prints(as needed) for people during this pandemic. I can say that there are good protocals that can be used to protect yourself in these cases.

Btw there are ways to still operate 7 days a week and not see people. One example is that we have people signup for our webinars on these border crossing topics. The purpose is to possibly help them to avoid not needing a us entry waiver depending on the circumstances. Also to help them get successfully cleared if they wish to do their own to save money. A lot of people are home now and need things to occupy their time. They just click on the red links on www.usentrywaiverservices.com home and sign up. So we are still helping people and do not have to actually see them in person.

Plus our smaller fish clients are paying us monthly and we do not have to see them. We don't have to actually see people in person now that the guys have put certain protocols in place during their last visits. Also note that it is different with us since we have methods to deal with this problem.

You can actually do the same thing by having your people pay you monthly so that their packets are ready for submission once the border reopens. It is a win-win situation for both and will still allow you to remain open and safe but not have to see people. It will also reduce the likelyhood that you have to go in for prints since those can always be done at the end when the packets are ready and the pandemic is under control.

I also do not want to judge since I do not know your circumstances. I still think it is very risky taking prints from people since you have to actually meet them and the person could be an Asymptomatic Shredder of the virus. I suppose if you are wearing a full bubble suit with an oxygen tank then you are 100% safe.

I ask you to reconsider what you are doing if you are indeed meeting people for prints and photos. At the very least have strict infection control techniques in place. My Surrey fingerprint associate has temporarily shut down due to the Covid-19 risk.

@Kscott

I am confused about what you do and do not support. On the one hand you are telling us it is irresponsible to open for 4 hours a week, then your defending the practice of being open 7 days a week.

So your only in opposition to whatever I do?

Anyways, your posts are as usual half-truths, so not worth addressing. You can't be accredited for fingerprinting. If you could, you would do it. That indicates either a criminal record, residency issues (my guess) or credit issues. All the major players are dying to get more affiliates. My advice is always the same, steer clear of anyone not accredited place that cannot fingerprint, they have an issue. Taking ink prints and converting them to digital later? Why? The prints are more likely to end in rejection and its all these extra steps (and costs) which i bet the client gets dinged for and doesn't even realize it. This is why not fingerprinting is inconvenient, and a huge red flag.

As for taking payments during this crisis, I absolutely will not. We don't do "monthly payments" in most cases, but there is no way I would take a monthly payment for something that is barely moving. When everyone is up and running and clients can afford it, then I will get the money owed. But people are hurting right now, and there is no way I am going to assume paying me takes priority over rent or food.

My priority is being safe, and making this as easy for my clients as possible.

Anybody here able to surmise when the border may possibly open for them to accept waivers? I know nobody here is a fortune teller but was just wondering if there was any information pertaining to this "blowing in the wind".

@Magnus

Homeland Security had set May 4 as the date. I assume that is too optimistic but no new information since then.

Trudeau said today that the agreement to keep the border closed is extended for another 30 days. (for non essential travel)

I get emails from Homeland Security and I drop by the office twice a week, Tuesdays and Saturdays for now, between noon and 4.

I will update everyone as soon as I have information.

#25 @J Rogers

I just saw this news but thank you for the update. Obviously you’re on it, as it were.

Stay safe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/immigration/coronavirus-trump-immigration/2020/04/21/a2a465aa-837a-11ea-9728-c74380d9d410_story.html

Trump decreed via tweet late Monday that he intends to sign an executive order suspending immigration to the United States, but the president appears to have again publicly declared a U.S. policy that was not yet ready for implementation, leaving his aides rushing to deliver on his pronouncement.

“In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!,” the president wrote.

Not 100% sure if its relevant to waivers.

#27 @ J Rogers

That executive order is illegal and will most likely be struck down in the courts. I'm not sure how fast that will be however. As for it affecting waivers I don't know but Trump is trying to stop issuing green cards at this time.

It's really just a ploy to feed red meat to his base (as many are bigots and this is something they can wrap their little minds around in the most simplistic of terms) as he needs to deflect and distract attention from his gross mishandling of the pandemic and his dwindling approval rating.

That he announced it yesterday on the same day as Hitler's birthday tells you all you need to know... American ethnonationalism at it most desperate.

This is Trump broadcasting to the world that he is seeing erosion in his base from massively fumbling the pandemic response.

@Magnus actually Trumps original order was eventually sustained, so they are expecting this NOT to be struck down.

What i am seeing actually is the Republicans pushing hard to re-open the economy. Sadly, I think they will open the border (or attempt to) before this is fully resolved. Republicans are proving once again that "common sense" is always a problem for them, and $$$ over safety...every time. Did anyone see the interview with the mayor of Las Vegas? This woman DOES NOT CARE how many people die, she wants those casinos full immediately. When asked what her plan was, she literally then said "it is the casinos responsibility".

Nice to know. Will be avoiding that town.

My speculation is June 1. (Just an educated guess)

John, your guess was right on..I just received this...

https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings

#30 @Michelle

The wording in that link is somewhat nebulous, understandably so. One would suppose that handing in and processing a waiver at a POE would entail face-to-face contact and thus not a necessary action they would feel to take at that time as I don't anticipate that by June they'll have a handle on the the pandemic and probably wouldn't want to interact with folks they deem not an "emergency". I guess we shall see.

Nevertheless thank you for posting the link and keeping us up to date on current happenings.

Stay safe.

I got this on Friday.

On March 18, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services temporarily suspended in-person services at its field offices, asylum offices, and application support centers (ASCs) to help slow the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). USCIS is readying offices to reopen on or after June 4. Employees in these offices are continuing to perform mission-essential services that do not require face-to-face contact with the public while the offices are closed.
While offices are temporarily closed, USCIS will continue to provide limited emergency in-person services. Please call the USCIS Contact Center for assistance with emergency services.
USCIS field offices will send notices to applicants and petitioners with scheduled appointments and naturalization ceremonies impacted by the extended temporary closure. USCIS asylum offices will send interview cancellation notices and automatically reschedule asylum interviews. When the interview is rescheduled, asylum applicants will receive a new interview notice with the new time, date and location of the interview. When USCIS again resumes operations for in-person services, USCIS will automatically reschedule ASC appointments due to the temporary office closure. Individuals will receive a new appointment letter in the mail. Those who had InfoPass or other appointments must reschedule through the USCIS Contact Center once field offices are open to the public again. Please check to see if the respective office has been reopened before calling the Contact Center.
Please also visit uscis.gov/coronavirus for updates. For the latest information on the status of an office, visit https://www.uscis.gov/about-us/uscis-office-closings.

So they are going to TRY and open June 4, (not June 1 as I speculated)

I assume this pertains to handing in waivers as well.

We shall see.

Just posting a couple articles of interest here. Personally I don't see the border opening anytime soon. If I were to take a guess I'd think late summer/early fall at the earliest.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/increased-border-traffic-likely-as-canada-u-s-economies-reopen-freeland-1.4934293

https://globalnews.ca/news/6922269/coronavirus-border-restrictions-canada/

@Magnus its incredibly hard to say with Trump being so unpredictable.

For me and Michelle, the main date is "when can people hand in waivers" which LOOKS like June 4. It takes about 6 weeks at least anyways for them to be granted, so those people may be able to travel as soon as they get it.

Again, we could hold a great debate on when, but Canada is only half the equation, so who knows.

@J Rogers

My concern with the border being open is that since in Canada we have an exponentially more compassionate system of healthcare and generally it is a policy not to turn away foreigners in need of emergency care when they are on our soil (and we don’t charge for this emergency care) that many Americans might see an opportunity to come to Canada knowing they are sick and wish to take advantage of our system.

As for waivers, well as much as I’d like to travel to see people I love in America I’d hate to submit a waiver application, get approved possibly for only a year (since I’m a first-timer) but then lose out a few months or more since the border may not even be open.

I suppose the upside for me is that the longer I wait to submit a waiver the more time I’ve “chewed off” my ban. Quite honestly had this pandemic thing not happened I was hoping to submit a waiver this past March/April.

I need to renew my passport as well and at this point I don’t believe we can even currently do that.

At any rate I suppose the border reopening will remain up in the air but it seems quite a few provincial leaders are reluctant to have it open for the foreseeable future.

Just gonna leave this here as an FYI.

I’d be surprised if the border is open by September to be frank.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/beta.ctvnews.ca/national/coronavirus/2020/5/15/1_4941418.html

Well it looks like another month for sure....

https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/coronavirus/canada-u-s-border-to-remain-closed-to-non-essential-travel-for-another-month-pm-says-it-s-the-right-thing-1.4944793?fbclid=IwAR1OnIFzj2Eo_woBzYNlCEbQVCDcjWvBq-YP4M4dMYr8rF5WpF_VNHwUbgI

Border closure has been extended to July 21. That means no TRAVEL until then.

Will that mean you cannot hand in your waiver until then? I will try and find out on or after the 21st of June. Anyone see a change on the eSafe application about that date?