What if your vacation hit a wall – literally – at the border? 

In this episode of Immigration Weekly, Rosanna pulls back the curtain on what really goes down when you’re crossing into the U.S. Drawing from her years as a border officer and immigration lawyer, she shares the kind of practical advice that can save you time, stress, and awkward questions at the booth. From expired passports to messy car interiors to what not to say about your cousin in Myrtle Beach, this episode is your go-to guide for smart, smooth travel.

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Transcript

Everyone’s talking about U.S. immigration law, but nobody really knows how it works. I’m Rosanna Berardi. I’m the daughter of an immigrant, a former immigration inspector at the border, university professor, and founder and managing partner of Berardi Immigration Law.

I’ve done nothing but U.S. immigration law for over 30 years, and it’s time to stop the misinformation on all sides. I’m going to tell you how it all works, the inside story. This is Immigration Weekly with Rosanna Berardi.

Welcome back to Immigration Weekly with yours truly, Rosanna Berardi. Today, I’m going to give you some practical advice. Everyone should listen to this.

Top Border-Crossing Tips

I worked at the U.S.-Canadian border for a bunch of years, and I’m going to give you the best border-crossing advice of your life. Now listen, it’s not fun going across the border. The officers in the booth seem really grouchy.

I did that job for a while. It is a thankless job. You’re dealing with the public from all over the globe.

You’re outside. You’re inhaling fumes. Not fun.

Not fun for anyone. But I will give you some border-crossing tips that will make or break your travel. So listen up.

Number one, look at your documents. Most passports are good for 10 years, but 10 years goes by quickly. Make sure you open up that baby once a year.

See when it expires. Do the same for your enhanced driver’s license. Your Nexus card only is good for like five years.

Make sure you look at that. Have your documents on the ready. Your job is to make it simple and easy for Customs and Border Protection to say, Rosanna Berardi, citizenship, U.S., anything to declare? No, have a nice day. Easy peasy, let’s go. Your job, they have a short period of time to make a very big assessment.

What to Know Before You Go

Know where you’re going. If you’re crossing the U.S.-Canadian border from Canada, you’re happy, you’ve got your Canadian passport, it’s good, it’s valid. Officer says, where are you going?

Going to Myrtle Beach. Where are you staying? I don’t know.

My wife made the reservation. No. No, that’s wrong.

Your answer is, we are staying at the Marriott Myrtle Beach on 536 Broadway. How long are you going to be there? I don’t know.

My wife made the reservation. No, no, no, no, no, no. We’re going to be there for a week.

Do you have evidence of your reservation? Yes, here it is. What are you doing there?

You’re being proactive. First of all, be an adult. You know where you’re going, you know for how long.

Have the address. We all have our cell phones. Come on, people.

Be ready. Know where you’re going. Know why you’re going.

Purpose of your trip. Well, I’ll get tongue-tied at the border. I’m going on a vacation.

I’m going to see my cousin. Going to see my grandmother. I’m going shopping.

Say it. Practice it. Before you pull up, know what you’re doing.

And before you pull up, okay, you’re going to check your document. You’re going to know where you’re going. You’re going to know the address.

You’re going to know for how long. Most importantly, know what is in the vehicle. Know who’s in the vehicle and know what is in the vehicle.

Now, who’s in the vehicle? Some awkward questions. Hey, ever been arrested or convicted of a crime?

You usually know who’s in your vehicle, but never hurts to ask that question. Look what’s in the car. I don’t know.

If you’re like me, I have returns in my car. I might have some leftover food. I don’t know.

I have a lot of stuff in my car. Why is that important? There’s weird rules about what you can and cannot bring into the United States.

Citrus fruit is a big problem because I guess the rinds can transfer bugs to and from the United States. Make sure your car’s cleaned out. Remember, even though marijuana is legal in New York State, it’s legal in the province of Ontario.

It is not legal at the U.S.-Canadian border. Do not have any marijuana, paraphernalia, anything in your car pertaining to marijuana. You can’t do that at the U.S. border. I know it’s legal everywhere else. I know that. For border crossing purposes, no bueno.

How about your cell phone? Listen, stop listening to the news. The government has been able to search this thing and has done it forever.

Okay, there’s some heightened alert because the media is talking about it. Know what you’re posting and for the love of God, don’t post stupid things. Please, if you’re mad about a government policy, tell your friend, tell your spouse, tell your partner.

You don’t need to memorialize it on a stupid Facebook post. Stop. Know what’s in your social media.

Does the government have the right to search it? Absolutely. You have no rights at the border.

None. No right to privacy. No right against search or seizure.

It is a right-free zone. The government can do whatever they want. So what’s your job?

What’s my best advice? Be prepared. Make it easy on the officer.

Look at your documents. Know what’s in your car. Know who’s in your car.

Know where you’re going. If you want to facilitate this and make it a little bit easier, for the love of God, get a nexus card. Good for five years.

$120. Very straightforward. If you fly a lot, global entry is great.

Nexus card also gives you TSA pre-check so when you fly domestically, you don’t have to take off your shoes or your belt. Five years. Oh, I don’t want the government looking at my background.

They do anyway. There’s no right to privacy anywhere. If you think by applying for Nexus, you’re going to kick a sleeping dog, you’re kidding yourself.

Make it easy for you. Make it easy for the officer. Know where you’re going.

Be smart about it. I used to be an immigration inspector. Actually, I went to law school instead.

So what does that tell you? But I would stand there, you know, two o’clock in the morning, car of Canadians would pull up. Citizenship Canadian.

Where are you going? Myrtle Beach to play golf. Anything to declare.

Just the food in my belly. No, stop it. There are no jokes at the border.

That’s dumb. I’m in a bad mood. Nothing to declare.

Have a nice day. What do you need to declare? Government’s mostly interested in alcohol, tobacco, $10,000 or more.

Most people aren’t traveling with those things. And if it is alcohol or tobacco, an excessive amount, cases and cases of wine. You know, there’s this thing called duty.

But in general, declare what you’re bringing in. Smooth sailing. So there you have it.

Short and sweet, just like me. Best border crossing tips. Make it easy.

Tell your friends you’ll be the smartest person at your dinner table. Until next time, I’m Rosanna Berardi. This was Immigration Weekly with Rosanna Berardi.

Thanks for joining. Be sure to connect with me, Rosanna Berardi on LinkedIn, or go to our law firm at https://berardiimmigrationlaw.com. And if you don’t want to miss the latest and greatest, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and share this with your friends.

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