Denied boarding! Canadian living in U.S must provide Green Card?

[Brooklyn1119]

I am wondering if anyone else has had/heard of the same issue:

We had a family cruise booked last April on the Glory out of Miami; My cousin (who is Canadian as well) took a red eye flight into Miami from California with her (American) husband and 2 (American) children. She had called into Carnival multiple times to inquire on required documents to travel and was only ever told that as a Canadian, all she needs is her passport like the rest of us Canadians coming in from Canada. Upon getting to the cruise terminal, Carnival denied her boarding the ship, saying that they require her Green Card because she is a Canadian living in the U.S. Carnival knew all of this information when booking the vacation and never was it mentioned that she needed her Green Card. She was very specific when calling in to get information and not once was she told her Green Card was required. We tried to get Carnival to let her on the ship by putting in my Canadian address on her booking and they refused saying they knew she wouldnt be returning to Canada afterwards.

Needless to say, she missed the ship on debarkation day, with all of her luggage still on the ship, her husband & children aboard the ship and had to go to a hotel in Miami and wait for her Green Card to be fedex'd to her from California where fed ex then sent her passport to Montevideo Uruguay by mistake and completely lost track of it for 5 days. She wasnt able to join the cruise until the very last port, 5 days later in Grand Cayman where Carnival ushered her directly onto the ship to verify her Green Card. She had 36 hours total on the ship.

After convincing them that cruising is the way to go, they had a horrible experience (although Fed Ex is partly to blame as well)

And I STILL cannot find any information through Carnival that a green card is required at any time for a Canadian, it says just a passport.

[Carolin]

This link is to the United States Citizenship and Imigration Services. It points directly to the part where a green card holder that wants to travel outside of the US. The green card is required to reenter back into the US.

 

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=0c353a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=0c353a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

[alreadypacked]

Wow, what an unfortunate sequence of events. I'm sorry this happened to your cousin. Unfortunately, even though Carnival misinformed her, it is always the guest's responsibility to verify with the appropriate government authorities (Immigration Dept. etc) what documents (Passport, green card, multiple reentry visa etc.) are needed for travel.

 

From the Carnival website:

 

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using Online Check-in, it is still the responsibility of the guest to bring all required travel documents. Guest should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of proper travel documentation.

[sparks1093]

I am wondering if anyone else has had/heard of the same issue:

We had a family cruise booked last April on the Glory out of Miami; My cousin (who is Canadian as well) took a red eye flight into Miami from California with her (American) husband and 2 (American) children. She had called into Carnival multiple times to inquire on required documents to travel and was only ever told that as a Canadian, all she needs is her passport like the rest of us Canadians coming in from Canada. Upon getting to the cruise terminal, Carnival denied her boarding the ship, saying that they require her Green Card because she is a Canadian living in the U.S. Carnival knew all of this information when booking the vacation and never was it mentioned that she needed her Green Card. She was very specific when calling in to get information and not once was she told her Green Card was required. We tried to get Carnival to let her on the ship by putting in my Canadian address on her booking and they refused saying they knew she wouldnt be returning to Canada afterwards.

Needless to say, she missed the ship on debarkation day, with all of her luggage still on the ship, her husband & children aboard the ship and had to go to a hotel in Miami and wait for her Green Card to be fedex'd to her from California where fed ex then sent her passport to Montevideo Uruguay by mistake and completely lost track of it for 5 days. She wasnt able to join the cruise until the very last port, 5 days later in Grand Cayman where Carnival ushered her directly onto the ship to verify her Green Card. She had 36 hours total on the ship.

After convincing them that cruising is the way to go, they had a horrible experience (although Fed Ex is partly to blame as well)

And I STILL cannot find any information through Carnival that a green card is required at any time for a Canadian, it says just a passport.

 

It is my understanding that someone that has a green card is required to carry said card at all times. That being said, I am pretty sure that the website says that Resident Aliens require their green card, regardless of her country of origin. Still sucks to have been through that, though.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

OP, so sorry to hear that! That must have been devastating. :(

 

Unfortunately, checking with only Carnival was a mistake. You'd think they would have that information and give it consistently, but they don't. You really need to do your research. I had one Carnival customer service agent who was absolutely adamant that I needed a passport to fly from Portland, Oregon to Anchorage, Alaska. :rolleyes: When I traveled with my DD to Mexico, it wasn't Carnival that told me the Mexican government requires a notarized letter from the non-traveling parent. You just can't rely on Carnival to give you that kind of information and must do that research. It's a shame, and, again, so sorry for your cousin and her family.

[Carolin]

It is my understanding that someone that has a green card is required to carry said card at all times. That being said, I am pretty sure that the website says that Resident Aliens require their green card, regardless of her country of origin. Still sucks to have been through that, though.

 

my ex was a german citizen with a green card. He carried his card at all times.

 

From the site I had the link to earlier:

 

A green card is issued to all permanent residents as proof that they are authorized to live and work in the United States. If you are a permanent resident age 18 or older, you are required to have a valid green card in your possession at all times. Current green cards are valid for 10 years, or 2 years in the case of a conditional resident, and must be renewed before the card expires.

[CapeCodCruiser]

I thought it was the law to carry your green card with you at all times - even if it weren't - I would think it prudent at the very least.

[Shaded Lady]

I'm a dual citizen- Canada and the US... when I had a green card I made sure I had a copy of it in my wallet ALL the time, and whenever I traveled, it was made very clear to me that if I was using my passport for ID, I had to have my green card with me.

 

I'm sorry that your family member got misinformation from Carnival, but I'm surprised as a green card-holder she didn't already know the answer... if you are traveling and using your Canadian passport always have your green card on you, especially if you are going outside the US.

 

The problem is not getting on the ship so much as getting off when it returns to the states- USCIS holds the ship responsible for ensuring that all non-US citizens are appropriately documented, before allowing them to board to avoid this problem.

[sail2day]

I am an immigration attorney based in Miami. If you are a Canadian Citizen, but a green card holder you must travel with your passport and green card. Anytime she leaves the United States and travels to Canada or any other country I am sure she takes her passport and green card. The same rules apply on a cruise.

[K.T.B.]

I am so sorry to hear this happen to your cousin! It's always easy to blame the cruiseline, and to be fair they did only provide the bare minimum of instructions when they knew better, but next time she'll know and there will not be this problem. :) Hopefully this does not prevent them from trying another cruise, even if it's not Carnival.

[melli_fera]

This link is to the United States Citizenship and Imigration Services. It points directly to the part where a green card holder that wants to travel outside of the US. The green card is required to reenter back into the US.

 

http://www.uscis.gov/portal/site/uscis/menuitem.eb1d4c2a3e5b9ac89243c6a7543f6d1a/?vgnextoid=0c353a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD&vgnextchannel=0c353a4107083210VgnVCM100000082ca60aRCRD

 

Yep... when questioning government's rules, check with the government, not with your vacation planner.

[lady_cruiser]

Please tell your cousin to give cruising another try. It is ashame but as one poster put it, it is our responsiblity to make sure that the facts given to us are the real information we need.

 

Most customer service reps can only go by the information handed down to them and lets face it, the people who are over them won't or don't think of giving these hard working people all the information they need to represent their companies. And yes, answering phones is hard word because you have to put up with all kinds of people yelling and cussing you out all the time.

[AmberTeka]

i think carrying your Green Card..is what the Media Calling "showing your papers"

 

the Supreme Court just ruled that..at least for Mexicans..Hispanics (racial profiling dangers) they cannot be required to show "papers' to even police officers.

 

However Americans..must still show "papers"...i.e. driver's license....insurance card....

 

One would think that Canadians would not be treated differently from Mexican...considering our long peaceful border. I would check on that. Carnival might owe you an apology.....after the Surpreme Court ruling on Arizonia. They were most sympathetic to the plight of undocumented people in the USA.

[YubaSutter]

How did fed ex send her passport to Uruguay when she knew she needed it for boarding?

[sparks1093]

the Supreme Court just ruled that..at least for Mexicans..Hispanics (racial profiling dangers) they cannot be required to show "papers' to even police officers.

 

 

I'm pretty sure that the Supreme Court said the police could verify citizenship by asking for papers but they couldn't take them into custody without a warrant (along with striking down a couple other things in the Arizona law).

[Quilting_Cruiser]

i think carrying your Green Card..is what the Media Calling "showing your papers"

 

the Supreme Court just ruled that..at least for Mexicans..Hispanics (racial profiling dangers) they cannot be required to show "papers' to even police officers.

 

However Americans..must still show "papers"...i.e. driver's license....insurance card....

 

One would think that Canadians would not be treated differently from Mexican...considering our long peaceful border. I would check on that. Carnival might owe you an apology.....after the Surpreme Court ruling on Arizonia. They were most sympathetic to the plight of undocumented people in the USA.

 

 

Showing proper documentation to cruise is completely different.

[CJinFLA00]

All I can picture is this poor lady waving goodbye to her family as she was left behind, too sad. Hope someday she gets rewarded with the vacation of lifetime!

[mheinrich]

She had called into Carnival multiple times to inquire on required documents to travel and was only ever told that as a Canadian, all she needs is her passport like the rest of us Canadians coming in from Canada.

 

 

She called "multiple times" to see what was needed? Tells me she herself didn't trust the answer she was given. If you don't trust the answer then always bring more than you think you'll need. Seems the safest route to take.

[foxesden1]

Wow, what an unfortunate sequence of events. I'm sorry this happened to your cousin. Unfortunately, even though Carnival misinformed her, it is always the guest's responsibility to verify with the appropriate government authorities (Immigration Dept. etc) what documents (Passport, green card, multiple reentry visa etc.) are needed for travel.

 

From the Carnival website:

 

Proper travel documentation is required at embarkation and throughout the cruise. Even though a guest has completed registration using Online Check-in, it is still the responsibility of the guest to bring all required travel documents. Guest should check with their travel agent and/or government authority to determine the travel documents necessary for each port of call. Any guest without proper documents will not be allowed to board the vessel and no refund of the cruise fare will be issued. Carnival assumes no responsibility for advising guests of proper travel documentation.

 

We don't have a greencard, but I too was in a panic about our travel with our Visa's. In the end we took them with us, and I was glad I did.

 

I was never denied boarding, but getting back into the country I have always had to show them.

[alreadypacked]

Showing proper documentation to cruise is completely different.

 

Absolutely. We're not talking about someone randomly stopped on the street or in a car and asked to show "their papers".

 

This woman was initiating travel outside of the US.

[ShermanDYAC]

I have a friend who has lived in the US since he was a small child. He's a Canadian citizen. 20 years ago for his honeymoon, he went to Tahiti. His TA assured him he did not need his green card. He was detained trying to return to US and then fined $150.00. His TA reimbursed him. I think they both learned a lesson. In this case a TA should know their stuff.

[HazyDavy]

i think carrying your Green Card..is what the Media Calling "showing your papers"

 

the Supreme Court just ruled that..at least for Mexicans..Hispanics (racial profiling dangers) they cannot be required to show "papers' to even police officers.

 

However Americans..must still show "papers"...i.e. driver's license....insurance card....

 

No, anyone, a US citizen or not may be asked to show driver's license, insurance card and car registration when involved in a traffic stop. This relates to your legally operating a motor vehicle and has nothing to do with citizenship.

 

Under the recent Supreme Court ruling, law enforcement officers in Arizona must ask people they "suspect of being non-citizens" to show proof of citizenship. This is the portion of the law that was upheld.

 

From Faux News:

 

The Supreme Court on Monday struck down much of Arizona's controversial immigration law, but it upheld for now a key provision that requires police officers to check the immigration status of those they suspect may be in the country illegally.

The provision on mandatory checks during routine stops will now kick back to a lower court for review and still could still be subject to challenge. The rest of the ruling, though, definitively strikes down three other provisions in the Arizona law.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2012/06/25/supreme-court-strikes-down-most-arizona-immigration-law-upholds-key-provision/#ixzz1zauTX2yB

[maggieworkman]

I am wondering if anyone else has had/heard of the same issue:

We had a family cruise booked last April on the Glory out of Miami; My cousin (who is Canadian as well) took a red eye flight into Miami from California with her (American) husband and 2 (American) children. She had called into Carnival multiple times to inquire on required documents to travel and was only ever told that as a Canadian, all she needs is her passport like the rest of us Canadians coming in from Canada. Upon getting to the cruise terminal, Carnival denied her boarding the ship, saying that they require her Green Card because she is a Canadian living in the U.S. Carnival knew all of this information when booking the vacation and never was it mentioned that she needed her Green Card. She was very specific when calling in to get information and not once was she told her Green Card was required. We tried to get Carnival to let her on the ship by putting in my Canadian address on her booking and they refused saying they knew she wouldnt be returning to Canada afterwards.

Needless to say, she missed the ship on debarkation day, with all of her luggage still on the ship, her husband & children aboard the ship and had to go to a hotel in Miami and wait for her Green Card to be fedex'd to her from California where fed ex then sent her passport to Montevideo Uruguay by mistake and completely lost track of it for 5 days. She wasnt able to join the cruise until the very last port, 5 days later in Grand Cayman where Carnival ushered her directly onto the ship to verify her Green Card. She had 36 hours total on the ship.

After convincing them that cruising is the way to go, they had a horrible experience (although Fed Ex is partly to blame as well)

And I STILL cannot find any information through Carnival that a green card is required at any time for a Canadian, it says just a passport.

 

I'm sorry that your cousin missed most of her cruise. But thank you for bringing this matter to our attention. Maybe it will help someone else in the future avoid this situation.

 

Maggie

[Trailhed1]

Seems Crazy to me to leave home without her Green Card, no matter what Carnival or anyone said. I think she just forgot it at home. How hard is it to bring it just to be sure? Its just a card not another suitcase. Very tough lesson to learn if true but will never leave home without it again, maybe.

[lillian marie]

It's post 911 and this is the law, the choice is not to live in the US. My mom was Canadian too and your relative's travel agent, or she herself should have sought out the requirements by talking to immigration before considering leaving the US. It's hard to miss a cruise but we are in a different time now where restrictions are much higher for US citizens too. Talk to the mom of a person who died in the towers and they will tell you they wish we'd had stronger non citizen requirements much sooner for anyone entering the country.Your relative is a mom to US citizen kids like my mom was but she is not a citizen and the times are different now. As long as nations wish to harm the US with vengence expect more and more restrictions on travel and I repeat no one has to live in the US. She and her American husband can go live in Canada. Some of my moms family chose to go back to Ontario with their American spouses.