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Pandemic, mixed messages complicate Canadian students' plans to travel to U.S. for school | CBC News
Aug 04, 2021 2 mins, 12 secs
government said its side of the land border will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least Aug.

Even though school is considered essential, some parents and students in Canada say there is still confusion about the rules regarding who is eligible to cross the border and under what circumstances.

In an interview with CBC News, CBP spokesperson Aaron Bowker said specific guidance for parents isn't available online because determining someone's admissibility into the U.S.

She planned to drive with her parents across the border and spoke with a border officer to confirm whether this was permitted.

The officer told her that one parent could accompany her across the border, but Alter said there wasn't an explicit policy she could consult to confirm his statement.

"I didn't feel comfortable enough with that information to go ahead and pack everything up and not have a backup," Alter said.

Given the unknowns of land travel, Alter decided it would be best to fly.

border and asked an officer if he could accompany his son, Louis, on the trip.

Bowker said age is a factor that border officers consider, but they also recognize there are circumstances in which students may need a parent to accompany them, regardless of their age.

Bergeron's daughter is 18, and he said he worries that when the family gets to the border, he and his wife may be turned away.

"When I spoke to the field office agent, he said typically if the student is under 18, we don't have any issue with allowing a parent to accompany them," Bergeron said.

side of the land border will remain closed to non-essential travel, she began reaching out to other parents on Facebook for advice.

"It wasn't until I talked to some other parents of kids who go to school in the States that they had mentioned it comes down to the border patrol guard," Daniels said.

and the number of family members crossing the border.

Along with being honest to border patrol officers, Jamernik's biggest advice to Canadian students is to order furniture and other amenities in the U.S.

If only one parent was allowed to drive their daughter to school, Daniels said her husband would get picked up at the border by a relative and then try to find a flight to West Virginia the following day

He said the confirmation from border officers that a parent will be able to accompany a child across the border is somewhat reassuring, but he wishes parents had more clarity

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