Some Canadians who have tried to stay abroad say they have been flagged and denied entry at the U.S. border, and some fear their ability to travel freely is being threatened because border agents view their stay-at-home schemes as work.
Several house sitters told CBC News they felt they had been deceived by UK-based Trusted Housesitters, which some said “underestimated” the risks involved in taking on overseas house-sitting jobs and was “irresponsible.”
Meanwhile, the company maintains that house sitting is not work, despite U.S. Customs and Border Protection documents telling travelers that it counts as employment.
Trusted Housesitters said it facilitated around 49,500 house sittings in 2023, but less than 0.02% of those cases involved “border control issues” being reported to its customer service team.
The ministry’s website classifies border issues as “rare occurrences.”
But Beverly Dunn, a recently retired government employee, said she was “terrified” that her plans to spend the winter in the South were ruined after she was fingerprinted, photographed and denied entry under the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act after trying to work pet-sit in Florida in December.
“I was totally traumatized,” Dan said. “I was also in shock.”
‘False sense of security’
Dan said he used Trusted Housesitters to fill the hole in his heart after his dog of 18 years passed away.
The company is a subscription service for pet sitting that connects homeowners with house sitters around the world. Users pay a membership fee to the company, but no money exchanges hands between the homeowner and house sitter.
Dan said he has house-sit in Florida several times before and never had a problem at the border.
But in December, U.S. border agents at Ottawa International Airport discovered that Dunn Explanation from the company.
The letter said members were looking for “more cost-effective ways to spend their holidays” and were not looking for “work”. [or] “Depriving employment opportunities” from a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
“We have sought advice from a U.S. immigration lawyer and discussed how U.S. immigration regulations and guidelines determine the nature of ‘work by foreign nationals that requires a U.S. work visa or permit,'” the letter continues.
“And we do not believe that the above arrangements fall into this category.”
But at the airport, Dan was told that house sitting counts as work.
After being screened, Dunn received a letter from the Department of Homeland Security stating that “pet sitting or house sitting in the United States in exchange for lodging is considered employment.”
that [was] Very humiliating and they made us feel like drug smugglers.– Denise McConachie, House Sitter
It also states that she was denied entry because she “did not possess a valid work permit.”
According to the audit transcript, that day the agent told Dan, [her] A “service” does not necessarily have to be financial.
Ms Dunn said the letter from Trusted Housesitters gave her a “false sense of security”.
A spokesperson for Trusted Housesitters told CBC they were only aware of a “very small number of border patrol officers who were unhappy” with the company’s documentation.
“However, we understand that they are subject to individual interpretation and we are clear with our members that they are not a guarantee of entry,” the company wrote to CBC, adding that it advises members to check visa requirements before traveling internationally.
Trusted Housesitters reimbursed her airfare, hotel and membership fees, but Dunn says the red flags in her traveler file can’t be lifted.
While she feels Trusted Housesitters should be held responsible, she regrets not having looked more deeply into the matter before becoming a member.
“What they’re spewing is false,” she said, referring to the company’s “belief” that house sitting is not “work” under U.S. immigration law.
“It’s wrong that we’re now being held accountable.”
Other travelers also stopped
Elise Sevigny said she was turned away at Ottawa airport last summer after showing a letter from Trusted Housesitters to a U.S. border patrol officer. She was heading to New Mexico to care for her dogs.
“I was shocked,” Sevigny said.
In December, she had a layover in the United States and was asked by a border patrol officer if she was still with Trusted Housesitters and if she planned to care for dogs again.
Sevigny said no, and was let through, but the feeling of unease remained.
“I don’t know when I’ll feel confident enough to actually start. [travelling there] Again, there is always the fear of rejection.”
Meanwhile, Dennis McConachie, from British Columbia, said he had a terrifying experience last October when he tried to leave his house at the border crossing in Blaine, Washington.
“One border agent was adamant that we were taking jobs from Americans,” she wrote to CBC News, adding that she was denied entry.
“that [was] It was very humiliating. They made us feel like drug smugglers.”
McConachie said the letter submitted by Trusted Housesitters had “no legal effect whatsoever” and that he felt the company had “misled people about the availability of house sitting overseas”.
While the platform is a “great” way to see Canada, McConachie said a trip to the U.S. has been crossed off the list.
“They are misleading people.”
Even people travelling through the United States to stay at home in Canada are being denied entry.
Australian Madeline Gourley was travelling to Canada in 2022 to work as a house sitter, but was deported during a layover in the US after a border officer told her she needed a work permit.
Ghaly said her U.S. travel record cannot be cancelled and that she and other future travelers will have to spend time and money proving they are not attempting to enter the country illegally.
She called it “irresponsible” for Trusted Housesitters to “downplay” immigration-related obstacles, adding that dozens of people have posted similar stories online.
“They’re misleading people,” Gourley said. “It’s getting a lot of people in trouble.”
She suggested the company put up a more transparent banner on its website outlining the actual risks and visa requirements in countries like the United States, but Trusted Housesitters says the change has been slow. web page The government’s policy on border risks (linked at the bottom of the homepage) is “hidden” and therefore not transparent enough.
The company’s website also now boasts about “freedom to travel”, which Gourley calls “ironic”.
UK city receives consumer complaints
Trusted Housesitters is based in Brighton and Hove, UK, and Jacob Taylor MP said it had received “complaints from overseas” about possible breaches of consumer protections by a locally registered company.
Taylor said the city was in contact with the UK government’s Competition and Markets Authority “about how best to address these concerns”.
He said he could not go into further details.
But CBC has seen some emails from complaints lodged with the city’s chief trading standards officer about Trusted Housesitters.
Negar Akhtari, an Ottawa-based lawyer who specializes in U.S. and Canadian immigration, said a record of a denial of entry “stays in the system forever.”
Future attempts to cross the border will be assessed based on their authenticity, but travelers will likely face increased scrutiny, Aktari said.
She said the burden of proof is on visitors to show border officers with sufficient documentation that they have no intention of working.
“Preparation is key,” Aktari said.
Some people on the Trusted Housesitters forum and elsewhere on social media have suggested travelers may be lying to border officers and saying they are staying with friends.
“I would never advise someone to misrepresent the truth,” Aktari said.
“False statements have consequences far more serious than being denied entry,” she said. “The person could be inadmissible to the United States or Canada for a significant period of time.”
US Customs and Border Protection declined CBC’s request for comment, referring CBC to other agencies. US Citizenship and Immigration Services did not respond to CBC’s request by deadline.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government says its definition of work includes “any activity you perform.” It is not paid, but it is usually a paid job.or provide valuable work experience for Canadian citizens or permanent residents.”
A Canada Border Services Agency spokesperson said officials “consider all relevant factors before making a decision.”
A spokesperson for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said in an email that visitors “can do volunteer work as long as it is not defined as ‘work.'”
Asked for further clarification on how Canada defines house sitting, the department did not respond directly but said entry into Canada is determined on a case-by-case basis.
