US Immigration Canadian Border Crossings

Online Records

 * 1895-1956 - at FamilySearch, index only. Includes records from seaports and railroad stations all over Canada and the northern United States.
 * 1895-1960 - Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry, ($). Index and images.
 * 1895-1954 - at FamilySearch, Index and images.
 * 1905-1963 - Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1963 at Ancestry, ($).
 * 1906-1954 - . Only from Michigan ports of entry: Bay City, Detroit, Port Huron, and Sault Ste. Marie.
 * 1908-1935 - Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 at Ancestry, ($), index and images. Some records in French.($)
 * 1908-1918 - Border port of entry lists for Canada, 1908-1918, images.

St. Albans, Vermont District Records
From 1895 through 1954, records were kept of many people who crossed the border from Canada into the United States. The records are mostly for people who:
 * 1895-1956 - at FamilySearch, index only. Includes records from seaports and railroad stations all over Canada and the northern United States.
 * 1895-1960 - Border Crossings: From Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 at Ancestry, ($). Index and images.
 * 1895-1954 - at FamilySearch, Index and images.


 * Were immigrating into the United States.
 * Were visiting the country.
 * Were United States citizens returning to the United States.

The records include people coming in ships and trains. People who crossed the border in any other way, such as by horse or car, are not in the records. Lists of passengers crossing the Canadian border were collected into "Manifests of Passengers Arriving in the St. Albans, Vermont District', 1895-1954." In spite of the title, this collection includes records from all over Canada and the northern United States (not just St. Albans). These are the records of U.S. immigration officials who inspected travelers at the following places:
 * From 1895 to 1914, at all Canadian seaports and train arrival stations from Washington state to Maine (including major interior cities such as Quebec, Winnipeg, etc.). Officials used shipping company passenger lists (manifests) to determine passengers bound for the United States via Canada.
 * From 1915 to 1954, border crossing records were only kept at train arrival stations along the northern borders of New York and Vermont.

Content of the Records
The information you find varies from record to record. These records may include:

Detroit Records
This database is an index to card manifests of aliens crossing from Canada and entering the U.S. through the port of Detroit, Michigan from 1905 to 1954. It also includes passenger and alien crew lists of vessels arriving at the port of Detroit, Michigan, from 1946 to 1963.
 * 1905-1963 - Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1963 at Ancestry, ($). Index and images. Corresponds to NARA Publication M1478 and M1479.
 * 1906-1954 - at FamilySearch. Index and images. Corresponds to NARA Publication M1478.

Content of the Records
Due to the variety of forms, the amount of information available for an individual in this database will vary according to the form used and the questions asked on it. The type of information that is generally contained in this database though, includes:

Canadian Border Crossings: United States to Canada
In April 1908, the Canadian government began recording the names of immigrants crossing into the country from the U.S. These records are the official immigration records for Canada as no other immigration records exist. Not all immigrants coming into Canada were registered. Some people may have entered the country through non-port cities or when ports were closed. Also, if at least one parent in a family was born in Canada or previously resided there, then the whole family was considered as returning citizens instead of immigrants, and were therefore not recorded.
 * 1908-1935 - Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 at Ancestry, ($), index and images. Some records in French.($)
 * 1908-1918 - Border port of entry lists for Canada, 1908-1918, images.
 * From 1908-1918, the government used border entry lists to record information about individuals coming into the country.
 * From 1919-1924, Form 30 (individual form) was used in place of the border entry lists to record similar information. In 1925 border entry lists came into use again.

Content of the Records
The amount of information recorded in these records varies according to form type and year. Below is a list of the type information you may find in these records. Please keep in mind that not all of this information will be available on every form. Additionally, there may be other information provided that is not listed below.