Visiting USA on ESTA before moving to Canada
I have an approved Canadian IEC (working holiday visa) application with a confirmation letter issued by IRCC. I have booked flights to NYC to visit family for two weeks before going to Canada to activate my IEC work permit. Flight route looks like this:
London -> NYC -> Toronto
We booked these flights ages ago and we were not aware that one of the conditions of ESTA is that you have to leave North America in order not to "overstay". Does anyone have experience with doing the same?
US DOS states that residents of Canada are exempt from proof of onward travel, but obviously when I first enter the US I am not a Canadian resident yet, only when I activate the permit do I become one. Would going to the US for a day or two and then coming back to Canada, after already having activated my IEC permit, count me as finally "leaving US" and resetting the 90 day ESTA window?
I am quite stressed about it and I can't see anything concrete anywhere, any help and advise appreciated.