Please visit the following websites:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/newcomer/guide/section-01.html
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/gtc/Welcom_to_Canada-en.aspx
I also found this very useful information posted on this forum by Tanvi from the thread "Landing Process and Necessary Info". You should go through the whole thread to find out the answers to your questions. As this information was posted in July 2003 it will be good to verify any change in phone numbers etc.
Documents for Landing:
•Passport with Immigrant Visa
•Landing Papers
•Birth Certificate
•Marriage Certificate
•Drivers License
•School College Certificates/Diplomas
•Health Records, if any
•Goods to Follow List – 2 copies
You can get the Canada Customs and Revenue Agency form for this purpose from the Internet at
www.ccra-adrc.gc.ca/
•Car Registration Documents –if importing at the time of Landing
•Cashiers Check .
If you are planning on taking $10k or more, have two cashier's check for $5k each. Why...sometimes the US customs might cause a stink about $10k. Not a real big deal though.
On Landing:
First Customs Officer and then the Immigration Officer.
PR Card: The immigration officer would take your address in Canada. If you don’t have it you have to notify (call them) them within 180 days. Apart from that you don’t have to do anything for it. Newly arriving permanent residents automatically receive a PR card as part of the immigration process.
As of December 31, 2003, permanent residents returning to Canada without a valid PR card will not be permitted to board their carrier. They will have to contact the nearest Canadian embassy or consulate to obtain a limited use travel document to re-enter Canada at a cost of $50 for each one
The cost of cards for new permanent residents is incorporated in the overall fee for an Application for Permanent Residence. The PR card is valid for five years from the date of issue.
Pickup booklet Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know.
If you arrive in Toronto, Montréal or Vancouver, you will find immigrant reception services in the airport.
First Few things to do in Canada:
1. Open a Bank Account
2. Apply for SIN Card
You can get a SIN application form through the Human Resources Development Canada Centre near you (locate the center at
www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/menu/profile-search.shtml#100). or you can download one from the Internet at
www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/sin-nas.
Documents Needed
Primary document
If you are a Permanent Resident, submit one of the following documents. Documents must be originals.
•Permanent Resident Card
•Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Visa counterfoil in foreign passport
•Confirmation of Permanent Residence and Visa counterfoil on Single Journey Document for Resettlement to Canada
•Record of Landing (will be phased out starting June 2003 and eliminated by December 31st, 2003)
•Confirmation of Landing (will no longer be accepted after December 31st, 2003)
•Returning Resident Permit (will no longer be accepted after December 31st, 2003)
Supporting documents
If the name on your primary document is different from the name you are now using, submit one of the following documents. Documents must be originals.
•Marriage certificate or marriage registration - This document is valid to change your surname. A marriage certificate is not acceptable for persons residing in Quebec and who were married in that province after April 1st, 1981. A marriage license is not acceptable.
•Divorce Decree - This document is valid for a change in the surname only.
•Legal change of name document - This document is a certificate or a court order made under a provincial change of name act or under similar legislation.
•Declaration of Assumed Name/Statutory Declaration - This document is only acceptable for residents of the following provinces: Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick, Ontario and Alberta.
•Adoption papers
•Request to Amend Immigration Record of Landing
We encourage you to apply for your Social Insurance Number in person at a HRDC office. This process is faster and more convenient, as it does not require you to part with your valuable identity documents. You may also apply by mail.
Your card should be received by mail within three weeks from the date you submit your application, providing it meets all criteria. If you are a resident of New Brunswick, you may be eligible to apply for a Social Insurance Number by telephone.
3.Call to give your PR Card Address, if you have not done so at Landing.
PR Card Call Centre at 1-800-255-4541. Agents are available Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. local time.
4.Apply for Health Card
You can get an application form from the provincial ministry of health office, any doctor's office, a hospital or a pharmacy.
To apply for a health card, you will need your birth certificate, Record of Landing (IMM 1000) or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292) and passport. The Permanent Residence card may also be presented. Some provinces have a waiting period while in some you are covered as soon as you apply for it.
•Contact the LINC Assessment Centre for Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada
•You might want to check The Host Program which is a federally funded program that matches newcomers with a Canadian family or individual.
For those just landing and returning back to the US:
Documents Needed:
I-797 and supporting docs
Notes:
The landing document is valid for travel to Canada till the end of 2003(even though they stamp it as not valid for travel).
It takes about 6 weeks for the Canadian PR to arrive in the mail...you can give a relatives or friends address
For Pick Up of PR Card:
Documents Needed
1. Passport
2. IMM1000
3. A photo ID ( Driver's licence / health Card)
