landing experience

Originally posted by tarantula
You should be fine flying into Canada from US. As a precaution, you might want to keep your 194 separate from your passport. We went by rental car from seattle to vancouver and did not face any issues on both sides.
If you take your own car, you will be asked to declare it. On the goods to follow, document(b4.pdf), it is valid 1 yr from the date you land. So, after that, you will be asked to pay customs duty on the goods you bring in. If you are planning to add jewelry to the list, you will need photos of them, digital onto a cd or in print. It makes the process a whole lot faster if you fill in the forms before you go. On the goods to follow, all electronics will need a serial number and the car's vin number needs to be indicated in case you are going to bring it in.
Click to expand...

Thanks a lot, my friend. You indicated that the Good to Follow list is good for one year. Is there any time stamp in the form to show the expiration date? I got info from the website of Customs of Canada which indicates no time limit for B4. Just confused.
 
passport request

Hi Folks,

I have received passport request from Buffalo and have to submitt within 20 days. As a requirement we must submitt passports of all applicants togather.

My problem is, My spouse is travelling. I am not sure whether I should get the passport in FedEx and submit or should I send a Fax to CIC-Buffalo to explain the situation.

If Anyone or Anybody's friends were been in same situation, Please post the guiding exprience.
Hi Folks,..
--Calif03
**************************************************
Calif03, what did u do ?? Have you sent a fax to CIC-Buffalo ?? I am in the same boat.
I sent my medicals in last week of Nov 03, sent other docs (us finger prints, employer letter etc.,), landing fee on 13 th of Dec. My wife is taveling to india for 2 months (Jan, Dec). So my question is how much time they give me in the passport request letter for sending the passport.
Can we send a fax or letter to Buffalo requesting additional time to send the passport. ?

How much time they give us to land after getting stamped in the passport, I heard it depends up the US visa you have in the passport. Is it true ??

My other question is I see some posts abt estatus, how do we check it ??
Appreciate your help.

Thanks
 
Re

"Can you provide me the link for SIN card office website ? How far is it from YVR " Kalpesh

It's in downtown Richmond, about 20 mins from the airport. They will give you the phone numbers when you land. They are all over the place basically and are not crowded, nor are the people sitting there rude.

About I-94, why is it a concern that they would take it from you ? In my case, it was not taken at the US airport, but while I was returning, the guy at the immigration office at YVR, took the old one and asked me to fill a new one.

For motel/hotel, try priceline or something for 1 night and give Richmond as the city.
 
Re: Re

Originally posted by IAmTiredOfThis
Am I required to open an account at all in Canada once I land ?

I understand that I should be carrying around $10,000 in cashiers check, but why can't I just bring them back to US after landing ??? Do I have to leave all that sum in Canada if I don't intend to relocate anytime in the near future ?
Click to expand...

> You mean Canadian Dollars, right?
 
You mean Canadian Dollars, right?You mean Canadian Dollars, right?

It was US Dollars. From what I understand you can carry that amount in CAD.

Anyway, I have landed and all, didn't open an account.
 
Has anyone crossed to Canada from New York?

Hi:

Anyone traveled by car from New York to Ontario? I am thinking of driving to Brockville, Ontario. Anyone been to that place? How is the border crossing?

Any other border crossings in the New York area is better? Thank you.
 
Originally posted by Pitt
Here is my landing experience….

Arrived at Toronto Pearson Int’l Airport on the 9th of Oct around noon. First met customs where I told the lady that I’m landing for the first time & gave her my customs declaration form & passport. She then told me to proceed to the immigration counter.

I was the only one in line & lady officer called me up. She was very friendly & pleasant. I presented my landing paper along with the passport. She then asked me for the settlement amount. I told her the amount & she wrote it on my landing papers. Did not ask for proof. She then got me to sign the paper & at that point I asked her if I need to take a photo for the PR card. She said the one on the landing paper will be fine. She also handed me a Welcome book to Canada & told me to proceed to customs. The landing process took 10 minutes.

Customs took a little longer as the officer was a little clueless about the “Goods to follow list”. But with the help of another officer the process was very smooth. He stamped both copies & handed over my copy with $0 receipt attached. Also gave me two pamphlets which states in detail about the process of brining in my car and the modifications that have to be done etc. The entire process at customs took about 20 minutes.

Same day went to the HRDC in Richmond Hill and applied for the SIN.

The return trip back to the US was also very smooth. Travelling on H1 which was revalidated by the State Dept. The US immigration officer just asked for how long I had been in Canada. That was all.

So that concludes the “Landing Process”!

If anyone has any questions I will be happy to help.
Click to expand...

======================
I went to the customs web-site for "goods to follow form"
There were two forms (B4 and B4A). Can you please tell me what form is for what purpose?
Thanks in advance! You have been a great help!
 
Hi All,
I landed in Toronto by car in the first week of Dec. The whole process took less than 10 mins. Immigration and Custom's officials were very polite :) . I came back to US on my H1, next day without any issues(process at US border took less than 5 mins).
I applied for my SIN opened a bank account and gave my freinds address in Toronto.
Thanks for all the help and Info I got from this forum. Please let me know if anyone needs more information.
Thanks,
Can_immig.
 
Originally posted by can_immig
Hi All,
I landed in Toronto by car in the first week of Dec. The whole process took less than 10 mins. Immigration and Custom's officials were very polite :) . I came back to US on my H1, next day without any issues(process at US border took less than 5 mins).
I applied for my SIN opened a bank account and gave my freinds address in Toronto.
Thanks for all the help and Info I got from this forum. Please let me know if anyone needs more information.
Thanks,
Can_immig.
Click to expand...

Congrats to your successful landing!

Which border checkpoint did you cross? Rental car or your own car? You have valid H-1B status (I-797 and I-94) or valid H-1B stamp in your passport? How long time is the Good-to-Follow list good for? Thanks a lot for sharing your experience.
 
I am going to Canada just to fill out forms for SIN, PR, and I want to come back to US to finish my master's. I have three questions:

1 - When I filled the application I declared my destination as Vancouver, BC but I am going to land in Ontario. Does Canada immigration care about this?

2 - Will they raise any issues if you tell them you'll be back in US within a fw days as I need to complete master's.

3 - I am planning to just go with my clothes and nothing else. Do I have to list such personal items in the list of goods?

Thank you all for your answers. Very much appreciated.
 
For ParadigmShifter,

I did not use any of those forms. I created a list using Excel & they had no problems in accepting it. Just made the list very simple & clear. Make sure to include model # & serial # for all electronics.

Hope this helps,
Nita.
 
PR card

Anyone-
Do you know how long does it take to get the PR card after you land? Do we have to go to a different office and apply for PR card or we can apply at the post upon landing?

Thanks in advance.
Baig
 
Re

Do you know how long does it take to get the PR card after you land? Do we have to go to a different office and apply for PR card or we can apply at the post upon landing?
At landing. I got it in 3 weeks. Some people get a letter asking them to collect it from an office.

1 - When I filled the application I declared my destination as Vancouver, BC but I am going to land in Ontario. Does Canada immigration care about this?
Click to expand...

I had given the dest as Toronto but landed in Vancouver. No probs.

2 - Will they raise any issues if you tell them you'll be back in US within a fw days as I need to complete master's.

Nope. Most people do this anyway.

3 - I am planning to just go with my clothes and nothing else. Do I have to list such personal items in the list of goods?


Well, I didn't..
 
Thanks IAmTiredOfThis


More questions(sorry)....Thanks for answering

Is it necessary to provide proof of ownership when you put your car in the list of goods to follow?

I still owe money on my car, but by the time I move permanently to canada, I will have paid it off.


Also, I read that you brought your cashier's cheques back to USA...did you declare them again at the canadian border...(i read the E677 instructions saying you have to declare any amount over Can$ 10K..moving in either direction)..and if you did, did they say anything about it?

Thanks a million.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
If any one landed on Jan 2000 in Canada, please post your experience. I am planning to land in Toronto in last week of Jan.

Thanks
 
re

alcat :

Didn't take my car, so won't know much about it. There are other threads here that have discussed similiar issues...

About the cashier check, actually I forgot to declare them while coming back :)

Not sure, but I think it is anything USD 10K that you have to declare when you come back to US. When you land in Canada, it is CAD 10K, which ofcourse I did declare. Check Tanvi's notes on the same in the thread on landing info..
 
Hi IAmTiredOfThis,

Just wondering why we need to declare US 10k while coming back if the check is issued by a US bank and money is still in the US.

Don't we have to declare money only if we bring form outside US.

Please clarify...
 
Originally posted by Jalma
Hi IAmTiredOfThis,

Just wondering why we need to declare US 10k while coming back if the check is issued by a US bank and money is still in the US.

Don't we have to declare money only if we bring form outside US.

Please clarify...
Click to expand...

I also thought the same like Jalma. But... I declared to be in the safe side. Then the US officials saw the check & cash, and told me that... "You didn't sign the back of the check so it doesn't count. If the check is on your name and you didn't sign then it doesn't count". I would suggest everyone to declare. If your total cash and signed checks (if you sign it on the back. Hope you won't) stays bellow 9999.99 then you would have no hassle. Otherwise you would have to fill out a special form and you would get a copy of that form. You would also need to use that form when you deposit that money in your US bank (one of my friend went through that process once).
 
I94 Validity and landing

Friends,

My H1B expires in May 2004 and I have not applied for extension. yet. If I land in the next 1-2 weeks, will such short duration of validity (~3 months only ) cause any problems while returning to the US ?

Should I wait till I get h1B extension to land in Canada and return back to the US ?


Thanks much for your help.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top