Landing at the Peace Arch, Vancouver border and H1, H4 visa stamping experience
We landed at the Peace Arch, Vancouver border last weekend and got our passports stamped (second H1B, H4) at the US consulate. The Canadian landing formalities and US visa stamping process were pretty smooth. We rented a car from Seattle and drove to Vancouver.
Canadian PR Landing
At Immigration the guy asked for - passports, COPRs, and an address. He also asked for the amount of fund we are carrying. He did not ask or wish to see the proof of fund. We signed the COPR and he gave us a copy of the COPR. There was no line at the Immigration and the whole process took less than 10 minutes for two people.
At Customs, the guy asked for a copy of the copr given by the Immigration, GTFL (goods to follow list), and a list of goods we were carrying. He stamped a copy of both the lists and gave me the copy, along with a Customs form that I signed. The whole process took less than 5 minutes.
The wait time to enter Canada at the border was around 30 minutes, as there were many people, mainly Canadian and American citizens crossing the border during the weekend.
H1, H4 stamping at the US consulate
For H1, H4 re-stamping at the US consulate in Vacouver, our experience was consistent with what others had to say in this forum.
The visa officer asked for recent paystubs along with the usual documents - 156, 157, employment letter, and 797, that were already submitted at the cashier's counter where you pay the fees. He asked for my job duties. I felt that he sort of already knew about my job duties. The whole interview was around 2-3 minutes and we were done. Before the interview at another counter in the same room, we were finger-printed.
I did have to pay the reciprocity fee even though I landed in Canada a day before, as the guy said that I have not lived in Canada. So, the morale of the story, carry extra cash when you go for stamping or landing or at the poe.
Coming back to the US: The wait time to enter the border was around 40 minutes. We did have to come out of our car and stand in line in the building. We did not have to fill out any form. The POE guy printed out our new I94s with right dates on them and charged $12 for it. Again, carry extra cash. I was not prepared for it either.
On my background, I'm from India with a US degree.
Vancouver is really a beautiful place. Also, we felt that it's one the best places to raise a family. If we get a job we would love to move to Vancouver..
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This experience is not a legal advice.