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Question about soft landing and "goods to follow"

Dec 16, 2022
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My wife is doing a soft PR landing with her COPR this month. However, she will not be bringing any goods with her, since she will be moving to Canada permanently in one year.

My question...does she NOW, for the soft landing, need to fill out this BSF186A "goods to follow" form listing the goods she plans to bring over in a year? She does not know precisely which items she will bring.

I have read elsewhere that she does NOT need to fill out this form now, since she is not "landing as a settler" now. However, some people have also suggested just filling it out as a backup in case the officer doesn't understand the rules. Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
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I have read elsewhere that she does NOT need to fill out this form now, since she is not "landing as a settler" now.
This is correct.

However, some people have also suggested just filling it out as a backup in case the officer doesn't understand the rules. Any guidance is appreciated! Thank you.
Makes no sense; seems to me this advice is from people who have never dealt with this.

Why do I say this? Because they are _different officers_. (Caveat, at least at airports, I'm not sure about at land crossings).

At secondary (immigration) at airport, they will only deal with the landing process. Even if you took out that goods to follow thing, they'd tell you that is with customs after picking up your luggage (or in the luggage area), and it's at a separate desk than where you exit the luggage/customs area. If you don't go to that desk to show the goods to follow form, well, nothing happens. (Honestly even if you were staying forever and didn't pull out that form, well, nothing happens and the rest is your problem).

What will happen in a year or whenever, THAT is when she will need to do this. The fact she's already a PR won't change anything.