Hey, everyone,
I just wanted to share my landing experience.
First things first, thanks to everyone in this forum for their help and support. It really, really helps, even when we don't have the answers, but just to be able to talk about it and share experiences... makes the journey seem less "alone".
Secondly, I'm really sorry to read so many posts recently of people getting stuck in their applications =( ... i understand your frustration. It is definitely not easy and it takes all the energy we have in order to not lose our heads. I guess i was one of the lucky ones compared to what some have experienced. I sincerely hope you all get good news soon. As i said when i wrote to Trudeau's office, nobody is benefited from long waiting times, and everybody loses. =(
In any case, here is my experience,
I went early to the border today. I rented a car and drove to phillipsburg. I decided to avoid Lacolle due to the refugee crisis, thinking that maybe it would be too busy there. I got to the border around 8 AM and it was crowded I had to wait around 40 min to cross. The US officer was relatively nice and it did not take very long to get the necessary paperwork to go back to canada.
Going back took a while too, since only one lane was open to cross into canada. I told the border officer i wanted to validate my permanent residence. he directed me to go inside and I handed my papers (CoPR , CSQ and passport) to another officer. About 10 min later someone came to ask me some questions concerning my file (have you been convicted of a crime? do you have any minors in your charge? things like that). She did ask me about funds, but told me she did not require my bank statement, just telling her the number was sufficient). The officer went back again to validate some info, came back again after another 10 min or so. She removed my work permit, stamped my passport and gave me welcome speech. After that, i had to go see someone else concerning the customs declaration, which was pretty straightforward since I am already living in Canada and i am not bringing anything into the country.
After that, i was free to go. All in all, it took nearly 2 hours since i got the the border (including the waiting time to cross the US and everything else).
Again, thank you guys for everything, for all the useful advices, and sometimes just listening.
I will keep popping in to the forum, but maybe a bit less. If anyone has any questions directly, feel free to send a private inbox message. I'll be happy to answer.
Have a great evening, everyone!
