Hello everyone, my landing experience below:
1- Landed in Montreal Airport (YUL) August 14th at around 16:30.
2- First-immigration queues were almost empty, you will find plenty of automated e-declaration machines (and I mean plenty) just before the first immigration control. Advices and lessons learned:
- - There is an App (eDeclaration) were you can initiate your declaration beforehand (in your country for example) add your accompanying members details and it will generate a QR code so that when you are at the machine you just need to scan it through you phone, the app will still show your QR code even in Airplane mode the machine will ask you to flip your passport to link your declaration to you passport. I did mine and somehow taught it will be one declaration per family, no its not; Each family member need a separate declaration.
- - You don't have to do the eDeclaration, even if you do it at the machine it's OK (honestly if I knew I would have done it at the machine), the process is easy and you will find very nice young people assisting you.
- - Mention goods to follow list in your eDeclaration (tick Yes for GFL).
3- Next step is your first contact with CBSA (not the passport control yet), you will find a very nice CBSA agent acting like a dispatcher for the other agents making the process fast and streamlined. The agent will check mainly if you have your declaration paper ready, of course in my case I did screw up (first bullet in point-2) so he explained that each passport needs a declaration; I said despite my preparedness (the app and the forums and the etc...) I managed to mess up the thing and I will go back and do it again (the machines were just behind), he smiled and said no issue, I will refer you to my colleague he will fix it for you and he took us to the CBSA passport control (or as I call it Immigration-0).
4- At immigration-0 the CBSA agent asked us the purpose of our visit, where we are coming from, checked our Declarations and asked about food (not the money, this came after). He knew that he needed to manually add the declaration for my family (the previous CBSA agent explained him); I asked if I can ask him a question and he replied absolutely; then I said I have goods to follow do I have to tell you this now, he said that in my declaration I ticked “No” and I said I guess it’s another mess up, he smiled and said no issue he corrected my declaration with a red marker added my family (all together) manually in another paper and told me that you have to explain to the CBSA agent that will take those declaration from you (the last agent before you leave the airport with your luggage) that we are 4 and have only 2 declarations (one for me and one for my family all together) and he gave me those papers. He stamped our passports (a “Used” stamp in our Visas) directed us to Immigration-2 (not immigration-1) and wished us a nice day.
5- Immigration-1 & 2 were in the same corridor behind the checkpoint of Immigration-0. Those are basically independent waiting rooms with a lot of CBSA agents behind desks and a nice seating areas. When entering Immigration-2 you need to take a number (can’t remember the options) but we took a number related to Permanent Immigration. We took a seat and having our COPR, passports with the declaration , GFL and number on hand, the area was around 40% full but there was a CBSA agent roaming on the area checking our papers and asking some people to go ot Immigration-1 (students and work permit) and when CBSA desks were free he will ask other people to go to the assigned desks telling the agent behind the desk the number; he was very efficient, he emptied the room very quickly at a level were it was only us and another lady only left seating. He came to check our papers and told us “you’re at the right place and you will be called”.
6- We waited around 15 minutes and an agent called our number and we went there with our papers. He greeted us and asked for our paper so I gave him our passports, COPRs, goods to follow list (2 copies) and our original CSQs; he said I can keep the CSQs as he does not need them (I taught I read somewhere that they take the original CSQ). The conversation went like (as far as I remember):
- Are you settling in Quebec?, A: Yes.
- Do you have any other dependent not listed in your application?, A: No (I was like, dude, my wife is standing right next to me).
- What is the amount of cash you’re carrying? A: xx in cash, xx in a Forex card totalizing about 5900 CAD (less than 10,000 CAD).
- Do you have the minimum requirement to settle (the one we signed during the application process); A: Yes, in addition to the Cash (that was already above the minimum requirement) we have statements of our respective bank accounts.
- How much do you estimate your total wealth (odd question but I read in other forums that it’s a common question now), A: I’m not sure. He said I just need an approximation only, A: I gave an estimation (after telling my kids to back off so they don’t listen).
- I see that you have a completed good to follow list with the appendixes and the pictures of the jewelry, it’s very well done. A: Thank you, I spent a lot of time preparing it.
- Everything seems OK, please take a seat and I will prepare all your documents and call you back. A: Thank you agent.
We waited for another 15 mn, the dispatching agent was so good that for the last 10 mn we were literally alone in the room with CBSA agents behind their desks; only the agent working on our papers was busy, he had some CBSA agents-trainee behind him showing them the process.
After the CBSA agent completed our papers he called my name and we went there; The conversation went like (also as far as I remember):
- Here are your approved and stamped COPR copies, please keep those safely and basically forever. You will need them even after you get your citizenship for your pension. Those are dated and in order for you to keep your residency status you will have to reside in Canada for 730 days for the next 5 years starting at this date.
- Here is your good to follow list approved and stamped. You can bring those goods anytime you want. I noticed later that he put a CBSA file number in my goods to follow list, stamped all the sheets (including appendixes) and inscribed the same number in the back of my COPR.
- Here are your passports.
- I already applied for your PR card, please go to this website (he handed to me a printed sheet with a web address) and change your address to a Canadian address so CIC can mail your cards (thing that I did later but it’s another story and another post).
- I apologize I don’t have the welcome to Canada booklet in English (we spoke to that agent in English, the others we spoke in French, reason is so that my kids could understand the conversation in Immigration-2), I have only in French. I replied (in French) that it’s OK and he smiled and was surprised that I spoke French (like dude what the hell) and I explained for my kids thing.
- He said all your documents are done, “WELCOME TO CANADA”.
We went outside and went down a floor (just followed luggage pickup sign), straight away our luggage were already turning on the belt. We recover them, did a toilet pitch-stop and went to the exit.
7- When exiting the airport, you will find people streaming through 4~5 queues with CBSA agents at the end controlling and taking the declaration cards only. When reaching the agent controlling my queue I explained that I don’t have 4 declaration cards and that my family is in another paper all together (the Immigration-0 agent thing in point-4), I started to explain further and he said “no problem sir, please go ahead, have a nice day”. Off we go, we are in Canada, I went to the car rental, we decided to apply for the SIN later in Service Canada.
Some notes:
- YUL Airport is modern, very clean and all the CBSA processes are streamlined.
- There were not a lot of flights at the time of our landing (16:30), it may be different in terms of traffic in other timings.
- The CBSA agents (and we dealt directly with 5 of them) are all very polite, helpful and speak fluently both English and French (we spoke French with 4 of them and in English with one of them). You can ask them questions if you like, they will answer
- CBSA agents like well-prepared documents, especially the GFL. Some advice: keep your COPR flat in a folder (try not the fold them as I think the VO’s always send them flat with the passport), type your GFL in the B186 and B186A neatly referencing the items in case you add an appendix (it’s not mandatory but makes the thing easier), put your CSQ in a separate folder.
That’s it, see you all in the next step.
