COPR and coronavirus

[VRAJBHUMI781]

I have some questions please reply
I am planning to Book Mumbai to London AirIndia flight and then connecting flight from London to Toronto My questions are
1 Air India allow to travel COPR holder my vidsa valid till 01.08.2020
2 It is essential travel if I travel now
3 Do I need transit visa for UK my layover stay in uk is less than 24 hrs
4 Do I need to collect my luggage at London and recheck in required at London.
5 What about quarantine plan I am staying with my relative their house has 2 Bedroom I live in separate bed room and all food and other necessary items supply by my relative
No vulnerable and medical condition person in that house Do this my quarantine plan is ok or not
5 Air India allow 2+1 bag while from London allow 1+1 bag what should I do??
6 My final decision is Winnipeg MB do I allow to layover stay about 18 hr at TORONTO air port??

Please reply me my whatsapp mobile number for India 7016607342 Your experience are very useful for me please share with me. Thank You

 

[SaraRahul]

Hello all! Just wanted to share our landing experience with everyone here

We had been trying to catch a flight to Toronto from Dubai for a couple months now. After several cancellations, Emirates finally started regular flights to Toronto from May 22nd. We took that very first flight. We only had 8 days to sell a car, sell our furniture, pack our belongings to send by freight and the rest to go with us. With an extra bonus challenge of bringing our pet cat along with us...

Of course, UAE announced revised timings for the sanitation drive a couple days before our flight so we had to scramble and find a way to get our cat to the aiport. The British Vet Clinic in Jumeirah offers such service and is classified as essential service so they picked up our cat the evening before our flight and met us at the airport the next morning.

Our flight was at 9am but we got to the airport 4 hours before as recommended by Emirates. All CoPR passengers were asked to stand aside initially and a gentleman proceeded to ask us some details which he checked directly with the Canadian embassy. Rule of thumb is that if you're planning to do a soft landing, you won't be allowed to board the plane. At least 3 families were not allowed to check in.
This process took almost 1/2h so make sure to come early! During check in, they AGAIN checked whether we were eligible to fly.
Finally, we checked all of our 9 suitcases and I took the cat to an area next to the oversize luggage check in to show her export permit and vaccination book.
Rest of the process was straightforward, nothing different from the usual . Boarding took A LONG time as they were cleaning the plane.

Flight was uneventful aside from one dude having a panic attack a couple hours before arrival, acting all irrational but thankfully the cabin crews were well trained and dealt with him professionally and calmed him down...

Upon arrival to Toronto, we were initially told that were going to disembark in small groups, but they just ejected us all at once so not sure what happened here.

I will describe the steps we went through in the airport to make it clearer to those curious about it :

Step 1 : Passport control.
We had a dude who was quite rude and nervous. You will need to show him your CoPRs and Custom form (one they give you on the plane). The dude was not patient at all and very pushy, but kept my calm to avoid any conflicts... Last thing I want after such a crazy month

Step 2 : CoPR check
Very friendly guy, took again our CoPR and custom form stamped by the guy above. He asked us some questions about plan for 14 days of self quarantine etc etc. Asked us to wait for 10-15 minutes then congratulated us on becoming Permanent Residents, asked for the address to send the PR card and we were done with that. By the way we weren't asked at all about proof of funds.

Step 3 : Collect our luggage and cat

Step 4 : Customs
Surprisingly easy and fast. You show them the forms for goods you're bringing in and goods to follow, they stamp them and you're done.
Same thing for the cat, they checked the vaccination certificate, the rabies certificate etc...
I was expecting them to scan our luggage, but nothing.

You won't be able to do anything else in the airport... SIN office is closed, shops that sell SIM cards closed.

We reached the airbnb in about 1/2h . We had made an online order for the cat stuff (you're not allowed to bring in pet food EXCEPT if it's made in US or Canada) that was waiting for us.
We are using mainly Grocery Gateway and Amazon for groceries. Gateway mainly as it has fast delivery times. Both accept international credit cards so very useful until we're able to open a bank account after the quarantine ends...

We're happy to finally be here! Let me know if you have any questions!

We are planning to soft land from Usa .. self isolate and come back two weeks later .. is that not possible now according to your post? Or does this apply only for travel from Dubai ?

 

[nicolasf]

It's great that you have done the landing. I just have a question about the check in. You mentioned that they would not allow those who planned to softland to board the plane. How do you convince them that it is not soft landing? Does the ticket have to be one way?

I had a one way ticket of course, was taking the cat with us which wouldn't make sense for someone doing a soft landing, and had to show our Airbnb booking to prove our quarantine plan.

 

[nicolasf]

We are planning to soft land from Usa .. self isolate and come back two weeks later .. is that not possible now according to your post? Or does this apply only for travel from Dubai ?

No idea... As far as I know, only essential travel is allowed to Canada. So soft landings are discouraged right now. Toronto Pearson was a ghost town when we landed... HUGE contrast from last July when we traveled on holiday.

 

[SaraRahul]

No idea... As far as I know, only essential travel is allowed to Canada. So soft landings are discouraged right now. Toronto Pearson was a ghost town when we landed... HUGE contrast from last July when we traveled on holiday.

Thank you for the reply.

 

[ChelleLiveInCAD]

Hey,
Thanks for the information. What if connecting flight is after 15 hrs from Toronto or may be more? Would they allow me to stay at the airport or not?

Same question....I booked 2 separate tickets international and domestic..POE in toronto and final destination in regina. Im worried because I have a layover at pearson airport for 17hrs. No idea if passenger allowed to stay at the airport for 24hrs.

 

[nicolasf]

Hello @nicolasf, I'm so happy to hear that your trip was safe and uneventful. I hope I can trouble you for your thoughts on the following:
1. What is the address you gave to the officer for your PR card application? Was it the airBnB residence you are quarantining at? I ask because the current waiting times for PR card issuance is 113 days (as of May 20,2020), so are you staying at that AirBnB residence till then?
2. How are you approaching the SIN number application online? The application requires a proof of address (either as rent agreement, Canadian bank statement). What address are you planning to provide and how are you planning on providing proof for that?
3. How are you and your partner planning on finding employment? Is the SIN number required before you can job search?

Your answers will be very helpful for the members here. Thanks again and god bless in your new life! Give you cat a pet from me!

1 - I gave the address of a friend in Montreal. And got a form which I can fax back (or do online) to change the address. I will probably do that as soon as I rent a place.

2 - I am also waiting to get a permanent address. I have already booked viewings for week 3 (first week out of quarantine) so will try to get this done asap. Day 1 out of quarantine will be to open a bank account...
For insurance, I did a travel insurance till end of July.

3 - I am lucky to still be employed by my UAE employer so will be working remotely for a few months. Will give me the time to fully settle and get everything read prior to looking for a job locally.

 

[SaraRahul]

Hi all...

Is soft landing from Usa to Canada still considered essential travel. Any validations in this front will be helpful... I happened to read a post by @nicolasf who has shared an experience of settling permanently and officers checked if travellers are soft landing and denied their travel. Does this apply to ppl from USA?
FYI , PR approved before March 18,2020 and my husband and I are on work visa and dependent visa respectively in USA.

 

[rpgoraya]

Last week, we asked for extension as copr is expiring on 11 june but no email from IRCC yet. is the normal please advise.

 

[raxx.cater]

Hi all...

Is soft landing from Usa to Canada still considered essential travel. Any validations in this front will be helpful... I happened to read a post by @nicolasf who has shared an experience of settling permanently and officers checked if travellers are soft landing and denied their travel. Does this apply to ppl from USA?
FYI , PR approved before March 18,2020 and my husband and I are on work visa and dependent visa respectively in USA.

SoftLanding is not an official term. Immigration comes under essential. But, yes, if you are planning to let an immigration officer or airline's agent know that you intend to return back, then it is not considered as essential and you may be denied entry. Best way is to book a one-way ticket and book a return ticket after landing.

 

[BB46]

You can land in either Toronto or Vancouver but should be prepared to show you have onward travel to Alberta and also have an isolation plan when you arrive in Alberta. Basically you need to only transit either Toronto or Vancouver, complete your immigration/customs formalities there at first POE and make a connecting flight.

If you plan to leave the airport in either of those POEs then believe you would be expected to show an isolation plan in either one of those POEs as opposed to in Alberta. The guidance is badly worded in that says if leave airport but doesnt say have to stay airside whilst transiting although staying airside is a common requirement for other countries with quarantine requirements and makes more sense given once out of customs/immigration into arrivals/departure area of the terminal is a whole different situation versus airside.

Yes eventually I will head to Calgary via another flight but was just concerned if immigration formalities will be done on the first POE or not. And if I chose to quarantine myself at Vancouver or Toronto, will I be allowed to do so. Because anyhow I'm planning to book an airbnb for the quarantine period.

 

[Pooja27]

Hi, I and my husband are COPR holders issued before 18th of MArch 2020. We wish to travel to toronto via frankfurt with lufthansa airways on June 7th 2020
However wanted to confirm If Lufthansa Airways allows COPR holders to travel on the frankfurt = toronto flight!! please put some light if anyone has any information.
Thankyou

 

[whyCorona]

Mine is not reopened even after 2 months.

Are you sure about it? Tell your consultant to give you the screenshot of your CIC account if you have not seen it already.

 

[whyCorona]

Hi, I and my husband are COPR holders issued before 18th of MArch 2020. We wish to travel to toronto via frankfurt with lufthansa airways on June 7th 2020
However wanted to confirm If Lufthansa Airways allows to COPR holders to travel on the frankfurt = toronto flight!! please put some light if anyone has any information.
Thankyou

Yes, you will be allowed. But from where you are flying? New Delhi?

 

[Canaspirant xyz]

Are you sure about it? Tell your consultant to give you the screenshot of your CIC account if you have not seen it already.

Ok Will do.