Landed in Canada
Kochi - Delhi - Doha - Toronto - Calgary
50 long grueling hours with a 2 year old in tow
My CoPR was supposed to expire on the 26th of July and with the current situation in India, i wasn't sure if taking an extension was the right thing to do. There was absolutely no clarity on the procedures after being granted an extension and a timeline on when we'd get our new visas. I'd quit my job and put every resource available on this. So we decided to take the plunge and booked tickets on Qatar airways on the 22nd of July. It cost us 4 kidneys, two arms and legs each, and 1 each for the toddler, but the decision was made.
Flight 1 - COK to DEL
Date: 22nd July, 2020
Time: 12.30 pm
Airline: Vistara
Flight 2 - DEL to DOHA
Date: 22nd July, 2020
Time: 8.30 pm
Airline: Qatar Airways
Flight 3 - DOHA to TORONTO
Date: 23rd July, 2020
Time: 8.30 am
Airline: Qatar Airways
Flight 4: TORONTO to CALGARY
Date: 23rd July, 2020
Time: 8.15 pm
Airline: Air Canada
Couple of things to note:
1. Domestic airlines allow excess baggage at exorbitant prices at the moment. With Vistara, its 5000Rs for an excess of 15 kgs, plus you'd have to pay 8000Rs plus for an extra bag, which takes it to around 13k in total.
2. Leave ample time in between flights. We'd given a good 5 hrs in Delhi for the next flight to doha and it still wasn't enough. We barely made it to the flight
3. Landing procedures in Canada take a lot more time than usual. Our queue wasn't long, but there were only just 2 counters functioning. An another 5 hour gap in Toronto did nothing for us and again, we barely made it to the next flight
4. Everything in Canada is done on a kiosk when you land, so be careful about what you fill in. Take your time and don't rush. A lot of people were grappling with the new system and there's no one to help you.
5. Immigration is going to take time, so make sure you've ample time to eat and hydrate before you move on to the next leg of your flight. We thought 5 hours would be enough to complete our formalities and take a break for ourselves. Boy, were we wrong
6. Quarantine is strictly enforced in Canada. You'll be fined or jailed if you're found in violation. This is our 3rd day in quarantine with a rambunctious 2 year old and its not easy. But there's no other way.
AT DELHI
if you're coming from an another state, be prepared for the long queues in front of the airport. They just have 2 entry points for international travelers and it's at the far end of the airport. To get to the entry point, you've to go through a long queue where your luggage will be sanitised. And that machine doesn't work half of the time. So leave extra time for that. Once you're in, you'll be greeted with an another long queue at check in. If you've a baby with you, you might get preference here
Oh, and you'll require a self declaration form ready before your enter the airport. If you don't have one, make sure you get one from the counter and fill in all the details beforehand
Immigration formalities here take a lot of time. Keep your documents ready and keep a eye out on your watch. We barely made it to the flight and in the end we'd people coming in search of us.
TO GET TO THE INTERNATIONAL DEPARTURE - This may sound funny, but there were no elevators functioning when we arrived and there wasn't anyone to guide us through. A lot of us who had come from other states found it difficult to locate the departure entry. For those who don't know - exit the airport, take a left, walk a couple of meters and if you're lucky enough, you might find a functioning elevator that'll take you 4 floors above. If not, strap in and prepare yourself to haul yourself and your luggage over 4 floors on a ramp.
AT DOHA
We'd thankfully booked a room at the airport hotel as the layover was for over 10 hours. We didn't have to worry about luggage either and so it was smooth sailing most of the time.
AT TORONTO
Once you land, get your documents ready, find a kiosk and enter your details. Move to the first counter, you'll be greeted by an immigration official. All your declarations, your landing permits, your quarantine addresses will be checked here. You'll be given a declaration form on the flight en route, which will have to be given here at this point.
Next, you'll be greeted with an another long queue. Your PR card formalities gets completed here. Keep your documents ready, your CoPR and your passports go in first. Next they ask you for your bank statements, any criminal records and if you were denied visas before, your quarantine plans and how you plan to survive during quarantine. They'll not accept shared accommodations. If they are not satisfied with with your quarantine plans, and if you're lucky enough, they might take you to a government specified quarantine facility, which I've heard is really really good. You can stay at Toronto airport for a day before you catch a connection flight. But only if have to. We'd Toronto mentioned as our landing destination in our CoPR and our quarantine address as Calgary. It created a lot of confusion, but we managed to sort it out. If you've brought money on a forex card, it doesn't mean anything to them. Declare the total number, be it plastic money or paper.
If you plan to catch a domestic flight, exit the airport, take a left, find an elevator that'll take you to the trains. Thankfully, the elevators were functioning here
Check in at Terminal 1. We'd booked for Air Canada and they're going to charge you for everything they can find. I'd already paid for our seats and extra baggage while booking and they still demanded 160 CAD extra. Asked them to re check my tickets and it kind of seemed to clear the confusion. I'm not sure if they tried to pull a fast one on me here.
AT CALGARY
We'd booked a hotel through a cousin of mine here. If you make a booking from India, they're going to charge you unreasonable prices. Try to see you if you can get someone to book locally. We took a taxi from the airport to our hotel, where we were briefed on our quarantine procedures. There'd be NO CONTACT AT ALL. You'll have to arrange your own food, there'd be no house keeping and most important of all, DON'T STEP OUT OF YOUR ROOM. Our first night here put this in perspective. There was someone else in quarantine here in the adjacent room. Apparently, they'd stepped out. Police were called and by 3.45 am, they were taken away.
** Note for parents with babies
You can bring as much as food you want for your baby from your home, be it formula, cerelac, or anything cooked, but only up until Canada. Once in Canada and you need to make a connection flight, ensure you've all your bottled liquids drained out before you go for security check in. They won't let anything in liquid form into the flight.
I know this is such a long post, but I hope it helps anyone intending to make their first landing in the current circumstances.
PS: flights will be packed to the hilt. Make sure you've disinfectant sprays and wipes, sanitizers and face shields on you at all times. All of 100 ml each in a bottle