Flagpoling for PGWP. Peace Bridge, Queenston-Lewiston Bridge or Rainbow Bridge?

[exuberant_flagpoller]

Hey, I'm an international student who recently graduated and planning on flagpoling for my PGWP very soon. I know that the CSBA offices run from 8 AM to midnight. However, there's also a stringent quota on how many PGWPs they can process on a given day (Usually 10).

So my question is, which border do you guys feel I would have the best shot at getting in line? Any advice or tips on when to reach the border, whether I should use a car or go on foot, etc. -- would be highly appreciated. I'm sure not everyone can compare all the locations to each other, so I was hoping that you kind people could leave some anecdotes.


Thank you!

 

[Shmiler]

Do you NEED to flagpole? i.e. do you need to leave the country and will go out of status?

Remember if you apply online for PGWP while study permit and visa are valid then you can work on maintained status.

My PGWP was processed inside 2 months.

If you do NEED to flagpole then the 1000 islands (Kingston) crossing seems to get the most positive feedback, and it's open 24/7 for your status change (no quotas like the ones you mentioned).

 

[Oor@1234]

Please how can I book for medicals for Canada Visa application in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

Do you NEED to flagpole? i.e. do you need to leave the country and will go out of status?

Remember if you apply online for PGWP while study permit and visa are valid then you can work on maintained status.

My PGWP was processed inside 2 months.

If you do NEED to flagpole then the 1000 islands (Kingston) crossing seems to get the most positive feedback, and it's open 24/7 for your status change (no quotas like the ones you mentioned).

I was a part-time student for two semesters during Covid for which I can’t work on maintained status.

When did you apply for your PGWP? The wait time is 5-6 months right now. I get that I might still luck out and get it sooner but I don’t want to take my chances.

Thanks for suggesting Thousand Islands, I’ve seen good reviews about it too. But it’s not possible to walk across that bridge, is it?

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

Please how can I book for medicals for Canada Visa application in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Please how can I book for medicals for Canada Visa application in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Hey, I’m sorry I can’t help you with that. You can try creating a separate post or commenting on a related post — you should get more help that way.

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

I was a part-time student for two semesters during Covid for which I can’t work on maintained status.

When did you apply for your PGWP? The wait time is 5-6 months right now. I get that I might still luck out and get it sooner but I don’t want to take my chances.

Thanks for suggesting Thousand Islands, I’ve seen good reviews about it too. But it’s not possible to walk across that bridge, is it?

I should add my study permit is still valid.

 

[Shmiler]

I applied in May and got it In July. It was saying 6 months wait too but if you look on the PGWP thread you’ll see people are getting it much quicker.

The 1000 islands crossing, you do need a car to do that one. Maybe you have a friend or someone else on the forum might want to carshare?

The obvious plus side is no quotas, and you can do it 24/7.

The Niagara bridges seem to be very busy and sometimes they process as little as 3 in a day. People queue from midnight to get to the front of the line. If you can handle that then go for it.

 

[Ekil]

Hey, I'm an international student who recently graduated and planning on flagpoling for my PGWP very soon. I know that the CSBA offices run from 8 AM to midnight. However, there's also a stringent quota on how many PGWPs they can process on a given day (Usually 10).

So my question is, which border do you guys feel I would have the best shot at getting in line? Any advice or tips on when to reach the border, whether I should use a car or go on foot, etc. -- would be highly appreciated. I'm sure not everyone can compare all the locations to each other, so I was hoping that you kind people could leave some anecdotes.


Thank you!

Hey, I’m in the same situation right now can you share your experience and if you managed to flagpole would be very helpful

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

Update:

Hey guys, I went to the Peace Bridge recently. I would highly suggest you go there for Flagpoling too. Try reaching there by 7:30 AM and start walking to the US border. Please do not go any earlier since this will really piss off officers on both sides. I went there at 5:30 AM, and an officer suggested I come later for flagpoling. Also, ensure you have a thick skin on that day because some officers may talk to you very harshly and you'll just have to swallow it. Remember, your only priority is to get your permits -- don't let your pride or emotions interfere with that. Try to stay as nonchalant as possible and be their personal punching bag, and they'll respect you.

Important Note: They closed off the Mather Arch Park walkway due to some temporary work. Go to the office near Queen St. and follow the directions.

On the US Side:
After crossing the bridge and going through a turnstile, there's a door to a very small office. You'll notice a speaker and a button attached to the left side of the door, press the button and wait for an officer to serve you. The US officer was pretty nice, but only answer questions concisely. My tip would be not to be the funny guy in any interactions with border officers, just smile, nod, and answer questions. Make sure you come out of the office with the paper that proves that you flagpoled. Also, pack lightly since they might search for you, but nothing like that happened with me.

Cross the bridge back to Canada the same way you came from.

On the Canadian Side:
After that, you'll notice an array of stalls that are processing cars. Don't be confused; they are there to serve pedestrians too. So walk up to them using the zebra crossing, present them your documents and get a slip (It was yellow for me). At this point, ask the officer at the stall where the main office is, and he'll direct you to it. Enter the office, submit your documents, take a sit and wait patiently to be called.


Good luck and Godspeed. Ask me anything if you'd like to know more.

I personally got my PGWP refused because my officer got to know that I had two part-time semesters during covid in my 5 years long undergrad (crazy rules, I know). I had a letter of explanation and heaps of supplemental documents, but the officer processing me didn't really want to reason with me or look deeply into my explanations. So I would suggest that you should flagpole only if you know you're guaranteed a permit. I'm probably going to try and apply online now. However, the officer gave me a visitor record for 4 months to figure stuff out, which was nice. I'm sure being a bit more argumentative could've played out for the better, but on the flip side, he also could have refused the work permit and asked me to leave before my study permit expired.

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

Hey, I’m in the same situation right now can you share your experience and if you managed to flagpole would be very helpful

Hey, please refer to my update!

 

[exuberant_flagpoller]

I applied in May and got it In July. It was saying 6 months wait too but if you look on the PGWP thread you’ll see people are getting it much quicker.

The 1000 islands crossing, you do need a car to do that one. Maybe you have a friend or someone else on the forum might want to carshare?

The obvious plus side is no quotas, and you can do it 24/7.

The Niagara bridges seem to be very busy and sometimes they process as little as 3 in a day. People queue from midnight to get to the front of the line. If you can handle that then go for it.

Hey, thanks for letting me know about that. I'm hopeful I'll get a decision fast after applying online since flapgpoling didn't work out to well.

 

[Shmiler]

Hopefully you get it quickly online. Sorry that it never worked out at the border, but thank you for sharing your experience!

 

[RolloTomasi]

Where do you read crossings feedback ?

Do you NEED to flagpole? i.e. do you need to leave the country and will go out of status?

Remember if you apply online for PGWP while study permit and visa are valid then you can work on maintained status.

My PGWP was processed inside 2 months.

If you do NEED to flagpole then the 1000 islands (Kingston) crossing seems to get the most positive feedback, and it's open 24/7 for your status change (no quotas like the ones you mentioned).

 

[RolloTomasi]

Where do you read reviews of the crossings?

I applied in May and got it In July. It was saying 6 months wait too but if you look on the PGWP thread you’ll see people are getting it much quicker.

The 1000 islands crossing, you do need a car to do that one. Maybe you have a friend or someone else on the forum might want to carshare?

The obvious plus side is no quotas, and you can do it 24/7.

The Niagara bridges seem to be very busy and sometimes they process as little as 3 in a day. People queue from midnight to get to the front of the line. If you can handle that then go for it.

 

[Shmiler]

There are no "reviews". You will find anecdotal evidence perusing this website.