Just got home after landing at the Rainbow Bridge on Thursday 2 PM. Things went pretty smoothly, but got caught in a terrible rainstorm afterward on our way to the Service Canada office to get our permanent SIN numbers. But I didn't mind getting soaked too much 8)
I didn't find the walkway from the duty free, but I did find the other way to get there. We headed to the Hard Rock Cafe, and if you look directly across the street from the big guitar sign, you will see an iron gate that says "Walkway to USA". We went in there, through a flower garden, then turned left at the restaurant there, then walked through the outdoor cafe area about 75 metres or so. To your left there will be a stone stairway going up to the top of the wall, from the top hang a right and there is a glass door labeled "To USA". Head through there, pay your 50 cent toll then walk out on the bridge. Enjoy the view as you walk over.
We got to the other side and they buzzed us in. We went up and I said that we were here to flagpole to finish our landing in Canada. They have seen it lots before I guess because she didn't even hesitate. I'm from the US, and she just stamped my passport to show that I was in the US, she said "since you are a citizen we can't refuse you entry, so this will show that you were here." My wife took a few minutes (about 10) because they were having computer issues when generating the administrative refusal letter. She printed it out, and buzzed us back out the door we came in from.
We walked back to Canada, and told the CBSA agent we were there for landing. He gave us the yellow slip, and called on the radio that we were heading over to land. You have to cross the walkway across the car lanes, so watch out for traffic
, and when we got in the other building, they were waiting for us. There was a big line up from a bus full of passengers, but the agent there waved us through the line and had us head over to the immigration line inside. From there, it took about 20 minutes while a car load of people from a non-visa exempt country were processed, scolded and sent back across the bridge for not having visas
then it was our turn.
The agent asked for our passports, COPR, old work permits and a reference letter from work. I told him I didn't have one because I wasn't told to bring one, but I had our two latest pay stubs with us (good thing I brought, even though I don't think they needed them really). He said to have a seat while he pulled up our case on the computer. We waited about 10 minutes more, then he had us come up and he asked us if either one of us had ever been convicted of a crime or asked to leave Canada or another country, and if we had any dependents that were not listed on our COPR (my wife and I were listed as a dependent on each other's COPR). We said "no" and he had us initial next to where he wrote our answers, then sign the form. After that, he said that if my wife wanted to travel before our PR cards came in she needed to arrange for a travel document, but we said we had no travel plans until then. And that was it. Kind of anti-climatic, no flags or "welcome to Canada" but that's OK, we were done.
I asked him about getting my temporarily imported car in the RIV program to permanently import it, so he sent us to Customs. The agent there asked if I had the car there at the bridge, and I said that I had left it at home near Windsor. She said the car needed to be present and that I could complete the process by taking it to the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor in the next few days, so I will do it Tuesday after work.
So glad it is over, a stressful at times process but it is done. And I notice my headaches and stress have dropped since we landed. Thanks to all of your here for your advice and words of encouragement, I will stick around and lend my help if possible. To those of you waiting, hang in there, it's coming soon for you.
