Landing experience, via Road rainbow bridge, NY, USA.

[kumbu.bumbu]

I am working in US with H1B 8th year. Lost jobs, switched companies so still my US 140 is pending. I gave up on US GC and applied for Canada PR.

I want to give back some thing which I got from various forums.

I applied for Canada PR and got it in about 11 months. I had to land in Canada by Feb 16, 2009. I was postponing it as it was too difficult to get an appointment in any of the US consulates in Canada.

At last I got an appointment in Halifax for Dec 30, 2008. I live in MA 1 hour west from Boston. To travel with four and stay and come back to Halifax seems to be too expensive(About 2000 US$). Also there is chance my VISA stamping may not go through. If that happens I have to buy an emergency ticket to India, take more leave days in current company etc. are worrying me.

One of my friends life Savior sent me this link. http://travel.state.gov/visa/laws/telegrams/telegrams_1441.html According to this we don't need a valid VISA stamping if travel to Canada with automatic Visa revalidation. Take a print out of this in case.
Visa revalidation privilige is available if
1.Have a valid same type of extension approve. (H4 to H1 or Student to H1 converted may not be eligible. Check with your attorneys)
2. return within 30 days.
3. Did not apply for US Visa in Canada.
4. Did not travel any where else (other country) from Canada.

I was not confident. Read some forums in the web and saw quite a few people has done that. So decided to take my chances.

Even though I planned to come back immediately I took all my documents as if I am going to India for stamping.

Landing.

1. Passport
2. Landing documents sent by Canadian consulate.
3. Proof of funds (Bank check and statements)
4. Customs make two copies of each of the following lists. List of items coming now and following. (For each item if possible take the serial number or picture. If you are bringing a car take a copy of the title. VIN will not do)
5. An address in Canada.

All education, medical, employment and other records are not asked for my case. But I had all of them organized neatly, In Case.

Picked Dec 25th since i would be easy to remember when I landed in Canada.

I had expired stamping in my expired passport.
Had an appointment for stamping on Dec 30, 2008.
Had a H1B approval notice.

Dec 24, 2008 rented a car. Got a brand new car with only 140 miles on it.

Dec 25, 2008 9.00 AM - Started towards rainbow bridge Niagara Falls.

Dec 25, 2008 6.00 PM reached Niagara falls. Booked a room in US Side. Asked for directions to rainbow bridge. (Just two streets from the hotel)

Dec 25, 2008 6.36 PM crossed the border.

1. No toll for crossing the bridge. Merry Christmas.
2. Reached the immigration counter
Why are you visiting Canada?
I am landing as permanent resident
Did you goto duty free shop?
No
Is this your car?
No rental car.
Officer checked our documents(Just passports and landing letter) and returned them to us. then.
Okay park the car there and wait in the car. An officer will come and tell you what to do.

3. We parked the car and waited for a minute. An officer came and asked
Why are you here?
Landing as PR.
Checked our passports and asked us to get in isde the building.

4. There were 4 counters open. Only one being busy.
We walked to counter and gave the passports and landing letters.
Show me proof of funds?
Gave him bank check and statements.
How long you you have the approval notice in US.?
October 28, 2009. (He did not even bother to check the approval notice)
Are you moving in now or later date?
We are landing today but come back in few months. (This was the mistake. I told I will come later since no one with right mind believe that we will stay permanent with rental car and just a suitcase. But this was not a problem for PR card in any of the forums I read)
Okay please have a seat.

we remain seated for about 20 minutes.

Another officer came and called us. Asked us to sign in the papers. Gave us the stamped passport and copy of landing papers.
Welcome to Canada. You are permanent residents now. Please visit the immigration department when you move back permanently. we will arrange for your PR Cards then.
I was startled. Can we give an address for the PR cards now.
No we can not send the PR cards to some one other than you. Now I cannot change my words that I will stay permanently.
I was not worried about the card as My intention was to land and come back. Card would have been good. But no big deal. Also I can come to Canada as many times from US just with the landing completed stamping.

Customs was breeze. The lady even appreciated that I had perfect documentation. Another 10 minutes.We are all set and permanant residents of Canada.

We drove to the right towards Niagara falls. Parked the car. Had great view of Niagara from Canada side. With color lightings it is one of the beautiful sights.
Spent about 30 minutes.

Dec 25 8.15 PM Set the GPS to the hotel address. Drove back by rainbow bridge.
Presented the passports and approval notice.
What is your status?
H1B worker
What is your wife's status?
H1B worker
What is your daughters status?
one H4 and another American
When did you last came to US?
Jan 20 or 21, 2005

He took less than 5 minutes to check something in the system and swiping the Visa's and passports.

You can go now.

We are happily back in US and drive to our place next day after a brief visit to Goat Island.

 

[links18]

If you know someone in Canada, you can probably go online enter their address for your PR cards and have them send them to you in the States. If you don't know someone, you should still be able to enter Canada with your record of landing, if you drive across the border.

 

[kumbu.bumbu]

If you know someone in Canada, you can probably go online enter their address for your PR cards and have them send them to you in the States. If you don't know someone, you should still be able to enter Canada with your record of landing, if you drive across the border.

Thank you. What would be the website to do it. I will try and post it if I succeed.

 

[links18]

Go to the website where you check the status of your immigration application and follow the link to update your address. Enter the address of your friend or relative in Canada. CIC will send the card there. Then have your friend or relative send them to you in the states via some sort of secure post. Keep in mind there is a limited amount of time to do this before the Permanent Resident Card is no longer free and you have to pay a fee. Good Luck......

 

[msabarish]

Hi
I entered through the Ambassador Bridge from Detroit USA and had informed the Immigration officer that I will be returning back to the USA in a week. The Immigration officer gave me the same reply to contact CIC with an address after I come back to settle permanently. I told him that I have a relative in Windsor Canada where the PR Card can be posted to, but he said that they cannot send the card since I won't be at the address when the card arrives. I went ahead and updated the address through the CIC website giving my relative's address. Do I have to call CIC and inform them to send the PR card to this address? I need the PR card to travel to Canada frequently now to attend job interviews. I heard that the COPR cannot be used when entering Canada through Air and a temporary resident travel permit would have to be applied before entering Canada. Did you update your address through the CIC website and get your PR Card?

Thanks
Sabs

 

[kumbu.bumbu]

Thanks to Links. I did my address change in the web and the PR cards arrived in two weeks. I went again in May end collected them from our friends house.

 

[sanchalanam]

kumbu.bumbu, Without the PR Card how did you enter Canada the second time? I believe Landing papers and Passport are not sufficient to enter Canada. According to the Canadian Consulate website either PR_Card or Travel document is required to enter Canada. Can you please shed some light on how you were able to enter canada without PR card.

Thanks,
Sanchi

 

[links18]

Passport and an executed Confirmation of Permanent Residence form should get you into Canada via a land crossing from the U.S. You will likely need a permanent residence card to board a commercial flight to Canada though, unless you are flying from the states and have a U.S. passport (at least in my experience).

 

[djbig]

Thanks to Links. I did my address change in the web and the PR cards arrived in two weeks. I went again in May end collected them from our friends house.

Exactly which link did you use?
Did the link says "Address Notification" or "Change of Address"?

Thanks.

 

[chillicrab]

Hi,

I am planning to land with a tour group crossing over Rainbow Bridge.

However I am not sure what time I will reach Rainbow Bridge.

My question is, is the Immigration Services/Processing department open 24 hours / & days a week ? Or is there some office hours that I could only get my landing processed ?

How about application of PR card?

Thanks,
Louis

 

[manianz47]

Hi
(Already replied to you in another Q)
(1) Rainbow Bridge - Open 24 Hrs year round
(2) Landing, Customs and PR card (PR Card: provided you have a Canadian Address) are processed at the Border-crossing itself
(3) SIN - It is done in a separate office. Check the below site:
http://www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/gateways/where_you_live/menu.shtml

All the best

 

[New_applicant]

I have a question kumbu.bumbu \anyone who might know the answer:


when you did your landing via rainbow bridge and then came back to the US to provide your returning paperwork on the US side of the border, did you just go to the same line as US citizens and permanent residents or you had to go through a separate line for non-immigrants?

when I came to the US by air for example, they had separate lanes for US citizenns\permanent residents and non-immigrants (H1B, F1, etc).
was it the same in rainbow bridge?

do you know if I go by bus (it stops for 15 - 20 minutes I guess). I want to see if I will have time to catch it before it crosses the border as I guess they may not wait for all passengers. Otherwise I may chose to walk

 

[kumbu.bumbu]

I have a question kumbu.bumbu \anyone who might know the answer:

When you cross over by car there is no separate queues. All you have to do is drive your car in any queue. There was no queue when I came, I just picked a available counter.

In the air you have no option but to pick the queue you are eligible. Some times if the citizen's queues are free they will let everyone to use that queue. But it does not matter. I am not sure how the bus works. But I don't think it would take more than 20 minutes.

I would suggest to use a car if it is not really a problem to drive.

 

[Suin]

hello,
we are planning to land through the Rainbow bridge in the nearest future. Being at Niagara Falls in summer I noticed people crossing it walking, will it wprk for landing? please do share the experience.

 

[Karlshammar]

Yes, you can walk in and land. Just make sure you really do it at the Rainbow Bridge, then; at least one bridge in the Niagara region does not allow walking across.