- Aug 13, 2015
- 1,511
- 52
- Category........
- Visa Office......
- Ottawa
- Job Offer........
- Pre-Assessed..
- App. Filed.......
- 06-04-2016
- AOR Received.
- 28-04-2016
- File Transfer...
- SA 27-05-2016
- Med's Done....
- 23-03-2016 Upfront
- Interview........
- Waived
- VISA ISSUED...
- 07-06-2016
- LANDED..........
- 06-07-2016
So, I just landed today at the Point Roberts/Boundary Bay entry. Yes, you can land there without an issue (for anyone wondering).
I had my mother-in-law drive my husband and I down to the border. We told the American side that I'm "flagpoling". He said he had to grab a sticker for my passport quickly and said "Don't go anywhere, I'll chase you down if you do!" in a heavily joking manner. He seemed to be in a very good mood. He came back with mine and handed us our passports and said we were free to turn around.
The Canadian side was a different story. We drove up and my MIL said we were flagpoling. The CBSA guy looked at our passports, scribbled on a piece of paper, and said "Here, take this inside". He looked absolutely unimpressed by everything around him and seemed like he hated his job, to be honest. He literally didn't say anything besides that. He didn't even look at us. So, we went inside and I brought the paper and my documents up to the side. The CBSA officer at the counter acted like it was odd that I had brought my own filled out BSF186 (B4) form. He also seemed to be in a "meh" mood and was the only one inside who wasn't in a good mood and joking/talking with other officers. His stoic face was that of a typical CBSA guy. He told me multiple times that they don't care about clothes, books, etc on the list and that I shouldn't have bother writing it on there. He said I should have only written items that were expensive by themselves. Then he focused on my clarinet. It's worth maaaaybe $800, and that's a generous estimate because that's what I paid for it (it's likely worth much less now that it's used more and damaged). I didn't have a serial number for it because it's in storage at a family member's house. He told me to call that family member and ask if they could look for my clarinet and give me the serial number. I did, but they weren't home, so I couldn't get it. He asked if I had any visitor records etc with me, and I said I had applied for a visitor extension, but I haven't heard anything. He replied in a very slightly irritated tone "Well, you're not going to hear anything about that now". For some reason it was typed on my COPR to ask me if I had ever been denied entry to Canada or refused a permit/visa. The guy asked me "have you had any issues with immigration before?". Because of how he worded it, I said "No, well I had a voluntary withdrawal a year ago" and I was obviously a little confused, since I had mentioned that in my PR application. He had to write it on my COPR. He asked me about 4 different times that I understood Condition 51 and asked me where my husband was, to which I replied "He's sitting down behind me". He had me sit back down again for a while. He called me back up to sign the documents and told me that I could write the serial number on the BSF186 later when I am actually going to bring my goods to Canada. All that hassle for a very simple and easy solution. He made a copy of my BSF186, stapled my COPR to my passport, told me my PR card would get there within 3-6 months (he might has well have just said that he didn't know).
He gave me back my passport and documents. No "Welcome to Canada", not a hint of a smile or congratulations in his face, just a hassle. I seem to be starting a tradition of worse-than-average border crossing experiences. Well, I'm officially a PR now, so I guess that hassle doesn't matter.
Edit: Sorry about my spelling. I've had 2 hours of sleep.
I had my mother-in-law drive my husband and I down to the border. We told the American side that I'm "flagpoling". He said he had to grab a sticker for my passport quickly and said "Don't go anywhere, I'll chase you down if you do!" in a heavily joking manner. He seemed to be in a very good mood. He came back with mine and handed us our passports and said we were free to turn around.
The Canadian side was a different story. We drove up and my MIL said we were flagpoling. The CBSA guy looked at our passports, scribbled on a piece of paper, and said "Here, take this inside". He looked absolutely unimpressed by everything around him and seemed like he hated his job, to be honest. He literally didn't say anything besides that. He didn't even look at us. So, we went inside and I brought the paper and my documents up to the side. The CBSA officer at the counter acted like it was odd that I had brought my own filled out BSF186 (B4) form. He also seemed to be in a "meh" mood and was the only one inside who wasn't in a good mood and joking/talking with other officers. His stoic face was that of a typical CBSA guy. He told me multiple times that they don't care about clothes, books, etc on the list and that I shouldn't have bother writing it on there. He said I should have only written items that were expensive by themselves. Then he focused on my clarinet. It's worth maaaaybe $800, and that's a generous estimate because that's what I paid for it (it's likely worth much less now that it's used more and damaged). I didn't have a serial number for it because it's in storage at a family member's house. He told me to call that family member and ask if they could look for my clarinet and give me the serial number. I did, but they weren't home, so I couldn't get it. He asked if I had any visitor records etc with me, and I said I had applied for a visitor extension, but I haven't heard anything. He replied in a very slightly irritated tone "Well, you're not going to hear anything about that now". For some reason it was typed on my COPR to ask me if I had ever been denied entry to Canada or refused a permit/visa. The guy asked me "have you had any issues with immigration before?". Because of how he worded it, I said "No, well I had a voluntary withdrawal a year ago" and I was obviously a little confused, since I had mentioned that in my PR application. He had to write it on my COPR. He asked me about 4 different times that I understood Condition 51 and asked me where my husband was, to which I replied "He's sitting down behind me". He had me sit back down again for a while. He called me back up to sign the documents and told me that I could write the serial number on the BSF186 later when I am actually going to bring my goods to Canada. All that hassle for a very simple and easy solution. He made a copy of my BSF186, stapled my COPR to my passport, told me my PR card would get there within 3-6 months (he might has well have just said that he didn't know).
He gave me back my passport and documents. No "Welcome to Canada", not a hint of a smile or congratulations in his face, just a hassle. I seem to be starting a tradition of worse-than-average border crossing experiences. Well, I'm officially a PR now, so I guess that hassle doesn't matter.
Edit: Sorry about my spelling. I've had 2 hours of sleep.
.
