we are finally moving to Canada in 2 weeks. I have a consulting assignment lined up with a multinational in Canada. I also plan to incorporate soon and start a company in the next couple of weeks..
Although, I had a 6 months validity on my immigration visa, I decided to land yesterday as I needed a SIN number for incorporating (or work) in Canada.
This is how it started....
I got my immigration visa stamped almost 3 weeks back and decided to look for jobs in Canada. I am a IT Consultant and wanted to test the Canadian waters... The response was fairly good, After 4 interviews, 3 weeks and 3 trips to Canada, I had 2 offers and accepted one of them...
Here are some of my experiences from my three trips to Canada...
Trip 1 to Buffalo and Canada : Immigrant visa stamping in Buffalo and interview in Toronto.
Trip 2 to Canada : Two Interviews in Toronto.
Trip 3 to Canada : Landing and SIN number - consulting contract signed in Toronto...
Trip 1
We drove to Buffalo, USA on Thursday morning and got our permanent visa stamp. We reached the Canadian embassy (Buffalo) around 9.00 AM, I was the first one in the line. My wife was not allowed to go up for the Visa interview (I am the primary on the application). She had to wait in the lobby of the building. A lady escorted me (and a few others) to the 24th floor. I was called after around 20 minutes and the lady asked me for the approval letter and our passports. I submitted three or four pictures along with these docs.
The lady was courteous and asked me to come back around 12 noon to collect the stamped visa and passports.
I was out of there around 10 AM and we went to see Niagra Falls for the next couple of hours. We were back at noon to collect the passports. I was out of there in 15 minutes, with the stamped passport and the landing documents...
We decided to Leave for Canada right away as I had a Interview the next day (Friday morning). We did not intend to land that day. I was worried that they would not let us in Canada as the Permanent visa is a single entry visa. However, when we reached the border post, it was pretty easy entering Canada... Officer : " Where are coming from ", I replied: "XXXX". Officer : "ok, what are you going to be doing in Canada", I said " Visiting Toronto"/ Officer " Ok you can go "..... and we entered Canada...
We stayed in a hotel around downtown toronto, I interviewed the next day and drove around town before heading back for Baltimore.
Trip 2 to Canada : two Interviews in Toronto.
The next friday I was interviewing in Canada again.. This time the experience entering Canada was different... I again drove down to Buffalo. This time the officer did not allow me to enter as I was not landing and needed to just enter Canada for an Interview.
He asked me to park my car and see an immigration officer inside one of their offices. The immigration officer asked me to do the landing if I needed to enter Canada. However, I refused to land as I was not prepared for it... I told him that I just need to enter Canada for a day to interview. After a long dissusion with his supervisors, I was allowed to enter Canada without landing.
I returned back to the US the next day.
Trip 3 to Canada : Landing and SIN number - consulting contract signed in Toronto...
I had a couple of offers the next week and decided to land and get my SIN. Drove to Buffalo. At the Canadian post... the officer was very courteous and I told her that I was landing today. She asked me if I was going to stay in Canada. I said no, I wasn't staying and going back to the US to wind up things. She asked me to park my car and see immigration officers inside one of their offices.
The landing experience took around 30 minutes.. I had the B4 (goods accompaning) and B4A (goods to follow list) along with other landing documents and my passport.
I was asked to go to the immigration officer first .. He asked me if I was landing today and was going to stay in Canada.. I told him that I was returning back to Canada and coming back in 2 weeks permanently. He made a note of this and said that he did not need my canadian address as I was not going to stay there. He gave me a Address Notification form, to send to the cic when I was permanently moving to Canada. (Please make note that you have to notify the Canadian authorities by filling this form within 180 days of landing... Or else ...)
The immigration officer also gave me a note and pointed me to the Customs counter where I submitted my B4 and B4A forms. They signed it and gave me a copy of the doucments. I was finally asked to got to the Cashier where I did not pay anything but got a customs receipt with $0 amount..
I had to declare my Car in the B4a document as I did not have a Title for my car at hand.. Please note that you need a copy of the title in order to import car into Canada... You can get the title copy from the your financing company if you vehicle is financed.. You cannot bring a car into canada if it was purchased within 6 months of the landing date.
I got my SIN number in one of the offices outside Toronto.. The process was fairly simple, I filled a application form and had a SIN number in 15 minutes..
I am back in US now.. Planning to move to Canada in 2 weeks...
NC
Although, I had a 6 months validity on my immigration visa, I decided to land yesterday as I needed a SIN number for incorporating (or work) in Canada.
This is how it started....
I got my immigration visa stamped almost 3 weeks back and decided to look for jobs in Canada. I am a IT Consultant and wanted to test the Canadian waters... The response was fairly good, After 4 interviews, 3 weeks and 3 trips to Canada, I had 2 offers and accepted one of them...
Here are some of my experiences from my three trips to Canada...
Trip 1 to Buffalo and Canada : Immigrant visa stamping in Buffalo and interview in Toronto.
Trip 2 to Canada : Two Interviews in Toronto.
Trip 3 to Canada : Landing and SIN number - consulting contract signed in Toronto...
Trip 1
We drove to Buffalo, USA on Thursday morning and got our permanent visa stamp. We reached the Canadian embassy (Buffalo) around 9.00 AM, I was the first one in the line. My wife was not allowed to go up for the Visa interview (I am the primary on the application). She had to wait in the lobby of the building. A lady escorted me (and a few others) to the 24th floor. I was called after around 20 minutes and the lady asked me for the approval letter and our passports. I submitted three or four pictures along with these docs.
The lady was courteous and asked me to come back around 12 noon to collect the stamped visa and passports.
I was out of there around 10 AM and we went to see Niagra Falls for the next couple of hours. We were back at noon to collect the passports. I was out of there in 15 minutes, with the stamped passport and the landing documents...
We decided to Leave for Canada right away as I had a Interview the next day (Friday morning). We did not intend to land that day. I was worried that they would not let us in Canada as the Permanent visa is a single entry visa. However, when we reached the border post, it was pretty easy entering Canada... Officer : " Where are coming from ", I replied: "XXXX". Officer : "ok, what are you going to be doing in Canada", I said " Visiting Toronto"/ Officer " Ok you can go "..... and we entered Canada...
We stayed in a hotel around downtown toronto, I interviewed the next day and drove around town before heading back for Baltimore.
Trip 2 to Canada : two Interviews in Toronto.
The next friday I was interviewing in Canada again.. This time the experience entering Canada was different... I again drove down to Buffalo. This time the officer did not allow me to enter as I was not landing and needed to just enter Canada for an Interview.
He asked me to park my car and see an immigration officer inside one of their offices. The immigration officer asked me to do the landing if I needed to enter Canada. However, I refused to land as I was not prepared for it... I told him that I just need to enter Canada for a day to interview. After a long dissusion with his supervisors, I was allowed to enter Canada without landing.
I returned back to the US the next day.
Trip 3 to Canada : Landing and SIN number - consulting contract signed in Toronto...
I had a couple of offers the next week and decided to land and get my SIN. Drove to Buffalo. At the Canadian post... the officer was very courteous and I told her that I was landing today. She asked me if I was going to stay in Canada. I said no, I wasn't staying and going back to the US to wind up things. She asked me to park my car and see immigration officers inside one of their offices.
The landing experience took around 30 minutes.. I had the B4 (goods accompaning) and B4A (goods to follow list) along with other landing documents and my passport.
I was asked to go to the immigration officer first .. He asked me if I was landing today and was going to stay in Canada.. I told him that I was returning back to Canada and coming back in 2 weeks permanently. He made a note of this and said that he did not need my canadian address as I was not going to stay there. He gave me a Address Notification form, to send to the cic when I was permanently moving to Canada. (Please make note that you have to notify the Canadian authorities by filling this form within 180 days of landing... Or else ...)
The immigration officer also gave me a note and pointed me to the Customs counter where I submitted my B4 and B4A forms. They signed it and gave me a copy of the doucments. I was finally asked to got to the Cashier where I did not pay anything but got a customs receipt with $0 amount..
I had to declare my Car in the B4a document as I did not have a Title for my car at hand.. Please note that you need a copy of the title in order to import car into Canada... You can get the title copy from the your financing company if you vehicle is financed.. You cannot bring a car into canada if it was purchased within 6 months of the landing date.
I got my SIN number in one of the offices outside Toronto.. The process was fairly simple, I filled a application form and had a SIN number in 15 minutes..
I am back in US now.. Planning to move to Canada in 2 weeks...
NC