To be honest I don'the know if Coutts is a better option. I went there in February to flagpole and get my work permit extended but I was denied. Officers were verrrrry arrogant, rude and condescending. I was not even given the courtesy of getting a second opinion and was basically threatened - I had to leave or else my car would be seized. Apparently they thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life at the border with them.....even with their rubbish attitudes. Last time I checked, I like to hang around happy people.
I came back and applied to CIC and got my work permit a couple months later.
Please people, be very careful when going to the border for any immigration service. If your reason for going to the border is CIC related CBSA officers have been known to deny such request, and at the border what CBSA says goes. They are a law unto themselves. No body to call, and all you can do is leave peacefully and not let your frustrationa show. Try to apply to CIC for inland landing if you're within Canada. For those coming to Canada I think they'll be fine. If you choose to go to a border please call the border, not CIC the day before to confirm with a CBSA officer if your reason for going down there will be accommodated. Make sure you also ask for the name of the officer you speak with so that if you run into any trouble when you actually go there you can reference the phone call, hopefully the officer will be truthful and not deny that you actually called and told you it was okay to come to the border.
Funny thing - months after my experience I saw the same CBSA officer on the TV show Border Security. It was filmed in Coutts and he was still his usual sour puss self. That gave me some relief. At least I knew that the cause of his horrible attitude was him and not me...lol. I think because they are now TV stars they have become full of themselves. *rolls eyes*
Anyways, don't let such bad interactions hinder your Canadian dream. Just because you're denied at the border does not mean that there's no other options. Come back home, let go of your frustration and do the next best thing. Your work/study permit or landing will just have to happen another way.