Okay,
So I see there are many many threads about flag-poling, however I bet you won't find one with an experience like mine..
This happened 2 months ago..
So, I finished my University 2 year course and I was eager to get my Work permit asap, not because of some vague reason but because my cousin was in very bad health, and I wanted to go to India asap.
I applied online but the processing time was like 40-45 days..I applied but I had hope something would happen and I might get a passport request very quickly (This happens sometimes,happened to my friend for work permit and I had that happen to me while extending study permit last year- I got approval in 2 days even though it said 35 days!)
====================================
I waited a few days and then I decided to go for flag-poling at the US border.
I have a US visitor visa so I went ahead with the risk..
I went to the border with my friend, we had 2 cars and it was decided that he shall stay at the Canadian side while I go alone and finish everything.
* I went to the US side of the border, they told me to put my car on parking and I gave them my visa and said "I have a US visa, and the stamp is on the last page and I'm here just for flagpoling." They said okay good and took a copy of my passport and visa. I said I'm going to apply for my work permit at the Canadian border.
*****They gave me back my passport and said 'Goodluck, hope you get your work permit and don't work too hard". The most surprising part was they told me to go back to the Canadian side but they never gace me some paper which was supposed to say "Flagpoling" or "denied entry to the US" or anything of that sort..
They simply gave the passport and off I went to the Canadian side..
At the Canadian side I told them Im here for my post grad work permit and they asked for my passport and study permit.
I gave it to them, they asked for my transcripts and letter of completion. I gave it to them. They told me to park my car ahead and come into the office, I parked and went inside where they were inspecting passport and other docs first to ensure validity - 3 officers in all were looking at it.
After that, one of them sat down with my docs and started typing for long time and looking for some stuff on his computer, I was sitting all this while.
********* I sat there for like 20-25 mins, and in the mean time I was chatting with the officers, some of their casual question to me while I was sitting and reading some stuff from the books they had regarding customs and duty around on the rack included - (These were all asked by 2 officers who were casually sitting and reading newspaper or something and talking to me, while the 3rd officer was doing the stuff for my work permit.
- I see you finished 2 years course, do you want 2 yrs permit or 3 years? i said 3 years and smiled , he said okay
- Do you see the TV series big bang theory? I really like Sheldon whats your fav character?
-man, how the heck do you get 96% in Calculus?? I wish I was as smart as you, you seem really fast at Maths (they probably saw may marks on my Marksheet)
- Are u gonna go back to school in the future? I know international fees are reall high . I answered yes i will in the future but right now fees are too high, one of the officers told me man, i'm guessing you will go back to school after you get your PR? I said yes I if God wants me to, and depends on the conditions at that time..
- They asked me about my family and if I had a gf, to which I said yes and said that my family was back home they might visit me sometime in the future.
----All this and many many casual chat which went both ways, I asked them some questions and they asked me some, it was as if they were my colleagues or something
After the paper work was done, he printed my work permit and showed me the conditions, like I cant work in health care etc since I need to get medicals done, and showed me the expiry date too.
This and lots more happened during that half hour when I was in, but it was all just casual talk and fun, maybe there trying to relax me, but they were very very friendly.
In the end, all of them wished me luck and I said bye to them and went in the my car with my work permit.
So, this was my story for my Flagpoling story, never thought I'd do that ever, but I did, and happily got it
My mom was praying a lot since I was nervous and if something went wrong, it could have been a risk..
*** you notice that my experience was different from most people/threads posted here in 3 ways:
- The US side people did not give me a paper that said "denied entry to the US or flagoling, unlike ALL the threads I've read here about flagpoling.
-I did not have a terrible or racist experience at the US border in fact they told me dont work to hard and wished me all the best.
- The casual chat I had with the border officers(3 of them, 2 of them the most active) is something I never heard from anyone or read here on the forums
Anyway, goodluck all of you that decide to flagpole. And remember, if you have luck and God on your side, nothing can touch you. Luck matters but my life circumstances have led me to think more positive as long as I've done my due diligence.
So I see there are many many threads about flag-poling, however I bet you won't find one with an experience like mine..
This happened 2 months ago..
So, I finished my University 2 year course and I was eager to get my Work permit asap, not because of some vague reason but because my cousin was in very bad health, and I wanted to go to India asap.
I applied online but the processing time was like 40-45 days..I applied but I had hope something would happen and I might get a passport request very quickly (This happens sometimes,happened to my friend for work permit and I had that happen to me while extending study permit last year- I got approval in 2 days even though it said 35 days!)
====================================
I waited a few days and then I decided to go for flag-poling at the US border.
I have a US visitor visa so I went ahead with the risk..
I went to the border with my friend, we had 2 cars and it was decided that he shall stay at the Canadian side while I go alone and finish everything.
* I went to the US side of the border, they told me to put my car on parking and I gave them my visa and said "I have a US visa, and the stamp is on the last page and I'm here just for flagpoling." They said okay good and took a copy of my passport and visa. I said I'm going to apply for my work permit at the Canadian border.
*****They gave me back my passport and said 'Goodluck, hope you get your work permit and don't work too hard". The most surprising part was they told me to go back to the Canadian side but they never gace me some paper which was supposed to say "Flagpoling" or "denied entry to the US" or anything of that sort..
They simply gave the passport and off I went to the Canadian side..
At the Canadian side I told them Im here for my post grad work permit and they asked for my passport and study permit.
I gave it to them, they asked for my transcripts and letter of completion. I gave it to them. They told me to park my car ahead and come into the office, I parked and went inside where they were inspecting passport and other docs first to ensure validity - 3 officers in all were looking at it.
After that, one of them sat down with my docs and started typing for long time and looking for some stuff on his computer, I was sitting all this while.
********* I sat there for like 20-25 mins, and in the mean time I was chatting with the officers, some of their casual question to me while I was sitting and reading some stuff from the books they had regarding customs and duty around on the rack included - (These were all asked by 2 officers who were casually sitting and reading newspaper or something and talking to me, while the 3rd officer was doing the stuff for my work permit.
- I see you finished 2 years course, do you want 2 yrs permit or 3 years? i said 3 years and smiled , he said okay
- Do you see the TV series big bang theory? I really like Sheldon whats your fav character?
-man, how the heck do you get 96% in Calculus?? I wish I was as smart as you, you seem really fast at Maths (they probably saw may marks on my Marksheet)
- Are u gonna go back to school in the future? I know international fees are reall high . I answered yes i will in the future but right now fees are too high, one of the officers told me man, i'm guessing you will go back to school after you get your PR? I said yes I if God wants me to, and depends on the conditions at that time..
- They asked me about my family and if I had a gf, to which I said yes and said that my family was back home they might visit me sometime in the future.
----All this and many many casual chat which went both ways, I asked them some questions and they asked me some, it was as if they were my colleagues or something
After the paper work was done, he printed my work permit and showed me the conditions, like I cant work in health care etc since I need to get medicals done, and showed me the expiry date too.
This and lots more happened during that half hour when I was in, but it was all just casual talk and fun, maybe there trying to relax me, but they were very very friendly.
In the end, all of them wished me luck and I said bye to them and went in the my car with my work permit.
So, this was my story for my Flagpoling story, never thought I'd do that ever, but I did, and happily got it
My mom was praying a lot since I was nervous and if something went wrong, it could have been a risk..
*** you notice that my experience was different from most people/threads posted here in 3 ways:
- The US side people did not give me a paper that said "denied entry to the US or flagoling, unlike ALL the threads I've read here about flagpoling.
-I did not have a terrible or racist experience at the US border in fact they told me dont work to hard and wished me all the best.
- The casual chat I had with the border officers(3 of them, 2 of them the most active) is something I never heard from anyone or read here on the forums
Anyway, goodluck all of you that decide to flagpole. And remember, if you have luck and God on your side, nothing can touch you. Luck matters but my life circumstances have led me to think more positive as long as I've done my due diligence.