Hello Bajan4Quebec and Cmack and everyone on this forum!
I landed in Montreal finally and it was a smooth transition through the airport!
I must say that the airport arrivals looks much much bigger than when I was last here in arrivals many years ago but what a tremendous feeling to be back again...in my opinion the best city in the world!
And when I say best I mean best compared to many cities I have lived in both the USA (biggest 5 cities in the US) and around the world!
Ok..so here is my small contribution for those of you who may be interested in the landing experience! I have written this in a point by point format:
(1) Please be prepared!...It is always important to be prepared and careful while collecting all documents for your landing. By "documents"...I don't mean just the core docs for landing.....but every other possible document that would be classified as supporting just incase it is asked for (this is where the effort comes in!)
(2) The core documents that are absolutely essential are
(a) COPR
(b) Passport (should not be about to expire!!) with stamped immigrant visa
(c) Original CSQ
(d) Proof of Funds (certified original bank letter and/or certified bank statements up to 6 months prior to your departure date)
(e) 2-copy list of all items you are bringing
(3) Bring a smile with you also....
OK...now for my experience
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When I landed I had to walk quite a bit towards immigration arrivals section. Its a massive hall but when I arrived it was relatively empty as I was landing during late morning!
The officials will guide you to immigration so follow their directions and have your docs ready to show to anyone and at anytime along the way.
Very important to fill in the
declaration form which will be provided to you while you are in your flight enroute to Montreal. IF you have doubts about how to fill, you can either ask
the flight attendant or wait until you reach immigration and you can ask specific questions about the form and then fill it in once your understanding is clear. This is very important because if you
do not understand what you are filling in or signing off on, then you will be held liable and responsible once you submit the form!
Once at immigration I told them I was landing and they guided me to a place where an immigration officer called me in to check my docs. He was friendly and very cordial.
After reviewing my COPR and signing it he then went ahead to tell me I was officially a permanent resident and stated my rights and responsibilities. I was impressed that he did this with a smile and also spoke to me very cordially so my thumbs up to the interaction...very professional and cordial!
He said that the COPR is very important and must be kept for life! Also the 2-copy list of items must be kept for life for future reference.
I then asked about PR card application and SIN application and he said that you just need to go to a website (they provide a papered link they give you to submit new address to) and then he said there was
nothing else to do besides collecting your bags and leaving (I had only 2 checked in bags and that's it...nothing to follow!)
So this was a surprise...I was expecting to fill out a PR card application and work on a SIN application immediately after immigration formalities at the airport but this was not the case!
Within minutes I was out of the airport!
Went to my new residence and immediately filled out and submitted the PR card application!
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While the process through the airport was short (less than half an hour), I should say that this does not apply to everyone. You need to be prepared and I spent 4 months preparing for this one event (after getting back my passport at end of PPR stage) compiling and validating each and every document requested for landing + all and any additional supporting docs that may be requested (everything from birth certificates to education transcripts and original degrees to immunization docs...the whole works!) and making sure it was certified.
Also, your 2-copy list of items must be as detailed as possible which includes every item you are carrying. If possible, certify it with your signature and date it.
Hope this helps!