Hi guys,
I just want to share my landing experience with all of you. I researched a lot in this forum before my landing, and I thought it will be good to share some information with you guys, who are going to immigrate to Canada in the near future.
I've been granted my permanent residence through Express Entry Program. I received my COPR mid February. I decided to do soft landing in April 2019, since I'm not going to settle in Canada right away .
My destination city was Mississiauga, therefore my port of entry was Toronto.
Currently, I live in Germany so I flew directly from Frankfurt, Germany to Toronto Pearson, Canada with Air Canada.
I landed at noon in Terminal 1 Pearson Airport. Following are the steps that I had to go through for my PR:
- I filled out the custom declaration form in the plane. There are no desk in the airport, so it's best to do this in the plane. The form is usually handed by the stewardess in the plane. Since I brought some snack with me (bread stick with cheese, chocolates, wine, etc.), I chose "yes" for bringing dairy food with me. The immigration officer just wants to know, so no need to be worried, just be honest. Fill the form carefully as visitor to Canada, since your status is not a Canadian residence yet, before being processed by the immigration officer.
- Following the exit sign led me directly to immigration counters. Terminal 1 doesn't use machines to read the passports, so I only needed to stay in the line before the immigration officers checked my passport and visa. There are two different paths here one is for Canada / US residence and the other is for visitor (all other passport). I stood in the line for visitor (all other passport), as I wasn't a canadian residence yet.
I travelled to Canada a few times before, and landed in Terminal 3 and they use machines to read the passports, but if the machines are not able to read the passport, you will be directed to the officer after which the process might be the same.
- My nationality required a counter foil immigration visa, which I received with my COPR from the Canadian Embassy in Vienna. I showed my COPR document and my passport to the immigration officer at the counter. He only asked me if I have good to follow and I told him that I'm only going to stay for one and half weeks, and my goods will be sent later once I settle. He signed something on my declaration custom form and then he let me go.
- There was another officer who was asking everyone to show him the declaration form. After looking at my form, I was sent to a second office. The second office was pretty much where they processed all the new immigrants, like me, new students, etc.
- There were already a few people standing in the line, so I had to wait a little bit before it was my turn (probably around 30 mins).
I'm not trying to scare anyone here, but be prepared as best as you can with all the documents. I saw some officers asked a lot of question to the people before me.
- The officer who handled me asked for my passport, my COPR and the custom declaration form. I told her that I've been granted the permanent residence to Canada through the Express Entry Program. She asked me for an address in Canada and whose address it is. I told her that it's my boyfriend address and that he lives in Mississauga. She also asked me how much money I'm bringing with me. I brought xxx CAD cash with me and also mentioned xxx CAD (approximately) in my bank account in Germany. She put everything in the system.
My passport is going to expire soon (around 7 months), so I asked her if I should let them know once I renew my passport and she told me that it doesn't matter. The officer asked me to sign the COPR documents and then she stamped it and gave one of the COPR copy (the one without picture) back to me, along with my passport and the declaration form. She said I should hold onto this COPR paper carefully as it is my proof of landing.
- I couldn't register for a SIN Number as it was a public holiday in Canada (good friday) and the office for getting the SIN Number was closed. If it's open, it's best to do it right away in the airport.
- I took my bag from the conveyer belt in the luggage area and proceeded towards the exit area. There will be other officers asking people to show them the custom declaration form again. Initially, I was sent directly to the exit door, so I asked the officer, if I should declare my "goods to follow" since I'm a new immigrant. They asked me if I have good to follow, I said yes, but it's coming later. The officers sent me to another room where the custom officers can search and process everything.
There's a lot of discussions regarding this, so I don't think it matters when you declare the good to follow, you just need to declare it before the goods actually arrive in Canada and at the moment when you're landing to settle down in Canada.
- In the next room, the custom officer asked me if I'm bringing any food, so I mentioned all my snacks and wine. She then asked me if I have a list of good to follow. I already prepared a list for my "goods to follow" with their values. I took a picture and described it in as much detail as I can for expensive jewellery and other expensive stuff. I just put the approximate value when I was unsure of the price. I made two copies of the list and the pictures.
I also prepared the BSF 186 and BSF 186A and made 2 copies for both of these as well. The goods that I put in the list is exactly the same as the one I put in BSF forms - in the same order.
The officer was so happy that I prepared everything and that she didn't need to do much except to check everything and stamp. She didn't ask me to open my bag or anything and was very friendly because of this.
She asked for an address in Canada ( I gave her my boyfriend's address as well) and to sign the forms.
She gave me one copy with a tax free declaration so once I send my goods to Canada they will not tax it.
She said they're keeping one copy as well so they can cross-check once the goods arrive. I was told that it doesn't matter if I am bringing the goods with me personally, or using a moving company. I just need to make sure that I bring the tax free document and the stamped forms with me when I pick up my goods.
Overall, it wasn't a painful experience for me and everything went pretty smooth. If you are taking a connecting flight make sure there is around 3-4 hours gap in between. My whole process took approx. 2 hours, however, this process will vary depending on your situation.
These are the documents that I brought with me:
- All the documents used for applying to the express entry program ( the original document in original language, the original english translation and 1 copy)
- I brought the bank statement for the last 6 months
- List of Goods to follow with pictures and values
- List of accompanying goods with pictures and values (the custom officer said that I don't need to declare accompanying goods though, but it's better to be prepared)
If you are unable to get the SIN Number in the airport like me, look for a service canada office in your city. In my case, it was Mississauga. I had to show them my COPR (proof of landing) and my passport. They also asked me for an address in Canada, and after that they gave me my SIN Number right away.
Not every service canada office provides a SIN Number so make sure you go to their website and read what services they offer.
Hopefully this information is useful for people who are planning to land in Canada soon.
