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Soft Landing/Moving to Canada
- Thread starter futureCanadian2021
- Start date
Hello everyone!
I wanted to thank everyone in this forum, especially this thread! I got to know of AVR from this thread and completed the process yesterday. If not for you all, I would have had a longer journey after PR processing in Canada to India, wait for H1-B appointment and then get back to US along with covid complications.
My experience:
I have an expired F1 visa. After F1, I have 2 H-1Bs with 2 employers but no visa stamping. Between end of F1 & start of H1-B I have a gap period which was filled by F1 OPT cap-gap. For these dates I only had I-20 & it was not on F1 visa.
I live in New England area and the Cornwall Port of Entry is my closest, since landing in Quebec is not an option. I drove in my car and it was a snowy/slushy/icy drive at 12 °F.
Canada side (Cornwall Port of Entry):
Entry Checkpoint:
1. Passport + CoPR. I mentioned I was there for PR processing only & will get back immediately.
2. Recent Covid testing certificate
3. ArriveCAN details with vaccination certificate
4. Asked for things that I carry. Answered orally: Documents, laptops, clothes(just in case), water, snacks, flashlight & batteries
5. Asked if I bought anything from duty free shops in Cornwall island (there's an island between the two border offices on the St. Lawrence river): Answered orally no
6. Asked for if carrying weapons or illegal: Answered orally no
7. Paid $3 for checkpoint pass
Then, I was directed to park car and enter office to proceed.
At Office:
1. CoPR+Passport
2. Asked if I was landing that day: mentioned I was soft landing. They were not aware of the "soft landing" lingo and clarified if I was getting back to US, answered yes.
3. Signed both copies of CoPR
4. Asked for my address and were ok with my US address. If anything, they said they'll email.
The PR card could arrive anytime between 6 weeks to 6 months depending on Covid.
That's it. They congratulated and I was good to go with my copy of signed CoPR & entry stamp on Passport.
Another $3 for wayback checkpoint pass
US side (Rooseveltown Port of Entry)
Entry Checkpoint:
1. Officer clarified the state of my car license plate as to confirm it was from US. It was partially covered in slush.
2. Passport & Driver's license for address
3. Asked for the reason for travel & where in Canada: Mentioned CoPR and the border office
4. Asked if I went anywhere else in Canada or buy anything. No
5. Asked if I was heading back home? Yes
6. Asked about expired F1 visa: I mentioned AVR & provided both I-797s from the two employers
7. Officer was concerned about the gap in F1 end date & H-1B start date. Asked to enter office for a quick check.
At Office:
The officer asked about the gap. I clarified OPT cap-gap using my last I-20 with the dates filling the gap. I was good to go.
No passport entry or new I-94.
Both the sides took less than 1.5 hours in total.
Hope this is useful! All the best!
I wanted to thank everyone in this forum, especially this thread! I got to know of AVR from this thread and completed the process yesterday. If not for you all, I would have had a longer journey after PR processing in Canada to India, wait for H1-B appointment and then get back to US along with covid complications.
My experience:
I have an expired F1 visa. After F1, I have 2 H-1Bs with 2 employers but no visa stamping. Between end of F1 & start of H1-B I have a gap period which was filled by F1 OPT cap-gap. For these dates I only had I-20 & it was not on F1 visa.
I live in New England area and the Cornwall Port of Entry is my closest, since landing in Quebec is not an option. I drove in my car and it was a snowy/slushy/icy drive at 12 °F.
Canada side (Cornwall Port of Entry):
Entry Checkpoint:
1. Passport + CoPR. I mentioned I was there for PR processing only & will get back immediately.
2. Recent Covid testing certificate
3. ArriveCAN details with vaccination certificate
4. Asked for things that I carry. Answered orally: Documents, laptops, clothes(just in case), water, snacks, flashlight & batteries
5. Asked if I bought anything from duty free shops in Cornwall island (there's an island between the two border offices on the St. Lawrence river): Answered orally no
6. Asked for if carrying weapons or illegal: Answered orally no
7. Paid $3 for checkpoint pass
Then, I was directed to park car and enter office to proceed.
At Office:
1. CoPR+Passport
2. Asked if I was landing that day: mentioned I was soft landing. They were not aware of the "soft landing" lingo and clarified if I was getting back to US, answered yes.
3. Signed both copies of CoPR
4. Asked for my address and were ok with my US address. If anything, they said they'll email.
The PR card could arrive anytime between 6 weeks to 6 months depending on Covid.
That's it. They congratulated and I was good to go with my copy of signed CoPR & entry stamp on Passport.
Another $3 for wayback checkpoint pass
US side (Rooseveltown Port of Entry)
Entry Checkpoint:
1. Officer clarified the state of my car license plate as to confirm it was from US. It was partially covered in slush.
2. Passport & Driver's license for address
3. Asked for the reason for travel & where in Canada: Mentioned CoPR and the border office
4. Asked if I went anywhere else in Canada or buy anything. No
5. Asked if I was heading back home? Yes
6. Asked about expired F1 visa: I mentioned AVR & provided both I-797s from the two employers
7. Officer was concerned about the gap in F1 end date & H-1B start date. Asked to enter office for a quick check.
At Office:
The officer asked about the gap. I clarified OPT cap-gap using my last I-20 with the dates filling the gap. I was good to go.
No passport entry or new I-94.
Both the sides took less than 1.5 hours in total.
Hope this is useful! All the best!
Hello Everyone!,
Quick Question on AVR, apologies if this was discussed already!
My husband and I are on L1 and L2 visa respectively. I am the primary applicant (holding L2 visa). We came to US in 2019. Our visa expired in Jan 2022. Although our I797 and I-94 got extended till Jan 2024 (2 years of extension) but visa is not stamped. Are we eligible for AVR? If not, Is there any other thread discussing about visa stamping vs soft-landing and other alternatives?
Thanks in advance
Quick Question on AVR, apologies if this was discussed already!
My husband and I are on L1 and L2 visa respectively. I am the primary applicant (holding L2 visa). We came to US in 2019. Our visa expired in Jan 2022. Although our I797 and I-94 got extended till Jan 2024 (2 years of extension) but visa is not stamped. Are we eligible for AVR? If not, Is there any other thread discussing about visa stamping vs soft-landing and other alternatives?
Thanks in advance
Thank you for detail information. I thought they do not accept US addresses to mail the PR card and they need a Canadian address?
They will not be sending PR cards to USA. They may ask his Canada address later.
Anyone holding L1 visa crossed the border successfully and soft landed in Canada with expired visa. Please confirm, Thanks in advance!
Hello Everyone,
If I decided to do a soft landing and only have a single entry visa with the COPR. Will I be able to enter back into Canada through a border without needing another Visa? Will my expired COPR be enough for them to allow me to enter Canada the second time?
If I decided to do a soft landing and only have a single entry visa with the COPR. Will I be able to enter back into Canada through a border without needing another Visa? Will my expired COPR be enough for them to allow me to enter Canada the second time?
Once you soft land using your valid COPR, you become a PR and the second time you enter, your COPR doesn't go invalid with the dates as you have already done with your landing procedures. You can carry your COPR and passport for the entry next(second) time whenever you cross through land border.
Thank you for the response. Is it unreasonable to do a Soft Landing this upcoming week and then travel back to Canada later in the same month? I'm unsure of the world events and also don't want to be stuck with an expired COPR. I don't have any stamps but I do have a I-797 and EAD card for OPT. Is that enough for automatic revalidation?
Also, If I'm importing my car, do I need to file all that paper work and process at first entry or the second time when I enter? I assume I'll just need to list it in the GTF form.. and do the process of export import on my second entry as a PR right?
Once you are a PR, it doesn't matter next time when you travel, you can travel immediate day or next week or next month or next year. yes, your valid i-797A and all other documents related to your H1b should be sufficient to use AVR. once you are on H1b, your Opt ead doesn't serve any purpose for re-entry but would definitely help as an important document for immigration.
You can do all the paper work whenever you are ready to move all your belongings, not required in your first entry. For now. GTF form is sufficient for soft landing.
I should've clarified, the I797-A is from my status change to F1 Visa. I do not have an H1B visa. I converted from B2 to F1 a while ago and I have that I797-A with the I-94 that came with the approval. I would still be okay in this situation right?
F1 people can still use AVR, few folks have done this earlier who posted in this group. But if your status has changed within US from a B2 to F1 and haven't exited the country till now, not sure how things would work. Im still positive but just double check with some immigration attorney.
https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/avr-question.275236/
Thank you! From what I can see, I should qualify under the AVR requirements. I have a valid I-94 given with the I-797A approval letter, I-20, EAD etc. I have seen other posts about people doing it after a status change in US without any stamps but still I have contacted an attorney. Waiting to hear back from them.