I am copy - Pasting this for benefits of others
Posted by madhusud188 (15) 30 Jul 2009 - On trackitt
Hi All
We (I and my wife), landed in Canada through the Peace Arch point of entry (Bellingham, US - Vancouver, BC border).
Thanks to all the experiences and suggestions shared in the forum, the landing was a very nervous, yet successful trip.
I am sharing the details as it might help others as well.
PREPARATION:
We had 3 manila folders with the related documents arranged in the following order:
1) Canada landing documents: Passport, COPR forms, Proof of funds (Letter from Bank Manager), Things being shipped list, Things to follow list (itemized, with total, signed), print out of contact address in Canada (friend's address)
2) US Re-entry documents: ALL original I-797s (latest on top), Copy of all I-94s (latest originals on top), Employment eligibility letter, Client job description letter, copy of statement of work between company and client
3) Supporting documents: All degree certificates, last 3 year W2s, last 3 months' salary slip, proof of address in US, birth certificate, marriage certificate for primary and dependent
LANDING:
Landed in Bellingham, WA at 12:00 PM MST. Rented a car from Budget car rental and started driving towards the border - straight road for 15 miles on I-5 North.
We were expecting a huge line entering into Canada but there was no fuss - no US side check-post - we suddenly saw a toll gate and directions indicating Canadian immigration.
Told the security officer at the check-post that we are landing for permanent residence. He gave a small red slip and asked us to park the car.
We were asked to leave the keys and cellphones inside the car and take only the documents and go to the immigration office. As soon as we started walking, they started searching the car for drugs with the help of a dog.
The Canadian immigration office was very clean and beautiful. We waited for a couple of minutes behind a board that said "Wait Here to be called".
One of the immigration officer called us and asked us some questions:
Q: What brings you to Canada?
A: I am landing here today as a part of the immigration process
Q: Where do you intend to stay in Canada?
A: We are not planning to stay here and are travelling back to the US immediately.
The immigration officer put her pen down and started asking some Qs that made us a bit nervous for 30 seconds.
Q: If you do not intend to stay, then why are you landing today?
A: As per the deadline, we need to land before end of August.
Q: I understand that you are trying to land before your immigrant visa expiry date of 1 year - but why do you want to go back to US?
A: I have my job until end of November and I intend to move to Canada permanently after that
Q: Do you have a job offer in Canada after November?
A: No. I will have to come here and search for a job
Q: Do you have a list of items that you are carrying / that is going to follow?
A: - - Handed over the lists with 2 duplicate copies - -
Q: Do you know where you will stay in Canada when you land here?
A: - - Handed over the print out with the Canada contact address
We were asked to wait. After waiting for 5 minutes, the immigration officer called us again.
Q: I cannot complete landing formalities for your car as you do not have the title
A: Not a problem. When I move here in November, I will get the formalities completed
Q: I will try to send the cards to the address you provided, but they cannot release the cards unless you sign for them. The cards are going to be returned back to the immigration office and it will mess up your permanent residency paperwork
A: I apologize - nobody ad informed me of these complications.
Q: That's ok - I will try to see what I can do.
A: Thank you. I apologize again or the confusion
Q: No problem. Take a seat and I have to start typing up your paperwork and will call you
In the meantime, we were seeing a couple of families facing a hard time with other officers as their landing date has passed, they did not have the right paper work etc.
After waiting for 5 minutes, the immigration officer called us again.
Q: Please sign these COPR forms without touching the green border.
A: -- Signed the forms --
She tore off one of the pages in the COPR form and stapled it to our passports and put a seal with the landing date.
Q: Your landing has been completed and the proof for the same is attached to your passport. Wait until you get your PR cards and detach the COPR copy and keep it safe with the PR cards. You are going to need the PR card the next time you try to enter Canada.
She also handed over one of the copies of things to be shipped and things to follow with the stamping on the papers and asked us to carry it when trying to re-enter Canada.
She was also nice enough to hand over a couple of Canadian pinup badges.
Q: Do you have any questions for me? Hand over this slip to the security officer outside.
A: No Thank you so much for your help.
Handed over the slip and the security officer released the vehicle keys to us.
Made a U-turn and started traveling into the US. And there was a Q - three rows of cars for a mile long.
After a long wait of 45 minutes to an hour, we were at the US toll booth. Pulled up the car to the security officer and switched off the ignition.
Q: Why do you want to enter US?
A: I work in US for an IT company. I am on my H1 and hence need to enter US
Q: Why did you go to Canada?
A: For our permanent residency landing
Q: If you have permanent residency in Canada, why do you want to enter US?
A: I have my job in US for a few more months and I intend to travel back in November
Q: Why do you want to go back to Canada? Why not stay in US?
A: I am on a non-immigrant Visa in US and hence I cannot stay here more than 6 years.
The security offce acknowledged and took our Driver licenses, Passports, I-797 (only the latest copy), the I-94 that came along with the I-797 extension.
Q: Please hand over this slip to the security officer there and park your car. Your documents will be waiting for you inside.
Parked the car and same drill as on Canadian border - keys in car, except for the visa documents, everything need to be left in the car.
Entered the immigration office and started waiting in a Q. Was called for in 3 minutes.
Q: I see that your Visa stamping has expired. How do you intend to enter the states?
A: As you can see, I have an extension on my visa and I have a new I-94.
Q: But your visa stamp is as of 2007.
A: I am sure you are aware of this - but I intend to use AVR to enter US as I have been into Canada for less than 30 days. - - Handed over color printouts of the AVR documentation from CBP webpage (the webpage printout about AVR, the pdf with AVR rules and the orignal AVR telegram sent to CBP officers from Homeland security office)
Started becoming nervous as the officer continued to insist that I have an expired Visa.
Her reporting officer saw this and asked her waht was happening. He clarified to her about the AVR rule and instructed how to handle such a case.
Q: Where did you go after visiting Canada? did you go to India?
A: No officer, I landed in Canada only a couple of hours back
Q: Do you have any proof that you entered Canada only now?
A: -- Showed them the stapled COPR document and the Canadian stamp --
Then the Senior officer clarified the rule that since I did not leave the northern hemisphere in the last 30 days and did not hop to any country other than Canada and mexico, I am eligible for AVR
Q: Did you change your Visa while in Canada or in US?
A: No, officer, I have had a contiguous stay in US on my H1 and my wife on my H4.
She printed out the new I-94s and fingerprinted us and stapled the new I-94 to the passports.
Overall, ALL the officers we interacted with were very intent on making us feel comfortable, even though we were feeling a bit nervous based on the type of Qs being asked.
The whole landing and reentering experience took less than 2.5 ~ 3 hours and we were back in the land of opportunity in no time.
Hope you find the landing experience and the type of Qs faced useful.
Posted by madhusud188 (15) 30 Jul 2009 - On trackitt
Hi All
We (I and my wife), landed in Canada through the Peace Arch point of entry (Bellingham, US - Vancouver, BC border).
Thanks to all the experiences and suggestions shared in the forum, the landing was a very nervous, yet successful trip.
I am sharing the details as it might help others as well.
PREPARATION:
We had 3 manila folders with the related documents arranged in the following order:
1) Canada landing documents: Passport, COPR forms, Proof of funds (Letter from Bank Manager), Things being shipped list, Things to follow list (itemized, with total, signed), print out of contact address in Canada (friend's address)
2) US Re-entry documents: ALL original I-797s (latest on top), Copy of all I-94s (latest originals on top), Employment eligibility letter, Client job description letter, copy of statement of work between company and client
3) Supporting documents: All degree certificates, last 3 year W2s, last 3 months' salary slip, proof of address in US, birth certificate, marriage certificate for primary and dependent
LANDING:
Landed in Bellingham, WA at 12:00 PM MST. Rented a car from Budget car rental and started driving towards the border - straight road for 15 miles on I-5 North.
We were expecting a huge line entering into Canada but there was no fuss - no US side check-post - we suddenly saw a toll gate and directions indicating Canadian immigration.
Told the security officer at the check-post that we are landing for permanent residence. He gave a small red slip and asked us to park the car.
We were asked to leave the keys and cellphones inside the car and take only the documents and go to the immigration office. As soon as we started walking, they started searching the car for drugs with the help of a dog.
The Canadian immigration office was very clean and beautiful. We waited for a couple of minutes behind a board that said "Wait Here to be called".
One of the immigration officer called us and asked us some questions:
Q: What brings you to Canada?
A: I am landing here today as a part of the immigration process
Q: Where do you intend to stay in Canada?
A: We are not planning to stay here and are travelling back to the US immediately.
The immigration officer put her pen down and started asking some Qs that made us a bit nervous for 30 seconds.
Q: If you do not intend to stay, then why are you landing today?
A: As per the deadline, we need to land before end of August.
Q: I understand that you are trying to land before your immigrant visa expiry date of 1 year - but why do you want to go back to US?
A: I have my job until end of November and I intend to move to Canada permanently after that
Q: Do you have a job offer in Canada after November?
A: No. I will have to come here and search for a job
Q: Do you have a list of items that you are carrying / that is going to follow?
A: - - Handed over the lists with 2 duplicate copies - -
Q: Do you know where you will stay in Canada when you land here?
A: - - Handed over the print out with the Canada contact address
We were asked to wait. After waiting for 5 minutes, the immigration officer called us again.
Q: I cannot complete landing formalities for your car as you do not have the title
A: Not a problem. When I move here in November, I will get the formalities completed
Q: I will try to send the cards to the address you provided, but they cannot release the cards unless you sign for them. The cards are going to be returned back to the immigration office and it will mess up your permanent residency paperwork
A: I apologize - nobody ad informed me of these complications.
Q: That's ok - I will try to see what I can do.
A: Thank you. I apologize again or the confusion
Q: No problem. Take a seat and I have to start typing up your paperwork and will call you
In the meantime, we were seeing a couple of families facing a hard time with other officers as their landing date has passed, they did not have the right paper work etc.
After waiting for 5 minutes, the immigration officer called us again.
Q: Please sign these COPR forms without touching the green border.
A: -- Signed the forms --
She tore off one of the pages in the COPR form and stapled it to our passports and put a seal with the landing date.
Q: Your landing has been completed and the proof for the same is attached to your passport. Wait until you get your PR cards and detach the COPR copy and keep it safe with the PR cards. You are going to need the PR card the next time you try to enter Canada.
She also handed over one of the copies of things to be shipped and things to follow with the stamping on the papers and asked us to carry it when trying to re-enter Canada.
She was also nice enough to hand over a couple of Canadian pinup badges.
Q: Do you have any questions for me? Hand over this slip to the security officer outside.
A: No Thank you so much for your help.
Handed over the slip and the security officer released the vehicle keys to us.
Made a U-turn and started traveling into the US. And there was a Q - three rows of cars for a mile long.
After a long wait of 45 minutes to an hour, we were at the US toll booth. Pulled up the car to the security officer and switched off the ignition.
Q: Why do you want to enter US?
A: I work in US for an IT company. I am on my H1 and hence need to enter US
Q: Why did you go to Canada?
A: For our permanent residency landing
Q: If you have permanent residency in Canada, why do you want to enter US?
A: I have my job in US for a few more months and I intend to travel back in November
Q: Why do you want to go back to Canada? Why not stay in US?
A: I am on a non-immigrant Visa in US and hence I cannot stay here more than 6 years.
The security offce acknowledged and took our Driver licenses, Passports, I-797 (only the latest copy), the I-94 that came along with the I-797 extension.
Q: Please hand over this slip to the security officer there and park your car. Your documents will be waiting for you inside.
Parked the car and same drill as on Canadian border - keys in car, except for the visa documents, everything need to be left in the car.
Entered the immigration office and started waiting in a Q. Was called for in 3 minutes.
Q: I see that your Visa stamping has expired. How do you intend to enter the states?
A: As you can see, I have an extension on my visa and I have a new I-94.
Q: But your visa stamp is as of 2007.
A: I am sure you are aware of this - but I intend to use AVR to enter US as I have been into Canada for less than 30 days. - - Handed over color printouts of the AVR documentation from CBP webpage (the webpage printout about AVR, the pdf with AVR rules and the orignal AVR telegram sent to CBP officers from Homeland security office)
Started becoming nervous as the officer continued to insist that I have an expired Visa.
Her reporting officer saw this and asked her waht was happening. He clarified to her about the AVR rule and instructed how to handle such a case.
Q: Where did you go after visiting Canada? did you go to India?
A: No officer, I landed in Canada only a couple of hours back
Q: Do you have any proof that you entered Canada only now?
A: -- Showed them the stapled COPR document and the Canadian stamp --
Then the Senior officer clarified the rule that since I did not leave the northern hemisphere in the last 30 days and did not hop to any country other than Canada and mexico, I am eligible for AVR
Q: Did you change your Visa while in Canada or in US?
A: No, officer, I have had a contiguous stay in US on my H1 and my wife on my H4.
She printed out the new I-94s and fingerprinted us and stapled the new I-94 to the passports.
Overall, ALL the officers we interacted with were very intent on making us feel comfortable, even though we were feeling a bit nervous based on the type of Qs being asked.
The whole landing and reentering experience took less than 2.5 ~ 3 hours and we were back in the land of opportunity in no time.
Hope you find the landing experience and the type of Qs faced useful.
