Emhub said:
Over the last several months, I remember reading a few good posts describing the landing procedure, documents needed, timing, etc. However, I am unable to locate any of them now. Could someone kindly post a link towards any recent post about landing at the airport. In our case, it will be a sponsored spouse landing in Montreal with no extra belongings aside from checked luggage.
It's quite straight-forward. They need exactly two things: your passport and the two copies of your COPR. If you are importing anything, you should list it on a B4/B4A - even if it's just the small amount of stuff in your luggage. If you are setting in Quebec they also require a copy of your CAQ as I recall (I landed in BC, not in QC). If you aren't settling in Quebec, they may want to see your onward ticket for your intended province of landing (instead of the CAQ).
So, when you get to the primary inspection line, you just need to explain to the officer that you will be landing. He may scan your passports and will then scribble something on a referral slip and send you to the secondary inspection line. When you get to the front of the line, you will hand your passport and COPR to the officer. My experience (ah, it's like only yesterday
) is that this is it. Some basic questions ("are you importing any goods into Canada") and they process your COPR, which takes a couple of minutes. Then they go over the form, emphasizing the "no criminal convictions" and "all dependents have been declared". I had to initial those two sections and sign on the bottom. The officer kept one copy, stamped my passport, wrote the document number into my passport and stapled the COPR into my passport then folded it up to fit inside.
The entire process is 5 minutes long.
At the end, you are no longer a foreign national, you are a permanent resident of Canada!