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(Success) Flagpole Experience PGWP: Peace Bridge (Fort Erie), Rainbow Bridge

bac0n14

bac0n14

Star Member
Feb 3, 2022
102
24
noelvictoria said:
I went to the border here in BC this morning and got my PGWP in less than 30 mins! Very similar experience with the this post, except that I didn't go to another border crossing since I was lucky enough to be successful with my first try :)

Also got my wife's OWP extended already and my son's visitor record as well.
Click to expand...
are your visa's still valid? or are those on implied status ?
 
S

SweetCandice

Newbie
Jun 7, 2022
2
0
noelvictoria said:
I went to the border here in BC this morning and got my PGWP in less than 30 mins! Very similar experience with the this post, except that I didn't go to another border crossing since I was lucky enough to be successful with my first try :)

Also got my wife's OWP extended already and my son's visitor record as well.
Click to expand...
Congratulation！ I will go BC border this Thursday to apply for my husband's OWP, Hope I can be smooth like you.
Could I ask a question? If I graduated and got my PGWP, could my husband get his OWP extended or only when I got a 0AB job? Because I heard the 0AB job is necessary for a spouse's OWP. But other people told me otherwise.
 
H

hifin_

Newbie
May 30, 2022
5
0
suohmikoto1234 said:
Hi everyone, I just wanted to add onto the compendium of anecdotes on here for flagpoling so that it helps others looking to flagpole in the future.

I left early around 5 AM to get to the Rainbow Bridge border and got there around 7:30 AM. I went inside the office and told the officer that I was there for flagpoling, and they said they weren't accepting flagpole applications that day. There was no one else there, so I'm not sure why they didn't let me flagpole (they said that they had other higher priority applications, whatever that means). Would not recommend going there because the officers there seemed like they didn't even want to interact with me (though I might be biased because they didn't let me flagpole).

After this, I decided to try my luck at the Peace Bridge border (Fort Erie). I got there by car, but I decided to complete the flagpoling process by walking. It took me a long time to figure out where to go because I was walking and got some wrong directions, so I got to the bridge around 11 AM. After that, I crossed and got to the US border to get my flagpole notice. The officer there took my passport and fingerprints and asked me a few questions about where I live, what my current status is, if I had ever been in the US etc. He then gave me a piece of paper that had my information on it and had "FLAGPOLE" written in the middle.

After this, I headed back to the Canadian side where the officer asked for my ID and why I was there. I gave them my passport, study permit, and flagpole notice. They then gave me a slip and redirected me to the immigration office or whatever it's called. I walked to the office and handed one of the officers the slip I got earlier, my passport, and the flagpole notice. Later they called me and asked me for all the documents for the PGWP application. After they were done looking over them, they called me again, took my biometrics, and asked me to pay. After payment, I received my work permit. It really only took around 20 or so minutes to get my work permit from when I submitted my documents. The main bottleneck is travelling. The officer who processed my application was really chill (was joking around while he was taking my biometrics lol) so I would recommend this location (assuming you get a similar officer).

I was in a situation where I had actually overstayed my welcome here in Canada. My last semester was Fall 2021 but my graduation got delayed to May so I stayed in Canada for the entire Winter 2022 semester without actually being a student (pretty sure that violates my study permit conditions). That's the main reason I decided to flagpole. I had an explanation letter prepared but they never asked me anything about my Winter 2022 status so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Tl;dr I would recommend flagpoling if you have extenuating circumstances and aren't sure if you followed all the requirements to be eligible. Personally, I don't think it's worth the effort to go all the way to the border unless your job requires you to have a physical work permit before you start or something.
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Hi, I have a couple of questions for you. Which day of the week Did you go? And also do you think it is a good idea to apply for a TRP + PGWP over there?
Thank you !
 
N

noelvictoria

Hero Member
Mar 24, 2019
240
63
SweetCandice said:
Congratulation！ I will go BC border this Thursday to apply for my husband's OWP, Hope I can be smooth like you.
Could I ask a question? If I graduated and got my PGWP, could my husband get his OWP extended or only when I got a 0AB job? Because I heard the 0AB job is necessary for a spouse's OWP. But other people told me otherwise.
Click to expand...
You need to have a NOC 0/A/B job before your spouse can extend his OWP. That's a requirement under C41:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents/foreign-workers/exemption-codes/public-policy-competitiveness-economy.html#toc6-5
 
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C

Clive Standen

Full Member
Jun 2, 2022
29
9
noelvictoria said:
I went to the border here in BC this morning and got my PGWP in less than 30 mins! Very similar experience with the this post, except that I didn't go to another border crossing since I was lucky enough to be successful with my first try :)

Also got my wife's OWP extended already and my son's visitor record as well.
Click to expand...
Was your family with you? Did you get a new status together or is it an extension?
 
C

Clive Standen

Full Member
Jun 2, 2022
29
9
Yesterday I arrived at the Peace Bridge at 8:20, and crossed the bridge as a pedestrian. Arriving at the US border, I reported to the border officer that my goal was the flagpole. He only had one question, why am I doing this, I said that I want to change my status in Canada. I gave him my passport, he took a picture of my face and after a while gave me a flagpole. At 9:20 I gave my passport to the Canadian border officers and also told them that I needed the PGWP. At 9:30 I was in the main waiting room. There were a lot of people there and the officer called me only at 10:50. I gave him my documents from my college, made the payment and at 11:20 my PWGP was ready!!! I also want to say that everyone was very polite and friendly.
 
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arhue

arhue

Star Member
Aug 17, 2020
172
65
Category........
STUDY
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
2173
I flagpoled yesterday at Fort Erie. Took the go train/bus from Toronto to Niagara. From there, took an Uber to the bridge. Arrived there at 10.45 am. It was around 4.5-5 hrs journey each way. By the time I went from US side to Canadian side it was 11.30 am. Had to wait till 3.30 pm to get my permit. The officers on the Canadian side were friendly.

They asked for study permit, transcript, SIN number. Also gave them the degree completion letter and couple of forms available online just incase.

Got 3 year work permit at the end. Super happy got it done in a day instead of waiting 6+ months.
 
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bac0n14

bac0n14

Star Member
Feb 3, 2022
102
24
arhue said:
I flagpoled yesterday at Fort Erie. Took the go train/bus from Toronto to Niagara. From there, took an Uber to the bridge. Arrived there at 10.45 am. It was around 4.5-5 hrs journey each way. By the time I went from US side to Canadian side it was 11.30 am. Had to wait till 3.30 pm to get my permit. The officers on the Canadian side were friendly.

They asked for study permit, transcript, SIN number. Also gave them the degree completion letter and couple of forms available online just incase.

Got 3 year work permit at the end. Super happy got it done in a day instead of waiting 6+ months.
Click to expand...
Congrats!!

Is it 1+1 study?
 
A

airforce1907

Hero Member
Dec 23, 2018
358
93
arhue said:
I flagpoled yesterday at Fort Erie. Took the go train/bus from Toronto to Niagara. From there, took an Uber to the bridge. Arrived there at 10.45 am. It was around 4.5-5 hrs journey each way. By the time I went from US side to Canadian side it was 11.30 am. Had to wait till 3.30 pm to get my permit. The officers on the Canadian side were friendly.

They asked for study permit, transcript, SIN number. Also gave them the degree completion letter and couple of forms available online just incase.

Got 3 year work permit at the end. Super happy got it done in a day instead of waiting 6+ months.
Click to expand...
why did they need the sin number I wonder
 
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