+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

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

nickgrizzly

Star Member
May 16, 2022
175
106
27
BC
Category........
PNP
Visa Office......
Calgary, Montreal
Med's Request
09-05-2023
Med's Done....
10-05-2023
LANDED..........
08-06-2023
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.
Hi, which border crossing did you go to? Thanks
 
Mar 14, 2022
10
16
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 !
Hi, I went on a Thursday. I would recommend calling the border crossing you're planning to flagpole at to check what days/hours are open for flagpoling. Also, I recommend confirming with them again right before you head for the border so you don't waste time going from one border crossing to the other.
As for whether it's a good idea to flagpole for a PGWP, like I said in my first post, if you're fine with spending the time travelling to the border, then go for it. It's a far better choice than the online application in terms of processing time.
Lastly, the TRV. You can't apply for it at a port of entry afaik. You'll have to complete the online application and mail your passport to get it. If you're talking about a TRP instead of a TRV (I assumed it was a typo), then I'm not too sure.
 

airforce1907

Hero Member
Dec 23, 2018
358
93
Hi, I went on a Thursday. I would recommend calling the border crossing you're planning to flagpole at to check what days/hours are open for flagpoling. Also, I recommend confirming with them again right before you head for the border so you don't waste time going from one border crossing to the other.
As for whether it's a good idea to apply for a PGWP, like I said in my first post, if you're fine with spending the time travelling to the border, then go for it. It's a far better choice than the online application in terms of processing time.
Lastly, the TRV. You can't apply for it at a port of entry afaik. You'll have to complete the online application and mail your passport to get it.
How can I get their phone number? Fort Erie's.
 

Braykhna Khan

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
201
26
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.
Can I ask whether you had submitted an online application before doing all this?
 

Braykhna Khan

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
201
26
Hi, I went on a Thursday. I would recommend calling the border crossing you're planning to flagpole at to check what days/hours are open for flagpoling. Also, I recommend confirming with them again right before you head for the border so you don't waste time going from one border crossing to the other.
As for whether it's a good idea to flagpole for a PGWP, like I said in my first post, if you're fine with spending the time travelling to the border, then go for it. It's a far better choice than the online application in terms of processing time.
Lastly, the TRV. You can't apply for it at a port of entry afaik. You'll have to complete the online application and mail your passport to get it. If you're talking about a TRP instead of a TRV (I assumed it was a typo), then I'm not too sure.
I applied for my online application PGWP on an implied status and got TRV about 4 months ago. Submitted my PGWP on 14th January and no update yet. Do you think I should go for Flagpole and would it work with having a TRV? I do not get it. Also what documents do I need to take?
 

Braykhna Khan

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
201
26
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.
I have a valid TRV so would that work in flagpolling?
 
Mar 14, 2022
10
16
How can I get their phone number? Fort Erie's.
Hmm, it seems they only have the general CBSA number posted online (1-800-461-9999). My bad, for some reason, I thought they had a phone number in the Contact Us section here but it's just the mailing address for each border crossing. I would just call the general CBSA number I mentioned earlier and ask them for the flagpoling hours for Peace Bridge or just ask them to redirect your call to the Peace Bridge office.

I applied for my online application PGWP on an implied status and got TRV about 4 months ago. Submitted my PGWP on 14th January and no update yet. Do you think I should go for Flagpole and would it work with having a TRV? I do not get it. Also what documents do I need to take?
You're eligible to flagpole since you have a TRV and have a valid status (implied status). As for the documents you need to flagpole, just go through the previous posts in this thread. The only difference is that: in your case, since you're on implied status, you would need documents to prove that you're on implied status. This link mentions that you would need: (a) Acknowledgement of Receipt of your PGWP application (b) Receipt of payment. Other than that, the PGWP documents requirement is the exact same for all of us.
 

Braykhna Khan

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
201
26
I am really scared to go for flagpolling. Although, I have my TRV but still what if they send me back home and idk. Will something happen if they refuse to do my visa thing? Can someone please help me out and maybe clear my doubts?
 
Mar 14, 2022
10
16
I am really scared to go for flagpolling. Although, I have my TRV but still what if they send me back home and idk. Will something happen if they refuse to do my visa thing? Can someone please help me out and maybe clear my doubts?
Well, like I said in my opening post, unless you need the PGWP for a specific situation (such as your employer asking you for a physical work permit), there's no need to waste any time/effort with flagpoling. If you followed the study permit conditions, then there's no reason for them to reject your online application and you'll eventually get your work permit.

On a similar note, if you have all the required documents for re-entry into Canada (aka your implied status documents and your passport), then the odds of them not letting you back inside are pretty close to zero. Even in the case where they say they aren't processing flagpoling applications that day, you'll at the very least be able to come back into Canada.

The only situation where I can see them not letting you in is if you somehow violated your study permit conditions and as a result, they decided to reject your PGWP application. In that case, I would imagine your implied status would become invalid and they wouldn't let you in. However, that's pretty much the worst case scenario and unlikely to happen.

In short: if you followed your study permit conditions, you have nothing to fear, whether flagpoling or waiting for your online application decision. That's about all the reassurance I can give you.
 
  • Like
Reactions: goddessxine

Braykhna Khan

Hero Member
Jun 18, 2019
201
26
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.
This sounds really easy. Did you withdraw your online application?