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US-based applicants, let's connect here

clguy

Hero Member
Apr 7, 2017
256
44
Is that special for connecting flights? I know for a direct flight to Newark, we went through customs there.
No its not special. All passengers leaving YYZ airport to the US even if your final destination is not in the US will go through immigration and Customs before boarding the plane.
 

tjsecondtry

Hero Member
May 11, 2017
798
1,749
No its not special. All passengers leaving YYZ airport to the US even if your final destination is not in the US will go through immigration and Customs before boarding the plane.
I wonder if it was because I flew from Billy Barton airport to Newark. I'm positive we cleared customs there because we waited half an hour while there were NO agents. The poor lady whose job it was to keep the line civil was doing a comedy routine to try to keep people from getting too upset. One of the people from New York thought I must be Canadian because I was being understanding about the delay instead of swearing up a storm, lol.
 

appar

Hero Member
Nov 24, 2017
306
86
Quebec
Category........
FSW
I wonder if it was because I flew from Billy Barton airport to Newark. I'm positive we cleared customs there because we waited half an hour while there were NO agents. The poor lady whose job it was to keep the line civil was doing a comedy routine to try to keep people from getting too upset. One of the people from New York thought I must be Canadian because I was being understanding about the delay instead of swearing up a storm, lol.
Billy Bishop Airport does not have US customs pre-clearance but most major Canadian airports do. Here is a list of airports with customs pre-clearance https://www.cbp.gov/border-security/ports-entry/operations/preclearance . If you are flying to the US from any of these airports then you will complete customs and immigration before you board your flight.
 

tjsecondtry

Hero Member
May 11, 2017
798
1,749
I wonder if it was because I flew from Billy Barton airport to Newark. I'm positive we cleared customs there because we waited half an hour while there were NO agents. The poor lady whose job it was to keep the line civil was doing a comedy routine to try to keep people from getting too upset. One of the people from New York thought I must be Canadian because I was being understanding about the delay instead of swearing up a storm, lol.
Just realized I said Billy Barton instead of Billy Bishop. I have to stop that.
 

Ang&Guille

Member
Nov 28, 2017
17
2
Hi Guys! We received the CoPR yesterday and the visas for landing in Canada (My wife and I are Colombian citizens). Thank you all for sharing very important information that helped very much during the process. Now, the documents say we have to land before the end of June, but we have contractual obligations in the US until Sep 31. Any idea on what to do? I know a little about doing "soft landing" but would like to talk with someone who actually did it or knows better about the process. Thanks!
 

Mthornt

Hero Member
Dec 28, 2015
817
207
Canada
Soft landing is pretty straight forward. We did ours at Pearson Airport (Toronto), and it was pretty fast and simple. We first did our quick interview with immigration, and then stopped next door to get our social insurance numbers. Then before leaving we had our items to follow lists stamped and copied, and we were on our way. Literally took like an hour and we were out the door.




Hi Guys! We received the CoPR yesterday and the visas for landing in Canada (My wife and I are Colombian citizens). Thank you all for sharing very important information that helped very much during the process. Now, the documents say we have to land before the end of June, but we have contractual obligations in the US until Sep 31. Any idea on what to do? I know a little about doing "soft landing" but would like to talk with someone who actually did it or knows better about the process. Thanks!
 
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northern sunshine

Hero Member
Mar 22, 2017
674
715
USA
Category........
FSW
Visa Office......
Ottawa
NOC Code......
2112
App. Filed.......
12-06-2018
AOR Received.
12-06-2018
Med's Done....
02-06-2018
Passport Req..
26-07-2018
LANDED..........
23-02-2019
I was able to pick up my paper degrees from my parents' house this weekend, so I should be able to submit for ECA today. I have an M.Sc. and B.A. from a US university and was planning on only having the M.Sc. assessed-- this is okay, right? Is there any reason I should have my B.A. assessed as well?

I'm also conflicted as to whether I should apply for EE as soon as possible or to wait, for two reasons:

First, I have plans to stay with my company at least until I'm vested in my 401(k), which will be another year (February 2019). I'm afraid to jeopardize my current employment by applying for PR too soon and having to request experience letters from my workplace. I think I can go directly to HR, and my company is very, very large (Fortune 100), so I'm sure I'm not the first, but I'm worried about it nonetheless. I know I will eventually have to discuss the leave with my manager, but I don't want to do this any sooner than necessary.

Second, I want to wait until my partner, who is a Canadian citizen living in Ontario, finishes his second diploma (April 2019) and finds employment before I make the move. Realistically this means I wouldn't be moving until some time in summer 2019. I'm not worried about it taking a little while because I have the lease on my apartment until the end of September, and I don't intend to leave my current job until I have a job offer in Canada.

My thought process has been that I should just apply to EE ASAP and, if everything goes accordingly, do a soft landing in Toronto some time in early 2019 (I'm in Canada at least twice a year anyway because of my partner) and have my partner bring my PR card on his next visit (or mail it if it doesn't arrive in time). I'll stick it out in the states until I'm ready to move, at which time I'll drive my car and most of my belongings up.

I'm anticipating a CRS of 481 (provided my M.Sc. is assessed appropriately and I can demonstrate sufficiently that I actually speak English), so I suspect I'd receive an ITA pretty quickly. Should I go for it ASAP or put it off until maybe July-November?
 

Ang&Guille

Member
Nov 28, 2017
17
2
Soft landing is pretty straight forward. We did ours at Pearson Airport (Toronto), and it was pretty fast and simple. We first did our quick interview with immigration, and then stopped next door to get our social insurance numbers. Then before leaving we had our items to follow lists stamped and copied, and we were on our way. Literally took like an hour and we were out the door.
Thank you very much for your response!
 

Ang&Guille

Member
Nov 28, 2017
17
2
CAR EXPORT - IMPORT PROCESS
We have a car loan for our 2016 Mazda CX-5. The remaining balance of the loan is $22K. Does anybody know if we can move the car to Canada and keep paying the loan in the US? Is it possible to transfer the loan to Wells Fargo Canada? Any other idea?
We like the idea of taking the car to Canada because at this point we will not get the money to cover the whole remaining balance, and for flexibility since we will not have any credit history in Canada and it would be hard to get a new loan there. (Or is it possible to transfer credit history from the US to Canada?
Thanks in advance for your insight regarding this!