Just a quick question, but how is the process for the landing interview.
You buy a one way ticket to Canada, go to the custom officer and say you are immigrating..
- Will they bring you to an immigration officer?
- Do you have to make an appointment before you land?
- You will get a interview, sign your COPR, and 6 weeks later you will get your Pr-card in the mail?
Also asked a question previous about not getting an PPR, but received COPR instead. Is that a normal thing? Has other people had that as well?
I haven't yet been through it myself, but from what I've read here, and what I know from having previous work permits the process is as follows:
(note, I have never yet used the new kiosks, so this is all based on interaction with an officer and not a machine).
You have landed and you're on your way to the primary CBSA inspection point. Here you will choose to follow the visitors line and present yourself to a primary inspection officer. The officer will ask what the purpose of your trip to Canada is, to which you will answer that you are landing as a Permanent resident.
The officer may then ask to see your CoPR and check that you have all the required paperwork, but they won't do anything in the system. Your declaration card will be marked with a pink highlighter and the officer will write a few letters or numbers on it, signalling to the next officer to view the card that you will have to go to secondary.
You're told to go to the next officer who only checks the declaration cards and sends people to baggage claim, or to secondary. This officer will direct you to secondary, which is a separate waiting room with many more desks and officers where you will line up again with everyone else who has been sent to secondary. (Note, if you're coming at the beginning of a school term, there will be a lot of students and I've had to wait almost 2 hours to see the secondary inspection officer once for one of my work permits).
Once it's your turn, the officer will again ask what the purpose of your trip is and you will then present the CoPR. You'll then be asked the normal landing interview questions (any changes in circumstances/convictions/etc) and then this officer will confirm the PR status in the systems, stamp your CoPR and witness you signing that document.
The officer will ask you for an address to which to send the PR Card. This address has to be in Canada. If you're unable to provide a Canadian address, you'll have to apply yourself at a later date, providing new photos.
Some airports have a Service Canada and/or provincial services office where you can apply for your SIN number and provincial documents right away. If this is the case, the officer will direct you to them. If not, you will have to do this on your own.
As far as goods lists, I don't have experience so I can't say for sure who looks at this, but you'll probably need to show it at secondary immigration, and then again at customs right before you exit the baggage reclaim area, where you will have to declare the items.
For airports that have the primary inspection kiosks, and where you don't fill in a declaration card, you'll probably have an option on the screen that reflects landing. Either way, you still have to see an officer after visiting the kiosk, and they will point you to secondary.
Edit to add:
Currently, if you're flying into Toronto Pearson, Terminal 1 has the 'old' system with officers and Terminal 3 has the new kiosks. Flying from Amsterdam on a direct flight with Air Canada you will land at Terminal 1 (officer). KLM, Jet Airways, and Air Transat all use Terminal 3 (kiosks).
For connections, generally, all non-Star Alliance airlines (with a few exceptions) use Terminal 3 so from Europe that would be British Airways, KLM, Air France, Aer Lingus, Finnair, Alitalia, WOW, Icelandair (off the top of my head).
Air Canada, Austrian, LOT, Brussels Airlines, and Lufthansa all use Terminal 1 at Pearson (YYZ).