PERSONAL EXPERIENCE- consulate and border

Praise the Lord almighty. All's over now. The process right from the get go was easy and simple. would have received it last month or 2 months ago if I did not delay in sending my medicals in on time (past the 2 or 3 month period given) as well as sending the official IELTS result- rather than a copy of the receipt of the test taken and requesting IELTS to send them a copy. All in all, it took me 10 months when it normally takes 8 months. Application mailed 1st week of January this year.

- letter from Buffalo arrives within 10 months asking me to send passport for immigration visa and CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE by mail or come in person
- Took the option of going to Buffalo by the end of the period (one month) given in the letter to get the landed immigrant visa
- Left for Thursday which is one of the days consulate issues them
- 7:30 or few minutes later they take applicants to the office
- When arrived they asked just for the passport, 3 pics and letter
- asked to come back in an hour
- Came in 45 minutes and picked up the visa- one time entry valid for 9 months
- double checked name, dates, etc on CIC generic document- CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE- required by CIC officer at border for stamp. Shows PR valid till December, 2016
- They asked to wait for 3 hours if planning to cross the border right away. Takes time to get centralised into system.
- Said arriving by car into the country from US is fine to land in Canada, then getting back to the US and finally back into Canada by car only.
- However if arriving into Canada by flight then require PR card even if arrived earlier into Canada by car to be landed
- Best option is to get landed by flight than by car to avoid any problems

At border:
- arrived into Toronto City airport
- mentioned to immigration officer (female bilingual Caucasian) that I have a valid post secondary work permit, was in Buffalo last week to receive my immigrant visa and would like to now land as a permanent immigrant here
- She asked to wait in another line for another immigration officer. This was the same area for customs inspections as well.
- The designated immigration officer there took my CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE paper and passport. Asked jokingly if this is what I want for sure. I said yes of course!
- he took away all my work permit and study permit docs attached in the passport
- Asked me to place my initials in a couple of areas of that doc (no one traveling with me on my PR, no criminal record and no money brought in)
- Asked me to sign carefully below on green line and within box (to appear on card)
- asked me if the address appearing on the paper is where I will be residing for the next couple of months as this is where the PR card will arrive - 4 to 6 weeks
- He attached a smaller copy of the record of the CONFIRMATION OF PERMANENT RESIDENCE onto my passport (with my flight number, date and time on) and instructed that I do not leave the country without my PR card to return back to Canada. If I travel to the US I do not need the card to get back
- He also stamped a special stamp with the date I arrived in Canada
- The officer asked me if I knew how to get a new sin# and health card. He went in to bring those instruction forms as well as a booklet on being a new PR to Canada
- Congratulated me and I thanked him (Asian male) for being polite and kind. He truly was very nice.
- I asked him if I would've left Buffalo to enter Niagara by car, get my papers stamped, go back to the US all by car and arrived here into the airport would there have been a problem- he said no as I am arriving from the US only and do not require my PR card.

DID NOT ASK FOR ANY SUPPORTING PAPERS OR DOCS!!!!!!!!!!!