Questions about landing

[mdross2]

I am a newbie in these forums and hope someone maybe able to help me out with my questions.
I am in the US on an H-1B (valid visa until Aug -2011). I have my US green card application pending.
I got my Canadian immigration approval in July of this year and have to do a "landing" I guess

1. What is the landing procedure ?
2. Do I have to drive or can I take an airplane ?(I live in the suburbs of DC so I am guessing either driving till Buffalo NY and then crossing over or taking the airplane till Buffalo NY and then renting a car and driving would be the best/ cheapest option for a family of 3.) Any advice/ insight will be very much appreciated
3. What documents do I need to carry with me? (To be very honest I want to live in US and if something does not go terribly wrong with my US Green card process I will not be moving to Canada permanently.) Having said that i don't want to lose out on the "backup" option either since I have put in a lot of time and effort in the Canadian Immigration process.
4. Do I need to turn in my current I-94 and get a fresh one when I come back? (I remember reading somewhere that while going to Canada I don't need to do that)
5. Can I go to Canada  and come back the same day ? (I have read that people apply for the SIN number which I am guessing is the Canadian social security number
Is it mandatory ?)
6. I also believe that I need to provide a Canadian address for the Permanent Resident Cards. Is providing a US address an option ? (I don't know anyone/ don't have any friends in Canada)

Thanks a ton for all the help.

[Leon]

1. Landing procedure, you show your passport and PR visa and your proof of funds for a family of 3.
2. Doesn't matter if you drive a car or take a plane
3. Landing procedures and paperwork explained at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/skilled/arriving.asp
4. I don't know
5. You can go and come back same day.  It is not mandatory to apply for a SIN.  If you ever decide to move to Canada, you can apply for it then.
6. You can not provide a US address but you could arrange a P.O. Box in Canada and automatic mail forwarding to your US address or you can just tell them to hold the PR card because you are not moving yet.  If you ever decide to move to Canada, you can get in on your landing documents and apply for the PR card once you have moved.

Once you land, the clock for residency requirements starts ticking.  Once you are outside Canada for 1095 days (3 years) your PR status is gone.

[max_lee]

I am a newbie in these forums and hope someone maybe able to help me out with my questions.WELCOME to the Group.I am in the US on an H-1B (valid visa until Aug -2011). I have my US green card application pending.Same as me(Happy I am not the only one doing this)I got my Canadian immigration approval in July of this year and have to do a "landing" I guess .Congrats, yes you need to do the landing after your PR Visa is stamped on your Passport, you have one year from the date of the medicals to enter before your PR Visa expires.

1. What is the landing procedure ?Drive / Fly / ship / Swim(just kidding) you can use any means to complete your landing(Hope you are from the FSW Category) if from the Provencial nominee cat, then you final destination should be the province you got your PR from(mean you should have connection tickets)2. Do I have to drive or can I take an airplane ?(I live in the suburbs of DC so I am guessing either driving till Buffalo NY and then crossing over or taking the airplane till Buffalo NY and then renting a car and driving would be the best/ cheapest option for a family of 3.) Up to you, as mentioned above you can land by any means of transport. Any advice/ insight will be very much appreciated
3. What documents do I need to carry with me? (To be very honest I want to live in US and if something does not go terribly wrong with my US Green card process I will not be moving to Canada permanently.) Having said that i don't want to lose out on the "backup" option either since I have put in a lot of time and effort in the Canadian Immigration process. No problem, only thing is to save your PR Status you need to live atleast 730 days out of the 5 years, if you don't hten you will lose your PR Status. with the way the current US GC is going looks like a long shot(depends when you applied)4. Do I need to turn in my current I-94 and get a fresh one when I come back? (I remember reading somewhere that while going to Canada I don't need to do that). Nope, not if you are returning with in 3 days. you can inform the Canadian customs on your way into Canada not to remove your I-94 as you will be returning within 3 days(provided you are acutually going to return, if not you can surrender your I-94 and get a fresh one on your way back - No sweat.as the US post will be visited by you only when you come back into the US.
5. Can I go to Canada  and come back the same day ? Yes, you can even make an about turn as soon as you have completed your landing. No problem. (I have read that people apply for the SIN number which I am guessing is the Canadian social security number
Is it mandatory ?) Nope, you can get that anytime you want.
6. I also believe that I need to provide a Canadian address for the Permanent Resident Cards. Is providing a US address an option ? (I don't know anyone/ don't have any friends in Canada) Nope, sorry only Canadian address to receive your permanent Residency cards, could be the address of anyone you know, Friends, Relatives etc. Unfortunately they do not mail the cards to any address outside Canada.

Hope this helps, all the very best

Max

[mdross2]

Thank you so much for the replies.

The Proof of Funds - What documents can be used ?
Will the bank statements (US bank account) and Etrade/ScottTrade statements suffice or do I have to take a bankers check for the amount that is required for my family ?

Please advice.