Journey: I landed here yesterday afternoon and light snow showers welcome me here. I came after 22 hours of journey and I thought I might not survive but that was not the case, the excitement and enthusiasm takes you through and you will be in Toronto before you know. After coming here within 6 hours of landing I bought couple of cloths and a new number so its easy to get how not so tired I was. So don't worry about the hours of journey as the destination is worth it and won't let you be tired.
I will start it from the very beginning. I had booked British Airways Tickets of a flight which reached Toronto via London. I left at 2:45 am from Mumbai and the flight and journey were smooth. Facilities provided by British Airways are pretty nice as well.
I landed in London at around 11:30 AM (IST) and as I thought it might be tiring to wait for 5.5 hours, it actually was not.
Then flight took off from there at 6 PM (IST) due to the queue at runway and landed in Toronto at around 2 AM (IST). It was snowing here and the whole thing was looking pretty until I walked out of the airport when I release how cold it was.
The whole immigration process went this way:
We were provided with Departure Card to fill in the airline itself.
Your passport and boarding pass would be checked when you exit the airplane by CBSA authorities. They might even ask a few questions. I was asked what was my purpose of visit and which college would I be studying in.
The Departure card has to be handed to the first immigration check counter. They might ask if you are carrying any eatables. They are polite people (or atleast my personal experience suggests that). You will then have to move CBSA immigration check part from where you will get the study permit. The lady I had my encounter with was Asian but again a soft spoken person. She only asked for:
Letter of Acceptance,
Passport and
Letter of Introduction (the one that accompanies your TRV and passport when the Visa is granted).
No other document is required (unless asked for).
They might ask some questions like name of the college or the course or previous education. After which they will process the Study Permit, staple it to your PP and hand it to you.
From this point the person will move to the immigration check exit where they will again check the Departure Card and let you pass through for you to collect your checked luggage.
If you have a lot of luggage you might want to consider getting a Trolley which would cost you $2 (unlike India, it costs 2 dollars to get one at the airport).
I was confused with the loonies and toonies ($1 and $2 coins) when a gentleman helped me out and told me about them. People are indeed helpful here as after collecting the trolley my trolley was stuck as something was stuck in its wheel and another person helped me out with it before I could figure out the problem.
After collecting luggage you can move through the final check point where you have to hand over your Departure card and move through the arrivals exit where you can get Limos, taxis or see the person who has come to pick you up.
Transport: Taxis are pretty costly affair here so public transport like buses and street cars should be given preference wherever possible. Also its best to get pass than paying on regular basis as the costs my come down by a good margin because of this.
People: So far people I have met here are soft spoken and helpful. Yet you will very often see the younger generation being a lil snob when compared to past 30s who would greet you even when they don't know you and are just passing by you. Don't trust anybody or everybody you meet.
Never feel shy of asking questions if you don't know something even to strangers. People here are nice and patient enough to answer your questions.
Climate: Climate here would be a little harsh for people who have not seen temperatures below 0 degrees yet if you are covered and have protected yourself with proper clothing, it can't harm you as most of the public places and transport are centrally heated so only part you need to take care of is while you are outside.
Thats about it as of now. If anybody wants to know anything else apart from what I have mentioned or wants me to elaborate some mentioned point you can always post here or PM me.
I will start it from the very beginning. I had booked British Airways Tickets of a flight which reached Toronto via London. I left at 2:45 am from Mumbai and the flight and journey were smooth. Facilities provided by British Airways are pretty nice as well.
I landed in London at around 11:30 AM (IST) and as I thought it might be tiring to wait for 5.5 hours, it actually was not.
Then flight took off from there at 6 PM (IST) due to the queue at runway and landed in Toronto at around 2 AM (IST). It was snowing here and the whole thing was looking pretty until I walked out of the airport when I release how cold it was.
The whole immigration process went this way:
We were provided with Departure Card to fill in the airline itself.
Your passport and boarding pass would be checked when you exit the airplane by CBSA authorities. They might even ask a few questions. I was asked what was my purpose of visit and which college would I be studying in.
The Departure card has to be handed to the first immigration check counter. They might ask if you are carrying any eatables. They are polite people (or atleast my personal experience suggests that). You will then have to move CBSA immigration check part from where you will get the study permit. The lady I had my encounter with was Asian but again a soft spoken person. She only asked for:
Letter of Acceptance,
Passport and
Letter of Introduction (the one that accompanies your TRV and passport when the Visa is granted).
No other document is required (unless asked for).
They might ask some questions like name of the college or the course or previous education. After which they will process the Study Permit, staple it to your PP and hand it to you.
From this point the person will move to the immigration check exit where they will again check the Departure Card and let you pass through for you to collect your checked luggage.
If you have a lot of luggage you might want to consider getting a Trolley which would cost you $2 (unlike India, it costs 2 dollars to get one at the airport).
I was confused with the loonies and toonies ($1 and $2 coins) when a gentleman helped me out and told me about them. People are indeed helpful here as after collecting the trolley my trolley was stuck as something was stuck in its wheel and another person helped me out with it before I could figure out the problem.
After collecting luggage you can move through the final check point where you have to hand over your Departure card and move through the arrivals exit where you can get Limos, taxis or see the person who has come to pick you up.
Transport: Taxis are pretty costly affair here so public transport like buses and street cars should be given preference wherever possible. Also its best to get pass than paying on regular basis as the costs my come down by a good margin because of this.
People: So far people I have met here are soft spoken and helpful. Yet you will very often see the younger generation being a lil snob when compared to past 30s who would greet you even when they don't know you and are just passing by you. Don't trust anybody or everybody you meet.
Never feel shy of asking questions if you don't know something even to strangers. People here are nice and patient enough to answer your questions.
Climate: Climate here would be a little harsh for people who have not seen temperatures below 0 degrees yet if you are covered and have protected yourself with proper clothing, it can't harm you as most of the public places and transport are centrally heated so only part you need to take care of is while you are outside.
Thats about it as of now. If anybody wants to know anything else apart from what I have mentioned or wants me to elaborate some mentioned point you can always post here or PM me.
