Here's my Flag-polling experience -
We started at 11.00 am from Toronto with Rainbow bridge, Niagara as the destination in my GPS.
Reached the US booth @ 12.20 pm. handed over our two passports to the US official told them we need to enter Canada as Permanent Residents (We have US visas but we told them that we were not entering the USA). He was very co-operative and asked us what was our current status in Canada, and later explained the whole Flag-polling process to us! Then he paged a another officer and she escorted our car to the parking area right besides the booth and asked us to wait inside the car while she got our 'Refuse Entry' form. We waited for about 5 minutes inside the car and the officer got us our 'Refuse entry' and showed us the way towards Canada. On our way back we came across a Toll plaza on the US side and paid CAD 4.50 (USD 3.25) - GUYS - PLEASE KEEP SUFFICIENT CHANGE - debit card machine doesn't work there!!!
Then we drove across the Rainbow Bridge back to the Canadian side, where we were greeted by a CBS officer and she asked for our passports, and we told her that we need to Flagpole. She asked us questions like are you carrying cash CAD 10,000 or more? Any goods purchased from USA / duty free? Any items from back home that need to be brought over to Canada? Any plants/ animal products? Any weapons on your car today? My answer was NO to all questions. She gave us a yellow entry form and asked us to park besides the Canadian Border Services building right next to the booth and then go inside.
When we entered the building an officer took our passports and COPRs and the yellow form and asked us to wait for our turn in the waiting area, where a handful of other people were waiting too.
We were called in about 45 minutes later and the officer asked us for the following documents -
1. (She already had my passports and COPRs)
2. The Refuse Entry form from USA
3. Proof of funds (As I was FSW) - (I had obtained bank statements a day before)
4. Proof of Employment - (I had company employment letter from April 2015- It was old - though she accepted them!! + I took a couple of latest pay stubs which was helpful!!)
Then she asked us to wait for some more time and called us back in 15 minutes and asked us:
1. Have you been convicted ever?
2. Are you bringing in any more goods from your home country?
3. Do you have any other dependants that are not accompanying you today?
Answer to all questions was NO.
Then she made us sign both copies of COPR and handed us one copy and all our supporting documents back. She asked us for all the previous work / study permits - we had them so we handed them over to her - and she said she would shred them all as we don't need them any more, because .....
CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE NOW CANADIAN PERMANENT RESIDENTS !!!
And that was it.. Then we left the building ... took a nice selfie with the Rainbow Bridge in the backdrop, had a nice lunch in Boston Pizza and then drove back to Toronto to live happily ever after as Canadians!!!! ;D
Hope this helps my friends who would be flag polling pretty soon too!!
Wish you all good luck! Happy Holidays!! Long live Canada!!!
P.S. make sure you check the address on the COPR copy they give you before you leave, as that is the address the PR card would be shipped to!
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