Please DO NOT go for Flag Polling/ PR Landing in Carway, Alberta

[samcan2015]

no, he signed my COPR and give it to me right away. For PR he said i will receive it in 6 to 8 weeks.
I already applied for my SIN number and update my health card yesterday.

 

[Lammawitch]

I'm in Eastern Ontario - Ottawa specifically, which broader do you guys recommend? reading through this thread and the bad experiences some had, freak me out! I don't want to experience the same!

Go to the closest border crossing offering immigration services. The bad experiences we read about here are rare: people who had normal, uneventful, experiences seldom bother to post about them .

Or make an appointment with CIC to land at one of their offices.

 

[autumnsummer71]

CIC should come up with a list of locations where people can do flag polling or PR landing.

Immigration services - validation of confirmation of PR, are not available in all border offices.

http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/do-rb/services/hwyb-autof-eng.html

In this list, all CBSA offices are listed according to provinces in alphabetical order. If you want to see only those offering Immigration services, on the left side, under "Browse by Service" list, click on "Immigration".

Hope this helps.

 

[autumnsummer71]

I called CIC agents to see if I can get an appointment at the local CIC office (Calgary) for landing (aka validation of COPR). I complained to him about the rude behaviors of some CBSA officers at Carway border (which happens to be the closest for me), how some are being yelled at, threatened etc. He acknowledged that this is not the first time they are receiving complaints about CBSA agents' behavior. He told me the first priority is always to go to local CIC office and then only to the border and also emphasized to check days and times of immigration services before reaching the border. My WP expires on Sep 24th and he offered to send an "Urgent" request to CIC Calgary office to do landing here without going to border for my case. Today (1 day later), CIC Calgary sent me an email of appointment - "Final determination of PR" on Sep 16th at Calgary downtown. This is sweet.

 

[pk_2015]

I called CIC agents to see if I can get an appointment at the local CIC office (Calgary) for landing (aka validation of COPR). I complained to him about the rude behaviors of some CBSA officers at Carway border (which happens to be the closest for me), how some are being yelled at, threatened etc. He acknowledged that this is not the first time they are receiving complaints about CBSA agents' behavior. He told me the first priority is always to go to local CIC office and then only to the border and also emphasized to check days and times of immigration services before reaching the border. My WP expires on Sep 24th and he offered to send an "Urgent" request to CIC Calgary office to do landing here without going to border for my case. Today (1 day later), CIC Calgary sent me an email of appointment - "Final determination of PR" on Sep 16th at Calgary downtown. This is sweet.

At what number you called them?

 

[autumnsummer71]

At what number you called them?

The usual and only number we have 1-888-242-2100. Don't get into check application status menu. After dialing, I tried this:
Option 2 - To Immigrate, ... (option 1 is check application status)
Option 2 - For information on how to become a PR (other options are related sponsoring etc..)
Option 4 - For CEC (other options for other FSW, FSTP, PNP etc...)
Finally press 9 - to reach an representative/agent.

I straight away told him that I got COPR I need an appointment and he said he is glad to assist me. He told me he cannot give any dates but can only send a request/note to local CIC office and they will CALL me say after 3 weeks and THEN give me an appointment for several weeks later. This is for normal cases. Since my legal status ends on Sep 24th I think he offered me to send "URGENT" request for appointment

Perhaps pressing 9 earlier itself could have taken me to an agent? I don't know.

 

[EEdreams15]

To be honest I don'the know if Coutts is a better option. I went there in February to flagpole and get my work permit extended but I was denied. Officers were verrrrry arrogant, rude and condescending. I was not even given the courtesy of getting a second opinion and was basically threatened - I had to leave or else my car would be seized. Apparently they thought I was gonna spend the rest of my life at the border with them.....even with their rubbish attitudes. Last time I checked, I like to hang around happy people.

I came back and applied to CIC and got my work permit a couple months later.

Please people, be very careful when going to the border for any immigration service. If your reason for going to the border is CIC related CBSA officers have been known to deny such request, and at the border what CBSA says goes. They are a law unto themselves. No body to call, and all you can do is leave peacefully and not let your frustrationa show. Try to apply to CIC for inland landing if you're within Canada. For those coming to Canada I think they'll be fine. If you choose to go to a border please call the border, not CIC the day before to confirm with a CBSA officer if your reason for going down there will be accommodated. Make sure you also ask for the name of the officer you speak with so that if you run into any trouble when you actually go there you can reference the phone call, hopefully the officer will be truthful and not deny that you actually called and told you it was okay to come to the border.

Funny thing - months after my experience I saw the same CBSA officer on the TV show Border Security. It was filmed in Coutts and he was still his usual sour puss self. That gave me some relief. At least I knew that the cause of his horrible attitude was him and not me...lol. I think because they are now TV stars they have become full of themselves. *rolls eyes*

Anyways, don't let such bad interactions hinder your Canadian dream. Just because you're denied at the border does not mean that there's no other options. Come back home, let go of your frustration and do the next best thing. Your work/study permit or landing will just have to happen another way.

 

[kateg]

If you are going to flagpole, the larger cities and crossing locations will likely be better. They have more parking places, and more staff. Here in Vancouver (for example), Peace Arch is much easier to work with than Pacific Crossing, despite being a very, very short distance apart. The other nearby crossing points are much worse.

 

[Mackfernan11]

I called CIC agents to see if I can get an appointment at the local CIC office (Calgary) for landing (aka validation of COPR). I complained to him about the rude behaviors of some CBSA officers at Carway border (which happens to be the closest for me), how some are being yelled at, threatened etc. He acknowledged that this is not the first time they are receiving complaints about CBSA agents' behavior. He told me the first priority is always to go to local CIC office and then only to the border and also emphasized to check days and times of immigration services before reaching the border. My WP expires on Sep 24th and he offered to send an "Urgent" request to CIC Calgary office to do landing here without going to border for my case. Today (1 day later), CIC Calgary sent me an email of appointment - "Final determination of PR" on Sep 16th at Calgary downtown. This is sweet.

Hi there!
Can you please share your experience in doing your landing at cic office in calgary. I am scheduled to do mine on oct 6. Just to have some idea what to expect. Like questions and documents that they'll be asking. Thanks you and hope to hear from you soon. Congrats by the way!

 

[autumnsummer71]

Well it took 7 to 10 mins overall. We were already told in the appointment email earlier to remember our first entry and most recent entry dates, bring the passports and the COPR papers. There were additional instructions for those who receive welfare benefits, sponsored by someone else or require interpreter. None of those things applied to me. It was scheduled for 10 AM. There are seats outside and inside (restricted). A security person would normally let you in to be seated inside(restricted area) just before interview time. We were let in at 9:45 and asked to be remain seated until called. To our surprise they called immediately. Multiple stalls/counters like a bank teller except that there is a glass between you and them. You stand behind the glass wall counter the whole time and the parties hear each other thru the gaps in the glass. CIC staff was a friendly old lady. She asked for COPR papers and passports (mine and spouse) and also the first entry/most recent entry date to Canada as expected. That's it. Nothing else. She wrote the entry date/airport details in the COPR and then signed it. She also made us sign the bottom portion of COPR in two copies. In addition to that we wrote "No" to 3 statutory questions and initialed next to it in both copies. They are about marital status, crime committed, other dependents. She kept the copy that had photo affixed and gave us the other copy. She date stamped the passports as IM-1 + the number mentioned in the COPR. That's it. She said you are now permanent residents with a broad smile and gave some a standard instructions paper for new PRs. We left around 9:55. We were the only people for landing at that time as far as I know. Lot of citizenship candidates. Hope this helps.

 

[Aero1french]

Do they ask for all your work permits ? even the expired ones ?

I'm the PA, i have them all but my wife misses two (she has photocopies only)