Hello,
I wanted to write down about my experience because this forum has been so helpful.
I am on Day 1 CPT with Harrisburg university and this is my second master's in the US. I have an expired F-1 visa and a valid I-94. I also have a valid- I140 (but maybe that is irrelevant to this part of the discussion). I recently completed my Canadian PR landing formalities in Peace-Arch land border.
Experience at the Canadian Border:
The officer at the kiosk asked for the documents- I showed him the passport and asked me the purpose of visit. He asked me if I have any weapon with me, have any goods to follow. I said I do have goods to follow, but I will be importing them on a later date, not today. I also told him I am planning to import my vehicle to Canada. He handed me a yellow receipt and asked me to go to the office for further processing.
The officer at the Border Patrol building asked me for my yellow receipt, documents and asked me for my vehicle title registration. She also asked about the BSF186 forms. She then asked me to write the address where the PR should be shipped. I gave her my friend's address (she made me write the address in the COPR infront of her). No questions were asked on my relationship with the person I am sending the PR card to. She then asked me to sign the COPR document infront of her and then signed and gave it back to me the copy. She also made me fill a vehicle registration document for import and then asked me to show it the Canadian DMV when I actually move for permanent. She also struck my Canadian one-time visa and stamped a page citing the date.
She then said "Congratulations! You are a Canadian PR now". And gave me a document for new PRs- info on SIN, HealthCare etc. etc. She said that it will take 6 weeks processing time to get the physical card but that might be impacted because of the back logs and everything. I asked her if I can reenter Canada with a signed COPR and she said yes if you are using a private vehicle. But you will either need a PRTD or a valid visa to renter Canada again through commercial means.
Overall the experience was very smooth and hassle free. The border officers were very friendly.
The next I went to the Service Center Canada in Surrey/Vancouver areas. The Surrey Service Center had a lot of crowd around 12pm in the noon and the security guard told me that it will take 4 hrs. for processing. I was tired to wait for 4 hrs., hence drove to the Service Center Burnaby and the security guard told me the same thing and asked me to come early in the morning. I called it a day. The next day I went to the Service Center Burnaby at 8:30 PST sharp and I had to wait 4 hrs. to get my SIN. For SIN- the officer asked me for my passport, COPR and Pin code. I gave my friend's pin code. The address/PIN is a formality and has no bearance to the SIN creation as such (The rule says: You do not need to notify the SIN Program about a change of address, unless you are waiting to receive a Confirmation of SIN letter) . The SIN was generated immediately and I was told that no matter what the number will not change. The waiting time is annoying, hence better to take a book with you or arrange for some entertainment while you wait for your turn.
The next I did was open a bank account. I went to the RBC branches in Surrey and opened an account- it is better to take an appointment beforehand. I did a walk-in but I was able to get a slot because of a last minute cancellation of a former client. It overall took me 1 hr. to set up a account. Documents used: Passport, COPR, SIN, US Pay Stubs and US employment letter. The employment letters were for credit card, not for savings/checking accounts. I had to give my friend's Canadian address, since they do not ship documents to US address.
You are not eligible for Health Insurance Card since you have to stay here for 90 days before applying for the card, also health insurance card changes with the province.
Experience at the US border:
This was more intense than Canada for sure. The officer at the kiosk asked me for my documents. I handed over my I-20 and Current I-94 and Passport with my expired Visa. He asked me my University's name, asked me the last I left US (it was back in 2017) and noticed that my passport was a renewed one. He then said that I would need a new I-94 (my previous I-94 was linked to my old passport) and sent me for secondary processing to a nearby building- handed me a orange receipt. I was asked to park my car and head straight to the building with the orange receipt. The officer at the building kiosk asked me for documents. These were the questions asked:
What is your status in the US?- I said I am a student.
Which university?- Harrisburg university
When did your program start?- Late Summer 2021
Why do you have some other university's name in your visa?- I said that that was my first Master's and then this current one is my second master's.
Then he mentioned something about you should not be having an expired visa- to that I mentioned that I am actually looking for AVR since I had been in Canada for only 2 days. He perked up to the term "AVR", so it is my advise to take the AVR rule print out with you incase the officer at the border is clueless.
Did you have STEM OPT before?- I said yes.
Did you start the 2nd program after that?- I said yes
What is the name of your program?- MS Project Management
Why is your I-20 digitally signed?- I said that is how we received documents during the pandemic. I mentioned briefly that the USCIS had changed rules regarding the I-20 delivery during the pandemic. He did not know that- so it is my advise to take a print out of the USCIS document with you if you are in a similar situation. Link:
https://www.ice.gov/doclib/sevis/pdf/I20-guidance.pdf)
He confirmed the remaining duration of the program with me.
He then asked me for my address and I gave him my US Driving License.
He then asked me to give biometrics, take a photograph and the handed me my documents back after updating the I-94 with my new passport info in the system. He then asked me to pay $6 for the I-94 to the cashier. He then handed me the orange slip back and asked me to show the officer in the way out. The officer checked the orange slip and let me go out towards Seattle.
Notes: Carry all your documents, know all the rules because sometimes you might have to mention it to the border officers and be confident.
