Detroit-Windsor Landing Experience

[casiopiabiswas]

First of all, a big thank you to this forum and its members for all the valuable information throughout my case's timeline.
Brief overview:
AOR: 6th November 2017
PPR Email: 24th November
Passport Sent: 25th November
Passport Delivered: 27th November
Visa Stamped: 21st December
MyCIC application approved: 27th December
Passport received: 3rd January 2018

After receiving the passports we were relieved & excited to start our episodes in a new country. We planned not to take the Niagara route and instead decided to go with the Detroit-Windsor border. Starting from Cincinnati, Ohio, the travel took a total of 3 hours 40 minutes via road. Canada border control is closed Tue-Thu from 8 PM to 5 AM. We reached Detroit around 10 PM and traveled to Canada Border control via Ambassador bridge the next morning. The process was really smooth and we didn't experience any traffic (reached around 8 AM). It was just us when we reached the office. Signed our COPRs and since we were traveling to Toronto just for the weekend, we declared what we would bring with us when we move to Canada finally. It hardly took us half an hour to finish with the process and we got our passports stamped with official entry dates.

The only thing that did not get completed was confirmation of delivery of our PR cards to our friend's address. The officer told us that they would not send our cards to any address other than that of ours. Because we can travel via land using our COPRs and passports, we did not feel the urgency to convince the officer. He was right anyway.

After we were done with our PRs, we moved to the nearby Service Canada office to get our SINs. That's where it took us almost 3 hours to get the work done; the waiting was about 2 hours & 40 minutes and getting the SINs was just a matter of 10 minutes. It is not mandatory to get that done that very same day. If we had known this, we would have done that some other time. Anyways, after we wrapped up, we headed straight to Toronto to meet our friends and it was a party then!

Hope this information helps you all in some ways. Good luck and happy journey to Canada!

 

[DEEPCUR]

Cool! Even I landed on 5th Jan at the same border. My experience was okay. I got lady officer who was poking me with unnecessary questions like why are you wanting to move now when you have validity till April, no welcome to Canada. She basically didn't like us and was far from being nice in any ways. Same experience with PR cards too. We weren't let apply for them with same reason.

However they are not right in that thing. There is no such law or rule that we have to give our own address for PR cards. Plenty of people just give PR cards and they don't have any issues. I have heard that we can call CIC and update the address. Another officer who handled told the same too.

 

[ashu1710]

First of all, a big thank you to this forum and its members for all the valuable information
AOR: 6th November 2017
PPR Email: 24th November

Holy shit, that was fast! Are processing times for EE much faster now? They certainly weren't this fast 6-7 months ago.

 

[casiopiabiswas]

Cool! Even I landed on 5th Jan at the same border. My experience was okay. I got lady officer who was poking me with unnecessary questions like why are you wanting to move now when you have validity till April, no welcome to Canada. She basically didn't like us and was far from being nice in any ways. Same experience with PR cards too. We weren't let apply for them with same reason.

However they are not right in that thing. There is no such law or rule that we have to give our own address for PR cards. Plenty of people just give PR cards and they don't have any issues. I have heard that we can call CIC and update the address. Another officer who handled told the same too.

It's just their way to prevent any damage when they are denying sending the PR cards to friends' addresses. We definitely have options to find another route. Anyways congrats on becoming a permanent resident.

 

[casiopiabiswas]

Holy shit, that was fast! Are processing times for EE much faster now? They certainly weren't this fast 6-7 months ago.

Well, I did notice that the processing timelines have drastically reduced for Nov-Dec applicants. I cannot speak for all but a major chunk of applicants got their case processed pretty quickly. I wish for everyone else for a faster processing time .

 

[michibong]

First of all, a big thank you to this forum and its members for all the valuable information throughout my case's timeline.
Brief overview:
AOR: 6th November 2017
PPR Email: 24th November
Passport Sent: 25th November
Passport Delivered: 27th November
Visa Stamped: 21st December
MyCIC application approved: 27th December
Passport received: 3rd January 2018

After receiving the passports we were relieved & excited to start our episodes in a new country. We planned not to take the Niagara route and instead decided to go with the Detroit-Windsor border. Starting from Cincinnati, Ohio, the travel took a total of 3 hours 40 minutes via road. Canada border control is closed Tue-Thu from 8 PM to 5 AM. We reached Detroit around 10 PM and traveled to Canada Border control via Ambassador bridge the next morning. The process was really smooth and we didn't experience any traffic (reached around 8 AM). It was just us when we reached the office. Signed our COPRs and since we were traveling to Toronto just for the weekend, we declared what we would bring with us when we move to Canada finally. It hardly took us half an hour to finish with the process and we got our passports stamped with official entry dates.

The only thing that did not get completed was confirmation of delivery of our PR cards to our friend's address. The officer told us that they would not send our cards to any address other than that of ours. Because we can travel via land using our COPRs and passports, we did not feel the urgency to convince the officer. He was right anyway.

After we were done with our PRs, we moved to the nearby Service Canada office to get our SINs. That's where it took us almost 3 hours to get the work done; the waiting was about 2 hours & 40 minutes and getting the SINs was just a matter of 10 minutes. It is not mandatory to get that done that very same day. If we had known this, we would have done that some other time. Anyways, after we wrapped up, we headed straight to Toronto to meet our friends and it was a party then!

Hope this information helps you all in some ways. Good luck and happy journey to Canada!

I got my CoPR last week and planning to do soft landing through either Windsor or Port Huron this Saturday and visit relatives in Toronto. I have been reading experiences and have some questions. As I have just couple of days left, if you can reply urgently it will be highly appreciated

1. Goods declaration – Do I need to download BSF186A, fill up and carry with me or we need to fill up there in the Port of Entry office? How accurate and detailed the list needs to be for goods I am going to bring later (which obviously I don’t exactly know right now). Can you give an example how you have listed small items like furniture, kitchen appliances, cutleries, crockeries, clothes, home decorative items etc.)?

2. Read some comments about car. My car is leased. What all documents I need to show (I am going to say I am not importing the car now as I am going to be there only for the weekend)?

3. Address for PR card – Do they send it to US address? If not do they accept a friend/relative’s address in Canada? I checked some posts where it is written that the officer didn’t accept a friend’s address. What is the solution in this case?

4. I read somewhere in this forum that we can enter multiple times through land just with CoPR? Is that true for Indian Citizens? I thought the visa issued is single entry. If this is correct, how many times can someone enter without PR card? Are you planning to get PR card generated only after you move permanently?

5. Previously someone in this forum suggested me to get another set of photos taken in Canada in case my photos are rejected. Can they still reject photos after sending CoPR?

6. Other than CoPR and passports do I need to carry any document that I submitted in the application (like PCC, academic certificates, WES etc.)?

7. SIN - is SIN office open on Saturday? I guess it is not. If the answer to question #4 is yes, can we go later in weekday and get it done? If answer is no, how should I get this done?

8. What all documents I should carry to reenter US other than passport with visa, petition copy, I-94 etc?

 

[cvask]

I got my CoPR last week and planning to do soft landing through either Windsor or Port Huron this Saturday and visit relatives in Toronto. I have been reading experiences and have some questions. As I have just couple of days left, if you can reply urgently it will be highly appreciated

1. Goods declaration – Do I need to download BSF186A, fill up and carry with me or we need to fill up there in the Port of Entry office? How accurate and detailed the list needs to be for goods I am going to bring later (which obviously I don’t exactly know right now). Can you give an example how you have listed small items like furniture, kitchen appliances, cutleries, crockeries, clothes, home decorative items etc.)?

2. Read some comments about car. My car is leased. What all documents I need to show (I am going to say I am not importing the car now as I am going to be there only for the weekend)?

3. Address for PR card – Do they send it to US address? If not do they accept a friend/relative’s address in Canada? I checked some posts where it is written that the officer didn’t accept a friend’s address. What is the solution in this case?

4. I read somewhere in this forum that we can enter multiple times through land just with CoPR? Is that true for Indian Citizens? I thought the visa issued is single entry. If this is correct, how many times can someone enter without PR card? Are you planning to get PR card generated only after you move permanently?

5. Previously someone in this forum suggested me to get another set of photos taken in Canada in case my photos are rejected. Can they still reject photos after sending CoPR?

6. Other than CoPR and passports do I need to carry any document that I submitted in the application (like PCC, academic certificates, WES etc.)?

7. SIN - is SIN office open on Saturday? I guess it is not. If the answer to question #4 is yes, can we go later in weekday and get it done? If answer is no, how should I get this done?

8. What all documents I should carry to reenter US other than passport with visa, petition copy, I-94 etc?

AFAIK,

1. You need to fill out the forms and take 2 copies of the form with you to submit and get a stamp on them at the time of landing. Please follow this helpful thread put up by Qorax to get all the relevant information regarding this subject https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/form-b4-goods-to-follow-accompanying-list-how-to.44793/

2. I don't have answer for this

3. Not sure about US address (if you find out please share with me as this will be helpful for me when I am landing next month). About using freinds address, I have the same observation that some officers do not allow to use friends address. You can try using your relatives address (if you got any in Canada). If not, worst case scenario will be to not apply for PR card right now rather apply at later stage when you permanently move to Canada.

4. AFAIK this is true. If you don't have PR card with you, you can still enter Canada with you CoPR which lets the border official at the bridge to verify your PR status using your CoPR. But this is true only when you are crossing the border through road.

5. This is a possibility. So if they reject at a later stage you will be notified by email/mail to send in another set of photos.

6. Its better to carry all the documents. It is better to be prepared than scrambling in front of the immigration officer to find documents.

7. Closed on Saturdays & Sundays. You can call one of the center to confirm the timings. They close at 4 pm on most weekdays so plan accordingly

8. Make sure you have all the valid visa documents and petition copies. And if you are on work visa (H1b) by any chance then you have to carry pay stubs and whole bunch of documents (just to be safe). I highly recommend consulting with your attorney in this regard.

Hope this is helpful to you. I tried to share as much as I know through my research since I am planning to do soft landing on June 17th through Ambassador Bridge in Detroit-Windsor. Please share your experience when you are done with your landing. All the best and safe travels

 

[michibong]

AFAIK,

1. You need to fill out the forms and take 2 copies of the form with you to submit and get a stamp on them at the time of landing. Please follow this helpful thread put up by Qorax to get all the relevant information regarding this subject https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/form-b4-goods-to-follow-accompanying-list-how-to.44793/

2. I don't have answer for this

3. Not sure about US address (if you find out please share with me as this will be helpful for me when I am landing next month). About using freinds address, I have the same observation that some officers do not allow to use friends address. You can try using your relatives address (if you got any in Canada). If not, worst case scenario will be to not apply for PR card right now rather apply at later stage when you permanently move to Canada.

4. AFAIK this is true. If you don't have PR card with you, you can still enter Canada with you CoPR which lets the border official at the bridge to verify your PR status using your CoPR. But this is true only when you are crossing the border through road.

5. This is a possibility. So if they reject at a later stage you will be notified by email/mail to send in another set of photos.

6. Its better to carry all the documents. It is better to be prepared than scrambling in front of the immigration officer to find documents.

7. Closed on Saturdays & Sundays. You can call one of the center to confirm the timings. They close at 4 pm on most weekdays so plan accordingly

8. Make sure you have all the valid visa documents and petition copies. And if you are on work visa (H1b) by any chance then you have to carry pay stubs and whole bunch of documents (just to be safe). I highly recommend consulting with your attorney in this regard.

Hope this is helpful to you. I tried to share as much as I know through my research since I am planning to do soft landing on June 17th through Ambassador Bridge in Detroit-Windsor. Please share your experience when you are done with your landing. All the best and safe travels

Thanks a lot for your response... however I'm not getting a complete clarity on #4... this link vaguely says it but doesn't confirm http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=064&top=10

 

[romrumrira]

Your time from AoR to PPR...so fast @@'

 

[cvask]

Thanks a lot for your response... however I'm not getting a complete clarity on #4... this link vaguely says it but doesn't confirm http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=064&top=10

I know what you mean. Try to post this as a separate question in the forum to get more consensus. Good luck and please post your experience when you are done landing.

 

[michibong]

I know what you mean. Try to post this as a separate question in the forum to get more consensus. Good luck and please post your experience when you are done landing.

I have postponed my landing to June 9 as I was not confident about the goods list. Thanks for sharing the link of Qorax's thread. However I still have some queires which I have posted a few times but I'm yet to get a reply. Posting it here https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/form-b4-goods-to-follow-accompanying-list-how-to.44793/page-68#post-6986475. See if you can help with some of these.

While creating the lists I realized I have to put my bicycle in it. What would be the right category? It doesn't go as conveyance I guess. Can I just show it as personal item?

 

[cvask]

Thanks a lot for your response... however I'm not getting a complete clarity on #4... this link vaguely says it but doesn't confirm http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=064&top=10

This is what I gather, if you travel through commercial transport (Air, Sea) then you will need PR card. If not, then you should have a PR Travel Document (which you can apply under urgent process and get it issued to you in fairly short period of time). But this has to be applied at the visa center outside of Canada. Check out this link

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/application-permanent-resident-travel-document.html

The fees is CAD50 if you are applying from USA or India.

 

[Forte]

AFAIK,

1. You need to fill out the forms and take 2 copies of the form with you to submit and get a stamp on them at the time of landing. Please follow this helpful thread put up by Qorax to get all the relevant information regarding this subject https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/form-b4-goods-to-follow-accompanying-list-how-to.44793/

2. I don't have answer for this

3. Not sure about US address (if you find out please share with me as this will be helpful for me when I am landing next month). About using freinds address, I have the same observation that some officers do not allow to use friends address. You can try using your relatives address (if you got any in Canada). If not, worst case scenario will be to not apply for PR card right now rather apply at later stage when you permanently move to Canada.

4. AFAIK this is true. If you don't have PR card with you, you can still enter Canada with you CoPR which lets the border official at the bridge to verify your PR status using your CoPR. But this is true only when you are crossing the border through road.

5. This is a possibility. So if they reject at a later stage you will be notified by email/mail to send in another set of photos.

6. Its better to carry all the documents. It is better to be prepared than scrambling in front of the immigration officer to find documents.

7. Closed on Saturdays & Sundays. You can call one of the center to confirm the timings. They close at 4 pm on most weekdays so plan accordingly

8. Make sure you have all the valid visa documents and petition copies. And if you are on work visa (H1b) by any chance then you have to carry pay stubs and whole bunch of documents (just to be safe). I highly recommend consulting with your attorney in this regard.

Hope this is helpful to you. I tried to share as much as I know through my research since I am planning to do soft landing on June 17th through Ambassador Bridge in Detroit-Windsor. Please share your experience when you are done with your landing. All the best and safe travels

Hi have you landed? How was it? I'll be landing at the same port in a few weeks.

 

[Sim23Can]

First of all, a big thank you to this forum and its members for all the valuable information throughout my case's timeline.
Brief overview:
AOR: 6th November 2017
PPR Email: 24th November
Passport Sent: 25th November
Passport Delivered: 27th November
Visa Stamped: 21st December
MyCIC application approved: 27th December
Passport received: 3rd January 2018

After receiving the passports we were relieved & excited to start our episodes in a new country. We planned not to take the Niagara route and instead decided to go with the Detroit-Windsor border. Starting from Cincinnati, Ohio, the travel took a total of 3 hours 40 minutes via road. Canada border control is closed Tue-Thu from 8 PM to 5 AM. We reached Detroit around 10 PM and traveled to Canada Border control via Ambassador bridge the next morning. The process was really smooth and we didn't experience any traffic (reached around 8 AM). It was just us when we reached the office. Signed our COPRs and since we were traveling to Toronto just for the weekend, we declared what we would bring with us when we move to Canada finally. It hardly took us half an hour to finish with the process and we got our passports stamped with official entry dates.

The only thing that did not get completed was confirmation of delivery of our PR cards to our friend's address. The officer told us that they would not send our cards to any address other than that of ours. Because we can travel via land using our COPRs and passports, we did not feel the urgency to convince the officer. He was right anyway.

After we were done with our PRs, we moved to the nearby Service Canada office to get our SINs. That's where it took us almost 3 hours to get the work done; the waiting was about 2 hours & 40 minutes and getting the SINs was just a matter of 10 minutes. It is not mandatory to get that done that very same day. If we had known this, we would have done that some other time. Anyways, after we wrapped up, we headed straight to Toronto to meet our friends and it was a party then!

Hope this information helps you all in some ways. Good luck and happy journey to Canada!

Thanks for the information. Today we did landing formalities at Windsor Canada Border. Same experience, the lady officer did not process our PR card application. Asked to apply for it once we have our address in Canada.
Now question here is, after you completed the landing process I guess in January, when did you applied for PR card? How? from where?
Did you got your PR card?

 

[pseetha]

I am planning to finish my landing formalities in Canada at Windsor, ON. I am planning to drive from Chicago to the Windsor, ON and activate my PR. Would I be able to finish all the landing formalities(like applying for PR card, SIN etc) Widsor Border?

I do not have a H1b Visa(the H1b visa in passport expired in 2015) and I am on I94 extension till 2020. Would I be able to return back to US side in that case?