Experience doing Landing at Windsor, ON

[usa2canMove]

I will list our experience doing the landing at Windsor, ON via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

My family and I are presently living in the suburbs of Detroit and did our landing at the Windsor recently. I have been following this forum for a while and would like to contribute back and detail how the landing at Windsor went.

At the Windsor border:
1. Drove into Windsor from Detroit suburbs via the Detroit tunnel around 11 am. I preferred the tunnel vs Ambassador bridge since I was told the lines are usually shorter at the Tunnel.
2. The officer at the tunnel crossing quickly looked through all our passports and COPRs(max 5 mins). He put a yellow sheet on our front window and asked us to move over to the Customs office to the right side after entry.
3. We got out of the car after reaching the customs declaration office and went inside along with the yellow sheet.
4. Since we were just doing a soft landing and were returning back to the US the next day, we did not have any goods to accompany list currently. We had put together a detailed sheet list for our (BSF186A) goods to follow. We were the only people there for new immigrants, so we quickly handed out the list at the counter.
5. It took a good 1 hour for the person to enter our details. My two kids are US citizens, but my wife and I are both on H1B visas currently in the US. Since we will be selling our house in US before the move, we had a huge goods to follow list. After he was done with the entries, he crossed out all the empty spaces in the BSF186a sheets and handed one copy back to us. He mentioned we need to carry this along when we are moving to Canada for good.
6. He put the sheet of paper listing our permanent residency status on our passports and said we can show this at the border till we get our PR card in mail.
7. We got back into the car and drove away from the customs office. Overall we might have spent around 1.5 hours there.

For SIN:
1. We went next to the Services Canada office close by.
2. We applied for the SIN numbers there. Each person has to get an individual number, including for the kids.
3. We were out of there in probably 45 mins.
4. We tried applying for the health insurance, but we were told it is not possible until we have some proof showing our residency there. Also the insurance will kick in only after 3 months. So we will have to wait until we actually move there for good.

 

[DelhiUSCanada]

I will list our experience doing the landing at Windsor, ON via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

My family and I are presently living in the suburbs of Detroit and did our landing at the Windsor recently. I have been following this forum for a while and would like to contribute back and detail how the landing at Windsor went.

At the Windsor border:
1. Drove into Windsor from Detroit suburbs via the Detroit tunnel around 11 am. I preferred the tunnel vs Ambassador bridge since I was told the lines are usually shorter at the Tunnel.
2. The officer at the tunnel crossing quickly looked through all our passports and COPRs(max 5 mins). He put a yellow sheet on our front window and asked us to move over to the Customs office to the right side after entry.
3. We got out of the car after reaching the customs declaration office and went inside along with the yellow sheet.
4. Since we were just doing a soft landing and were returning back to the US the next day, we did not have any goods to accompany list currently. We had put together a detailed sheet list for our (BSF186A) goods to follow. We were the only people there for new immigrants, so we quickly handed out the list at the counter.
5. It took a good 1 hour for the person to enter our details. My two kids are US citizens, but my wife and I are both on H1B visas currently in the US. Since we will be selling our house in US before the move, we had a huge goods to follow list. After he was done with the entries, he crossed out all the empty spaces in the BSF186a sheets and handed one copy back to us. He mentioned we need to carry this along when we are moving to Canada for good.
6. He put the sheet of paper listing our permanent residency status on our passports and said we can show this at the border till we get our PR card in mail.
7. We got back into the car and drove away from the customs office. Overall we might have spent around 1.5 hours there.

For SIN:
1. We went next to the Services Canada office close by.
2. We applied for the SIN numbers there. Each person has to get an individual number, including for the kids.
3. We were out of there in probably 45 mins.
4. We tried applying for the health insurance, but we were told it is not possible until we have some proof showing our residency there. Also the insurance will kick in only after 3 months. So we will have to wait until we actually move there for good.

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience...Reading your post has already cleared my doubts for which I visited forum this time...

But i will be glad if you can answer these queries of mine...

1. Does the immigration officer asks you about the duration of your stay in Canada before heading back for US ?
2. Although I will provide them with the list of goods that I will be bringing along with me at the time of hard landing but what will happen if I buy more thing eventually and plan to take them with me when I do the final hard landing...
3. What level of details do we need to furnish when filling the BSF186A form..

Thanks in advance for y our help

 

[michibong]

I will list our experience doing the landing at Windsor, ON via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

My family and I are presently living in the suburbs of Detroit and did our landing at the Windsor recently. I have been following this forum for a while and would like to contribute back and detail how the landing at Windsor went.

At the Windsor border:
1. Drove into Windsor from Detroit suburbs via the Detroit tunnel around 11 am. I preferred the tunnel vs Ambassador bridge since I was told the lines are usually shorter at the Tunnel.
2. The officer at the tunnel crossing quickly looked through all our passports and COPRs(max 5 mins). He put a yellow sheet on our front window and asked us to move over to the Customs office to the right side after entry.
3. We got out of the car after reaching the customs declaration office and went inside along with the yellow sheet.
4. Since we were just doing a soft landing and were returning back to the US the next day, we did not have any goods to accompany list currently. We had put together a detailed sheet list for our (BSF186A) goods to follow. We were the only people there for new immigrants, so we quickly handed out the list at the counter.
5. It took a good 1 hour for the person to enter our details. My two kids are US citizens, but my wife and I are both on H1B visas currently in the US. Since we will be selling our house in US before the move, we had a huge goods to follow list. After he was done with the entries, he crossed out all the empty spaces in the BSF186a sheets and handed one copy back to us. He mentioned we need to carry this along when we are moving to Canada for good.
6. He put the sheet of paper listing our permanent residency status on our passports and said we can show this at the border till we get our PR card in mail.
7. We got back into the car and drove away from the customs office. Overall we might have spent around 1.5 hours there.

For SIN:
1. We went next to the Services Canada office close by.
2. We applied for the SIN numbers there. Each person has to get an individual number, including for the kids.
3. We were out of there in probably 45 mins.
4. We tried applying for the health insurance, but we were told it is not possible until we have some proof showing our residency there. Also the insurance will kick in only after 3 months. So we will have to wait until we actually move there for good.

I am also in suburbs of Detroit. I'm an Indian working in US in L1A visa. 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?

 

[Sim23Can]

Thanks for the information. Today we did landing formalities at Windsor Canada Border. The lady officer did not process our PR card application as we are not staying in Canada for now. Asked to apply for it once we have our address in Canada.
Now question here is, if we don not get the PR card application processed first time, when should we apply for PR card? How? from where?

 

[DS895]

Thanks for the information. Today we did landing formalities at Windsor Canada Border. The lady officer did not process our PR card application as we are not staying in Canada for now. Asked to apply for it once we have our address in Canada.
Now question here is, if we don not get the PR card application processed first time, when should we apply for PR card? How? from where?

Where did you want thru Tunnel or Ambassador bridge?? I'm it case i think I will need to travel again try diff POE n give them the address again n they said process ur or card. Good luck

 

[pseetha]

I will list our experience doing the landing at Windsor, ON via the Detroit-Windsor Tunnel.

My family and I are presently living in the suburbs of Detroit and did our landing at the Windsor recently. I have been following this forum for a while and would like to contribute back and detail how the landing at Windsor went.

At the Windsor border:
1. Drove into Windsor from Detroit suburbs via the Detroit tunnel around 11 am. I preferred the tunnel vs Ambassador bridge since I was told the lines are usually shorter at the Tunnel.
2. The officer at the tunnel crossing quickly looked through all our passports and COPRs(max 5 mins). He put a yellow sheet on our front window and asked us to move over to the Customs office to the right side after entry.
3. We got out of the car after reaching the customs declaration office and went inside along with the yellow sheet.
4. Since we were just doing a soft landing and were returning back to the US the next day, we did not have any goods to accompany list currently. We had put together a detailed sheet list for our (BSF186A) goods to follow. We were the only people there for new immigrants, so we quickly handed out the list at the counter.
5. It took a good 1 hour for the person to enter our details. My two kids are US citizens, but my wife and I are both on H1B visas currently in the US. Since we will be selling our house in US before the move, we had a huge goods to follow list. After he was done with the entries, he crossed out all the empty spaces in the BSF186a sheets and handed one copy back to us. He mentioned we need to carry this along when we are moving to Canada for good.
6. He put the sheet of paper listing our permanent residency status on our passports and said we can show this at the border till we get our PR card in mail.
7. We got back into the car and drove away from the customs office. Overall we might have spent around 1.5 hours there.

For SIN:
1. We went next to the Services Canada office close by.
2. We applied for the SIN numbers there. Each person has to get an individual number, including for the kids.
3. We were out of there in probably 45 mins.
4. We tried applying for the health insurance, but we were told it is not possible until we have some proof showing our residency there. Also the insurance will kick in only after 3 months. So we will have to wait until we actually move there for good.

Were you having valid H1b visa for US? I am on expired H1b but with valid I-94. Would I be able to return back to US through automatic re-validation, in that case?