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From Atlanta to Calgary MY LANDING EXPERIENCE!!!!

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cchabert

Guest
Ok guys here it is my landing experience :

At the Atlanta airport I was ask at the kiosk for my Canadian Visa, after the boarding passes we're printed we check the bags and we're asking to show our I-94, I show my I-797 (My H1B paper ) and I was told that I need to show that again. When we land on Dallas, TX. At the moment to board the airplane I was ask to show the form again but this time they detach the I-94 from my H1B form and they keep it.
On the flight they give us a declaration form to fill and sumit to customs at landing.
When we land, we walk to customs and make a line, 2 persons in front of us but we wait almost nothing so when our turn came the officer greeting us with a big smile and ask ...”Good afternoon..wich is the purpose of your visit to Canada?... To live here....(I said) …..Ok Good Welcome to Canada passports please......
He review the passports and stamp the declaration form that we fill on the plane and ask us if we have good to follow, I said yes, then he instruct us to go to inmigration and welcome us again.
On inmigration we wait no more than 5 minutes when a lady call us, she ask again the reason for our visit to Canada and I said I'm doing the landing, she ask for our passports and COPR, she ask if we have any problems with the police before and how much money we bring, I said 25,345 and she said “I'll put $25,000 on the CORP” but she never ask me for any bank statement or other way to proof the funds, the she told us to sign the CORP and she staple the form to our passports, then she ask for a address and she mention that our PR cards will come on the mail in around 60 days, she welcome us again (note 3 times already) and told us to go to customs.
So we went to pickup our luggage and walk to customs, another lady ask for our declaration form that the first officer stamp, then she ask for the list and ask the total amount of both list, (list of good to follow and the list of goods we bring with us) after adding both list she stamp them and gave me back one copy and again welcome us. So as soon we land and go out from the plane and do all the paper work it take 1 hour, remember we're family of 4 with 2 little ones.
The next day we went to service Canada to get our SIN number for each family member, we just show our passport and gave the address that we gave the day before to inmigration, she check our names and again welcome us to Canada, next stop to open the bank account, because I have the funds on RBC Banks I went to the first one closer to home, the lady, (yes hard to believe but all the people we're talking to do anything were women except for the very first officer) open the account for us, she just ask for our SIN and Passport and one address, we don;t gave her any money at all and give us provitional checks and debit cards and again welcome us to Canada. Later on the day I call a 1 800 number and transfer the funds from USA to Canada with no charge and the funds were there inmediatly.
The next day I rent and apartment and they ask me for 3 months of rent in advance because I don't have a job and that's pretty much it...hum...yes the person who rent us the apartment was a woman and again welcome us to Canada.
So on Monday we're going to register us for the health insurance card, change our drivers licenses and take my little one to the school board of Calgary to have her have a English test to enroll her on her school that lucky me is crossing the street, and this test is mandatory to every kid who is not born in Canada even if you born in the USA, rules are rules.
Ok I think I cover everything, next week I'll post the rest of the process.

Good luck to everyone and don't give up, this country is full of blessings. Cheers!
 

jalams2000

Star Member
Dec 27, 2008
119
1
123
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
20 July, 2005
Med's Done....
18 Nov. 2009
VISA ISSUED...
04.01.2010
Hi cchabert,

Nicely written. Thanks for your post. I presume it will be enlighted us on our way to Canada-the dream country for all of us. Best wishes for your new life in Canada.

Regards.
 

bubs1121

Full Member
Apr 11, 2009
20
0
cchabert, I am landing also in calgary. where and how did you get an apartment such a short time? kindly advice and share. Thanks.
 

Suin

VIP Member
Sep 14, 2008
4,037
285
Ontario, Canada
Category........
Visa Office......
CIC Etobocoke, H&C Grounds
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
24-03-2014
File Transfer...
31-07-2014
Med's Request
09-12-2014
LANDED..........
24-02-2015, PR Card Received: 02-04-2015
thank you for the post, cchabert! have a happy life in Canada!
 

optimusprime

Star Member
Oct 6, 2008
116
2
goodluck in starting a life in Canada. thanks for your post. this is really very helpful. :) we are also planning to move to alberta by march. hopefully our move is as smooth as yours.... all the best! :)
 
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cchabert

Guest
bubs1121 said:
cchabert, I am landing also in calgary. where and how did you get an apartment such a short time? kindly advice and share. Thanks.
Good day! The lady who receive us was already talking in advance with the leasing office, so we just present our self's and see which ones were available and because we don;'t have a job yet we paid 3 months in advance. That's it, I'll recommend to check this website and call them and explain the situation:

http://www.rentfaster.ca

The only bad area people mention here NOT to live is the NE, the rest are ok, I'm in the NW and it's pretty

Cheeers!!
 
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cchabert

Guest
Thank you to all you guys and hope to see your dreams come true soon, today I only have time to register my daughter to the school, it take a while, and my stuff from the moving company is here so I need to go tomorrow to customs to clear it, I'll post more info as soon is available.

Good Night! :)
 

OrangeCounty

Star Member
Dec 24, 2008
117
2
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
cchabert said:
Ok guys here it is my landing experience :

At the Atlanta airport I was ask at the kiosk for my Canadian Visa, after the boarding passes we're printed we check the bags and we're asking to show our I-94, I show my I-797 (My H1B paper ) and I was told that I need to show that again. When we land on Dallas, TX. At the moment to board the airplane I was ask to show the form again but this time they detach the I-94 from my H1B form and they keep it.
...
cchabert - Any reason they took away your I-94? Did you request them to do so?
 
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cchabert

Guest
OrangeCounty said:
cchabert - Any reason they took away your I-94? Did you request them to do so?
The reason is because I was leaving the USA, every person who has a I-94 has to returned at the moment of depart from the country.
I didn't request to do that is part of the airline job
 
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cchabert

Guest
Ok guys this is my Customs Experience:

On Monday the moving company (www.upack.com) call me to announce that my container was arrive and I need to go to Custom to clear it, they email me the forms and a copy of my list of goods to follow with a bar-code, (when I contract their services one of the requirements for them is to have a copy of my visa, passport and list to of goods to follow).
On Tuesday I went to the customs office with all the info the moving company sent me plus all the passports and the list of goods to follow that they stamp me at the airport.
When we arrive we wait about 5 minutes and (yes you guess another lady) I show the papers that the moving company sent to me and the ones at the airport, she began to sort the papers and ask us if we are planing to bring more goods at the future, we said no, then she gave me a form to fill, mainly this form came with around 20 questions with yes or no for answer, and the question were about if we bring, food, tobacco, arms, meet (including cat or dog food), etc. after signing this form she mainly ask the same questions again to see if we're lying I believe, she also ask about any recently purchase, we don't have anything new but I ask why and she said that anything that we purchase in less that 6 months has to paid import tax.
After she finish to stamp all papers and the release form to the moving company, she send me to the cashier, this (nope it wasn't a lady this time) guy stamp more copies, he keeps one and gave one for me, then return to the officer and she gave us our passports and in all 4 she stamp "No more goods to come" and again she said "Welcome to Canada".
Then we went to the terminal to see our container (about 20 minutes driving) and we just show the release form from customs and that's pretty much it, lucky us that we saw a couple of guys in a truck picking up a mattress in a big truck and we ask if they can bring our stuff too and they agree, so I have already all my stuff at the apartment.
So I close the container on Monday Jan 4 and I have my stuff at home on Jan 12, not bad. :)
Health insurance and driving license will come later as soon as I do that errand.

Cheers!
 

monteiromarcosb

Star Member
Feb 12, 2009
120
44
cchabert,

First of all, congrats on this giant achievement!

I'd like to ask you how much did you pay for upack, and how many containers did you take? Also, did you have an address to send your PR prior to the place you rented? What would happen if we don't have an address to give the officer at the time of the landing?

Be prepared to answer many questions, because you now is like a guide to us all who are still way back in the line ;D

many successes!
 
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cchabert

Guest
monteiromarcosb said:
cchabert,

First of all, congrats on this giant achievement!

I'd like to ask you how much did you pay for upack, and how many containers did you take? Also, did you have an address to send your PR prior to the place you rented? What would happen if we don't have an address to give the officer at the time of the landing?

Be prepared to answer many questions, because you now is like a guide to us all who are still way back in the line ;D

many successes!
Good Day!!! On upack I paid $1,400 USA and I only use one Reli-Cube, this things can hold up to 2,500 lbs. if it is more they will charge more of course, because I downsize from a home to a 2 bedroom apartment I didn't bring much (it was 1695 lbs.)
On the address I gave is the one of my wife old family friend who very kindly receive us also, but if you don't have and address is not a problem if you're planinig to land and stay here, you can sent the address later, but if you planinig to land and then come back to USA then yes you need one.

Good Luck!