Sorry buddy I haven't been on the forum for a long time. And yes, you need your work permit to do your landing. How did it go?
My Landing experience at Point Roberts/ Boundary Bay (without a car)
- Thread starter twranks
- Start date
Hello, I also want to express gratitude to everyone who posts on this forum. It's been my go-to (like literally many hours a day lol) from the time I conceived the notion of immigrating to Canada 5 years ago.
Fast forward, now that I am now officially a permanent resident of Canada, I also wanted to share my landing experience at Point Roberts/Boundary Bay in hopes that it may help at least one other person who is on their immigration journey. I won't give every detail cause much of it is similar to the other posters, but in a nut-shell it was a pretty short and simple process, and I do agree that the CBSA agent I dealt with was not very friendly at all, while the American side was much more cordial.
The main thing I wanted to say was that I used a Car2go to drive to Point Roberts and back. I paid 40$ for a 3-hour package which got me there, to Service Canada to update my SIN and back home to North Vancouver with time to spare.
So this is an option for anyone who uses car shares and doesn't want to take a 3-hour commute both ways.
Another note was when I asked the American immigration officer if the "Flagpole" stamp (I didn' get a form as per the previous posters) that he put in my passport will have any negative implications on me trying to enter the US in the future he said it would not.
I did not have to have my photo or fingerprints taken either.
Fast forward, now that I am now officially a permanent resident of Canada, I also wanted to share my landing experience at Point Roberts/Boundary Bay in hopes that it may help at least one other person who is on their immigration journey. I won't give every detail cause much of it is similar to the other posters, but in a nut-shell it was a pretty short and simple process, and I do agree that the CBSA agent I dealt with was not very friendly at all, while the American side was much more cordial.
The main thing I wanted to say was that I used a Car2go to drive to Point Roberts and back. I paid 40$ for a 3-hour package which got me there, to Service Canada to update my SIN and back home to North Vancouver with time to spare.
So this is an option for anyone who uses car shares and doesn't want to take a 3-hour commute both ways.
Another note was when I asked the American immigration officer if the "Flagpole" stamp (I didn' get a form as per the previous posters) that he put in my passport will have any negative implications on me trying to enter the US in the future he said it would not.
I did not have to have my photo or fingerprints taken either.
Hey, congrats on becoming a PR, did the immigration officer return your work permit or kept it with him?
Hi Everyone,
First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum, whether in terms of questions or answers. Your contributions helped me (and I'm sure A LOT others) make the right decisions to successfully acquire their PR. In my case it saved me THOUSANDS of dollars which I would have spent on a lawyer who would have done exactly what I did to immigrate. So for that (and SO MUCH MORE), Thank you!!!
Okay, now to the main topic of discussion. Contrary to what you may have heard, Point Roberts DOES process PR landing. In fact, in my case,I have only one complaint about my landing experience there; the transit distance. I had to take 4 buses and 1 sky-train to get there (about 3 hours). But then again I live all the way in south surrey so if you live close to a sky-train I doubt you'll have this problem.
Anyway I arrive at the border and because I arrived on foot I walk past the line-up of cars and into the CBSA office. I tell the officer I want to land as a PR. He tells me to go over to the US border office first and then come back to theirs. I cross over and go to the US office. I let the immigration officer know I am landing. He asks me if I have a valid US visa to which I reply no. He asks for my passport and CoPR. After a few seconds of typing into his system, he then collects my finger prints and picture and gives me a form with the words "FLAGPOLLING" on it to sign. After signing, he asks me to take the form with me back to the CBSA office and tells me I'm all done. I cross over to Canada and meet the immigration officer at the drive-thru section. I tell him I'm landing and he asks for my passport. He then hands me a yellow slip and asks me to go into the office.
At the office, I meet another immigration officer and tell him I'm landing. He asks for my passport and CoPR, as well as the flagpolling form and yellow slip given to me by the US officer and the officer at the drive-thru respectively. He asks me to verify the information on my CoPR and asks me to sign both copies. He then asks for my current temporary permit (which is my BOWP) and tells me to take a sit and wait for him. After a few minutes of him typing into a computer, he comes back and calls me up. He then tells me the words I have been waiting to hear for the past three years, "So, as of today, you are officially a permanent resident of Canada..." My heart skips a beat. I'm sure he could tell. He also explains the conditions for maintaining (and losing) my PR status, and instructs me to change my SIN# at Service Canada. And.... this was my lading experience at Point Roberts.
Overall, (aside from transit time) the landing process took about 15-20 minutes. All the officers were very friendly and helpful and they all seemed to know what they were doing. There were no lineups on both the American and Canadian sides, but that was probably because I took the advice on this forum and I went on a weekday morning (yesterday). Again, thanks for all the help and I'll definitely stick around for a few more days if you have any questions. Now it's time to work on getting that passport
Hey, Thank for sharing. Do we need multiple entry visa to canada and US visa in order to flagpole ? I have a valid work permit and I would like to change the conditions on that.
Hi Members,
I received my COPR and passport stamped today and plan to do land around March 2019.
I will be travelling from USA to Toronto and I am Indian by nationality.
Can anyone please let me know what documents are absolutely necessary to carry other than Passport and COPR for smooth landing into Canada?
Thanks
Shilpi
I received my COPR and passport stamped today and plan to do land around March 2019.
I will be travelling from USA to Toronto and I am Indian by nationality.
Can anyone please let me know what documents are absolutely necessary to carry other than Passport and COPR for smooth landing into Canada?
Thanks
Shilpi
Hello , I just wanted to ask that I also want to go to same border to get my pgwp . I have graduated this month but I do not know the process about what to do in the border . Is there any office there ? Please can you tell me who it works . Your reply will be much appreciated
The Boundary Bay border crossing is very straightforward. Coming from the Canadian side, follow the clearly visible signage into the US border office. Tell the officer you want to flagpole/activate your PGWP - he/she will stamp your passport and give a form. Head back the way you came but now follow the signage for the Canadian border office - I had to queue up with cars (rather than just being able to walk in). Once it's your turn you'll be invited inside where you give them your passport, US border form (you received earlier) and all work permit documents. The entire process (arriving at Boundary Bay to having my work permit) took me <15mins.
Very important information - by doing this you will be officially "withdrawing" your application to enter the US. Once you're finished at the US border office, under no circumstances should you continue and enter Point Roberts. If there's anything you want to see/do there make this known to the officer beforehand.
If you're using transit, make sure to check the bus timetables. Transit to-from Tsawwassen is limited with many routes only operating during peak hours and/or sharing codes. 601 South Delta and 603 Beach Grove can take you from Bridgeport Skytrain Station to near the border. Avoid 601 and 619 Boundary Bay.
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Hi I stuck with similar situation can you please reply me back. I am so worried please.Hi Everyone,
First off, I want to say thanks to everyone who contributes to this forum, whether in terms of questions or answers. Your contributions helped me (and I'm sure A LOT others) make the right decisions to successfully acquire their PR. In my case it saved me THOUSANDS of dollars which I would have spent on a lawyer who would have done exactly what I did to immigrate. So for that (and SO MUCH MORE), Thank you!!!
Okay, now to the main topic of discussion. Contrary to what you may have heard, Point Roberts DOES process PR landing. In fact, in my case,I have only one complaint about my landing experience there; the transit distance. I had to take 4 buses and 1 sky-train to get there (about 3 hours). But then again I live all the way in south surrey so if you live close to a sky-train I doubt you'll have this problem.
Anyway I arrive at the border and because I arrived on foot I walk past the line-up of cars and into the CBSA office. I tell the officer I want to land as a PR. He tells me to go over to the US border office first and then come back to theirs. I cross over and go to the US office. I let the immigration officer know I am landing. He asks me if I have a valid US visa to which I reply no. He asks for my passport and CoPR. After a few seconds of typing into his system, he then collects my finger prints and picture and gives me a form with the words "FLAGPOLLING" on it to sign. After signing, he asks me to take the form with me back to the CBSA office and tells me I'm all done. I cross over to Canada and meet the immigration officer at the drive-thru section. I tell him I'm landing and he asks for my passport. He then hands me a yellow slip and asks me to go into the office.
At the office, I meet another immigration officer and tell him I'm landing. He asks for my passport and CoPR, as well as the flagpolling form and yellow slip given to me by the US officer and the officer at the drive-thru respectively. He asks me to verify the information on my CoPR and asks me to sign both copies. He then asks for my current temporary permit (which is my BOWP) and tells me to take a sit and wait for him. After a few minutes of him typing into a computer, he comes back and calls me up. He then tells me the words I have been waiting to hear for the past three years, "So, as of today, you are officially a permanent resident of Canada..." My heart skips a beat. I'm sure he could tell. He also explains the conditions for maintaining (and losing) my PR status, and instructs me to change my SIN# at Service Canada. And.... this was my lading experience at Point Roberts.
Overall, (aside from transit time) the landing process took about 15-20 minutes. All the officers were very friendly and helpful and they all seemed to know what they were doing. There were no lineups on both the American and Canadian sides, but that was probably because I took the advice on this forum and I went on a weekday morning (yesterday). Again, thanks for all the help and I'll definitely stick around for a few more days if you have any questions. Now it's time to work on getting that passport
When I arrived at the Point Roberts US border I was asked if I had a visa, to which I replied no. The officer then said I had to pay 6 US dollars to get a 3 month visa, otherwise it would be classed as refusal of entry into US.
They took my picture and finger prints, stamped my passport and sent me back to the Canadian office. There I was only asked for my passport, work permit, which the took away, and copr that I had to sign. That's it to officially land, it was very fast.
They took my picture and finger prints, stamped my passport and sent me back to the Canadian office. There I was only asked for my passport, work permit, which the took away, and copr that I had to sign. That's it to officially land, it was very fast.
Great info.
Is a flagpole stamp on the passport a negative thing?? I am sure it's just a normal immigration entry and exit stamp on the passport but I wonder what do the USA borders officers note on their system? I assume it's not a straight forward process to get a USA B1/B2 after doing this flag pole procedure??
Is a flagpole stamp on the passport a negative thing?? I am sure it's just a normal immigration entry and exit stamp on the passport but I wonder what do the USA borders officers note on their system? I assume it's not a straight forward process to get a USA B1/B2 after doing this flag pole procedure??
In my experience I haven't had any problem with the flagpole stamp on the passport. After getting it I still managed to renew my esta and to go to the States via flights, but I always declare it when I renew the esta.