My spouse and me landed at Peach Arch Border (BC) this past week on Monday Morning. Here’s our step-by-step landing experience (as I understand for some folks it is difficult to envision, it was our first time at a land border):
We drove and reached Peach Arch at around 730am, there were just 2 cars ahead of us in the lineup. This is the US side. We handed our passports to an officer that we were “flagpoling for Canadian Immigration.” She quickly looked at it, verified it was just the two of us and provided us a bright yellow slip. She stuck this to the driver’s side windshield and told us to take the left turn just up ahead where there was another officer standing and he would open the barricade for us. She told us it is a pretty simple procedure and we should be done soon.
We proceeded ahead, took the left turn and came to a parking lot with an office building ahead of it. We removed the yellow sheet from the windshield and took it inside with us (it just had our vehicle license plate number and FLAGPOLE written on it).
Went inside the office (still on US side). There were about 8 counters open and just 2 people ahead of us in the line-up which moved quickly. A couple of minutes later we were in front of this officer. We handed her our passports, COPR papers, the yellow paper, and told her we were “Flagpoling for Canadian Immigration.” She checked everything and gave us a white A4 size paper with our names and passport details handwritten on it. It also had our license plate number. She wrote in big capital letters – FLAGPOLE. She held on to our passports and the white paper. The officer then told us that she would go with us outside the building and would direct us further.
Once outside, she asked us which one was our vehicle. We pointed our vehicle to her, she told us to get inside, keep the windows down and meet us by the orange barricade that she would open for us.
We did as asked, and drove up to her. She handed us back our passports and the white paper and told us to simply follow the directions and proceed to the Canadian border.
We drove ahead to the Canadian side (Do NOT go into the NEXUS line). No cars ahead of us and 2 counters open. We handed the Canadian officer our passports along with the white paper. He told us to put our behind car windows down and told us: “Could one of you’ll please answer these questions:
1. Are you carrying any firearms?
2. Do you have any pets in the car?
3. Did you buy anything from the Peach Arch Duty Shop?
He then told us to take a slight left at the small stop sign ahead on the left where another officer was standing and follow his directions.
We did as told. The officer at the stop sign saw our white paper and told us to park in stall #17 or 18 and to get come see him after that.
We parked and came back to see him. He confirmed that it was just the two of us and told us to go inside the building to line B. He also told us to make sure not to use our cell phones. They are OK to have but not allowed to be used.
We proceeded into the building and stood in line B. We were the first in line. Just 2 counters open. An officer called us up. He saw our papers and asked us the following:
1. Have either of you ever been convicted of a crime in Canada or any other country?
2. Do we have any dependents other than the ones mentioned in the COPR?
3. Have either of us ever been refused a visa or ever been expelled from Canada?
4. Is all the information in the COPR correct?
After these questions, he told us to sit down in the seating area ahead while he would complete the computer stuff. He called us about 6-7 minutes later and told us to initial and sign the papers as marked. He asked us to write our mailing address on a separate piece of paper and that our PR cards would reach us around 6-8 weeks later. If we did not receive it within 10 weeks he told us to contact CIC.
He said Congratulations, told us we could apply for our SIN cards right away (like right after leaving the office) and to leave Canada we would need our PR cards to re-enter. He also mentioned the residency requirements of being in Canada for 2 out of 5 years and if we were unable to maintain this (for emergency reasons – taking care of a sick family member back home etc.) there were SOME exceptions for pressing situations. He wished us good luck.
Hope this helps some folks who have yet to land and hang in there…it’ll soon be your turn.
The whole landing process took us about 35-40mins. After 22 months, our PR journey has come to an end. Here’s to new beginnings
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” ~ T. S. Eliot
We drove and reached Peach Arch at around 730am, there were just 2 cars ahead of us in the lineup. This is the US side. We handed our passports to an officer that we were “flagpoling for Canadian Immigration.” She quickly looked at it, verified it was just the two of us and provided us a bright yellow slip. She stuck this to the driver’s side windshield and told us to take the left turn just up ahead where there was another officer standing and he would open the barricade for us. She told us it is a pretty simple procedure and we should be done soon.
We proceeded ahead, took the left turn and came to a parking lot with an office building ahead of it. We removed the yellow sheet from the windshield and took it inside with us (it just had our vehicle license plate number and FLAGPOLE written on it).
Went inside the office (still on US side). There were about 8 counters open and just 2 people ahead of us in the line-up which moved quickly. A couple of minutes later we were in front of this officer. We handed her our passports, COPR papers, the yellow paper, and told her we were “Flagpoling for Canadian Immigration.” She checked everything and gave us a white A4 size paper with our names and passport details handwritten on it. It also had our license plate number. She wrote in big capital letters – FLAGPOLE. She held on to our passports and the white paper. The officer then told us that she would go with us outside the building and would direct us further.
Once outside, she asked us which one was our vehicle. We pointed our vehicle to her, she told us to get inside, keep the windows down and meet us by the orange barricade that she would open for us.
We did as asked, and drove up to her. She handed us back our passports and the white paper and told us to simply follow the directions and proceed to the Canadian border.
We drove ahead to the Canadian side (Do NOT go into the NEXUS line). No cars ahead of us and 2 counters open. We handed the Canadian officer our passports along with the white paper. He told us to put our behind car windows down and told us: “Could one of you’ll please answer these questions:
1. Are you carrying any firearms?
2. Do you have any pets in the car?
3. Did you buy anything from the Peach Arch Duty Shop?
He then told us to take a slight left at the small stop sign ahead on the left where another officer was standing and follow his directions.
We did as told. The officer at the stop sign saw our white paper and told us to park in stall #17 or 18 and to get come see him after that.
We parked and came back to see him. He confirmed that it was just the two of us and told us to go inside the building to line B. He also told us to make sure not to use our cell phones. They are OK to have but not allowed to be used.
We proceeded into the building and stood in line B. We were the first in line. Just 2 counters open. An officer called us up. He saw our papers and asked us the following:
1. Have either of you ever been convicted of a crime in Canada or any other country?
2. Do we have any dependents other than the ones mentioned in the COPR?
3. Have either of us ever been refused a visa or ever been expelled from Canada?
4. Is all the information in the COPR correct?
After these questions, he told us to sit down in the seating area ahead while he would complete the computer stuff. He called us about 6-7 minutes later and told us to initial and sign the papers as marked. He asked us to write our mailing address on a separate piece of paper and that our PR cards would reach us around 6-8 weeks later. If we did not receive it within 10 weeks he told us to contact CIC.
He said Congratulations, told us we could apply for our SIN cards right away (like right after leaving the office) and to leave Canada we would need our PR cards to re-enter. He also mentioned the residency requirements of being in Canada for 2 out of 5 years and if we were unable to maintain this (for emergency reasons – taking care of a sick family member back home etc.) there were SOME exceptions for pressing situations. He wished us good luck.
Hope this helps some folks who have yet to land and hang in there…it’ll soon be your turn.
The whole landing process took us about 35-40mins. After 22 months, our PR journey has come to an end. Here’s to new beginnings
“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.” ~ T. S. Eliot
