This is our landing story:
We went to Saint Bernard de Lacolle with everything for a long journey with two kids. No bathrooms and no food there was the priceless information in previous posts here. So, juice, cookies, and a portable toilette for kids. At the middle of the way, we noticed that something was missed, yeah! The documents... so we U-turned and came back to Montréal. Our oldest one got motion sick, so it was half an hour with crying music and an emphatic "I want to stay at home!"
So, after buying some motion sickness medicines and picking up the envelope with the documents, we re-started the route, again.
Once in the border, while my husband was answering the States side officer questions I decided to took a picture, and the officer said serious “She cannot take pictures here!” I put down my phone, and after opening the car doors to confirm the total of people inside, she gave us the refusal letter to enter States… and return back to Canada.
So we started the way back home
the first officer took the passports and asked us why we didn’t enter States, “your visa is almost expired, what are you doing?” and we said “yes, we just received the PR visa”, he replied “Oh, are you doing the landing? congratulations!” and explained us to go to counter A, no B. Later we understood that B is for temporal permits and A for PR and customs.
We parked and with the documents in hand entered the office. There was another man doing the landing and just one officer. For us, it took almost one hour to complete the full process, literally, no man’s land. Without papers, without status, the officer was confused counting 3 passports and 4 people. So I said “the little one is Canadian” talking about my little Québécois. After a while, he called us asking for the permits. He didn’t ask for the CSQ or any other documents. He asked us to write down the current address and our total money here and in any other country.
After more time and with some interruptions with people paying taxis for bringing alcohol from states, he called us. He said the classic "congratulations, you’re now Canadian Permanent Resident and you have the same rights than a citizen except for the vote." He encouraged us to save with special care the prove of landing because it will be requested for the citizenship.
He asked me if I had questions and I said yes, a stupid one: “Can I have a picture here?” Confused he said “do you want a picture? Here? Take it!” I asked if he could be part of the picture but he said no.
So we took a selfie inside, another one outside, and absolutely hungry, we ran to Canada Service in Brossard at 2 pm.
After Harvey’s burgers on the go, we had our new SIN. The lady so patiently lets me did mine and my son`s, and then my husband and I changed positions with the kids already tired of the day.
At 3.30 we started the final run to RAMQ in downtown. I literary jumped out of the car with my oldest one while my husband was parking. At the 3rd floor at 4.10 pm (RAMQ office is open until 4.30 pm) they gave me the number to start the application at the 4th floor. Almost empty, we waited few minutes and the last agent called us. At the end, just three couples with kids were in the big waiting room.
After reviewing all the papers, the agent asked us to take the pictures and explained to us that our RAMQ application has been approved and will be effective from April 1st. I almost started crying, our international insurance expires on March 31st and I was really worried the night before thinking if we should have had bought one more month. The previous night, my husband still was an international student. That meant preferential rate. We decide to trust in the destiny and it was an amazing surprise.
So we came back home, exhausted, amazed, tired and happy, and I immediately put on sale our excess of luggage set, because from now on trips are just for vacations.
