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Time needed for immigration on arrival

dbdbdb

Member
Jun 3, 2013
19
0
I'm landing with my family (partner + infant child) at Trudeau airport in Montreal at 20:20. How long should we expect the immigration procedure to take, i.e. what time could we expect to be out of there? I'm asking because there are some people that want to pick us up. Both I and my partner have temporary work permits and are EU citizens (so we did not have to apply for a visa).
 

PMM

VIP Member
Jun 30, 2005
25,494
1,948
Hi


dbdbdb said:
I'm landing with my family (partner + infant child) at Trudeau airport in Montreal at 20:20. How long should we expect the immigration procedure to take, i.e. what time could we expect to be out of there? I'm asking because there are some people that want to pick us up. Both I and my partner have temporary work permits and are EU citizens (so we did not have to apply for a visa).
It all depends on how many flights are "landing" at the same time. You may be out of Immigration in 45 minutes, or it could be 2 hours.
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,558
7,196
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
dbdbdb said:
I'm landing with my family (partner + infant child) at Trudeau airport in Montreal at 20:20. How long should we expect the immigration procedure to take, i.e. what time could we expect to be out of there? I'm asking because there are some people that want to pick us up. Both I and my partner have temporary work permits and are EU citizens (so we did not have to apply for a visa).
How many flights are landing, where they are coming from (lots of other passengers with no English holds things up), how long it takes to get your baggage, how many other passengers are landing as first time work and study permit holders, how many are PRs doing their first landing, how many border officers are working, how many coffee breaks the officers take :).

It really is impossible to say for certain how long it will take.
 

dbdbdb

Member
Jun 3, 2013
19
0
PMM said:
Hi


It all depends on how many flights are "landing" at the same time. You may be out of Immigration in 45 minutes, or it could be 2 hours.
Just to be clear, this 45 min - 2 hour range is for when you arrive in Canada for the first time after getting a work permit? Because that's what I'm trying to find out.
 

canuck_in_uk

VIP Member
May 4, 2012
31,558
7,196
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
06/12
dbdbdb said:
Just to be clear, this 45 min - 2 hour range is for when you arrive in Canada for the first time after getting a work permit? Because that's what I'm trying to find out.
PMM wasn't saying that is the range, just giving examples.

If yours is the only flight landing around that time and you and your partner are the only permit holders landing for the first time, you could be through in less than a half hour.

But say 3 flights land in the half hour before yours; on those flights, there are 12 other study or work permit holders and a family of PRs all doing their first landings, and only 2 officers to process all of them. You could end up waiting well over 2 hours.

Or yours is the only flight but there are 8 others on your flight landing as permit holders or PRs and they all get to the line before you. Then you will wait quite awhile.