True story-landing experience. LOL

[ghatot201]

Ok, I landed mid feb 2014. Thank you to everyone who helped me through this long and arduous process. Ok my landing experience was so weird. I mean I dont know how to describe this. Some of you might find it funny, some weird. Anyway, here goes:

I live in Windsor, Ontario so my logical border crossing would have been either the ambassador bridge or the Windsor- Detroit international tunnel. Well i chose the latter. I have a valid USA visa too but my I-94 expired in Nov 2013 so I had a few problems trying to convince the US border agents that I was'nt illegally living in the USA. After that I crossed into Detroit, drove all the way to Allen Park. Filled up on gas, bought some groceries, drove around and prepared to enter Canada as a permanent resident.

I chose the same route back, the windsor-detroit international tunnel. Paid my toll fees of 4.50$ and reached the Canadian side where I was given a yellow parking slip and directed into the administration building. This is where it gets weird.

There were 3 bored looking immigration agents (1 guy, 2 women) fiddling around with their computers (mind you, it was a sunday) and the office was empty. No people whatsover. I walked up to the guy and told him that I am landing today. He looks at me with a bright smile and says 'sure I can help you', fiddles around with his computer then looks at the other 2 agents and asks if anyone has done 'landing procedure' before. The women shake their heads, no. Then he looks at me apologetically and asks me if I can come back tomorrow!!
I was like, what?? you want me to come again tomorrow? lol it was like asking for a bag of chips in a convenience store and being said that we dont have chips now, come back tomorrow if you need some..
I did not drive all the way to Michigan, pay the toll fees for the tunnel, reach the border for landing and return the next day cos the agents did not know how to do the landing process. So I told him that (well not exactly in those terms). He then asked me to wait for 10 mins so he could get someone to assist me.
After a 30 min wait an African- Canadian woman comes in looking all hassled, she was obviously pulled in from something else that she was doing in that administration building. She calls me to the counter and powers up the computer again. Asks me for the 'long sheet-with my name on it', she obviously meant my COPR which was a big piece of paper. She looks at it, scans the bar code, looks at me and says welcome to canada and I could go now. I was like is that it? no bank statements? no pay stubs? do i even have to surrender my work permit? She is confused again, asks me to wait for a while as she gets on the phone.
After a 20 min wait I am told they dont need to verify anything and i was free to go. I asked her for something to acknoledge my landing and she was like oh-hum, you can have this 'long sheet' back. I pointed out that there was 2 of them and she could keep one if she wants and give me the other one. Then she makes me sign the 'long sheet' aka the COPR and keeps it in her file.
After looking/standing there awkwardly for 20 seconds or so I turn and walk out, take my car and drive into Canada.

LOL, I would recommend Windsor-detroit tunnel as landing for everyone, no questions asked.

 

[skilledworkerapplicant]

First off, congratulations!

Secondly, it reminds me of bureaucrats in my home country however immigration officials aren't this "easy" going. I'd say you were lucky!

My best wishes for your journey ahead.

Regards, FSW

 

[mashahzad]

Ok, I landed mid feb 2014. Thank you to everyone who helped me through this long and arduous process. Ok my landing experience was so weird. I mean I dont know how to describe this. Some of you might find it funny, some weird. Anyway, here goes:

I live in Windsor, Ontario so my logical border crossing would have been either the ambassador bridge or the Windsor- Detroit international tunnel. Well i chose the latter. I have a valid USA visa too but my I-94 expired in Nov 2013 so I had a few problems trying to convince the US border agents that I was'nt illegally living in the USA. After that I crossed into Detroit, drove all the way to Allen Park. Filled up on gas, bought some groceries, drove around and prepared to enter Canada as a permanent resident.

I chose the same route back, the windsor-detroit international tunnel. Paid my toll fees of 4.50$ and reached the Canadian side where I was given a yellow parking slip and directed into the administration building. This is where it gets weird.

There were 3 bored looking immigration agents (1 guy, 2 women) fiddling around with their computers (mind you, it was a sunday) and the office was empty. No people whatsover. I walked up to the guy and told him that I am landing today. He looks at me with a bright smile and says 'sure I can help you', fiddles around with his computer then looks at the other 2 agents and asks if anyone has done 'landing procedure' before. The women shake their heads, no. Then he looks at me apologetically and asks me if I can come back tomorrow!!
I was like, what?? you want me to come again tomorrow? lol it was like asking for a bag of chips in a convenience store and being said that we dont have chips now, come back tomorrow if you need some..
I did not drive all the way to Michigan, pay the toll fees for the tunnel, reach the border for landing and return the next day cos the agents did not know how to do the landing process. So I told him that (well not exactly in those terms). He then asked me to wait for 10 mins so he could get someone to assist me.
After a 30 min wait an African- Canadian woman comes in looking all hassled, she was obviously pulled in from something else that she was doing in that administration building. She calls me to the counter and powers up the computer again. Asks me for the 'long sheet-with my name on it', she obviously meant my COPR which was a big piece of paper. She looks at it, scans the bar code, looks at me and says welcome to canada and I could go now. I was like is that it? no bank statements? no pay stubs? do i even have to surrender my work permit? She is confused again, asks me to wait for a while as she gets on the phone.
After a 20 min wait I am told they dont need to verify anything and i was free to go. I asked her for something to acknoledge my landing and she was like oh-hum, you can have this 'long sheet' back. I pointed out that there was 2 of them and she could keep one if she wants and give me the other one. Then she makes me sign the 'long sheet' aka the COPR and keeps it in her file.
After looking/standing there awkwardly for 20 seconds or so I turn and walk out, take my car and drive into Canada.

LOL, I would recommend Windsor-detroit tunnel as landing for everyone, no questions asked.

LOL. Very interesting story. Clerk Badshah rules. Yahooooooooooooooo

 

[zardoz]

Either you have missed out a WHOLE LOAD of the landing procedure story, or you should be very worried...

This is the current, and correct, landing procedure... http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2013/ob545-mod.asp

What stamps were put on the COPR and your passport?
Did you do all the declarations and signatures?
Was your COPR number written into the passport under the stamp etc etc?

 

[Cletotravis]

Ok, I landed mid feb 2014. Thank you to everyone who helped me through this long and arduous process. Ok my landing experience was so weird. I mean I dont know how to describe this. Some of you might find it funny, some weird. Anyway, here goes:

I live in Windsor, Ontario so my logical border crossing would have been either the ambassador bridge or the Windsor- Detroit international tunnel. Well i chose the latter. I have a valid USA visa too but my I-94 expired in Nov 2013 so I had a few problems trying to convince the US border agents that I was'nt illegally living in the USA. After that I crossed into Detroit, drove all the way to Allen Park. Filled up on gas, bought some groceries, drove around and prepared to enter Canada as a permanent resident.

I chose the same route back, the windsor-detroit international tunnel. Paid my toll fees of 4.50$ and reached the Canadian side where I was given a yellow parking slip and directed into the administration building. This is where it gets weird.

There were 3 bored looking immigration agents (1 guy, 2 women) fiddling around with their computers (mind you, it was a sunday) and the office was empty. No people whatsover. I walked up to the guy and told him that I am landing today. He looks at me with a bright smile and says 'sure I can help you', fiddles around with his computer then looks at the other 2 agents and asks if anyone has done 'landing procedure' before. The women shake their heads, no. Then he looks at me apologetically and asks me if I can come back tomorrow!!
I was like, what?? you want me to come again tomorrow? lol it was like asking for a bag of chips in a convenience store and being said that we dont have chips now, come back tomorrow if you need some..
I did not drive all the way to Michigan, pay the toll fees for the tunnel, reach the border for landing and return the next day cos the agents did not know how to do the landing process. So I told him that (well not exactly in those terms). He then asked me to wait for 10 mins so he could get someone to assist me.
After a 30 min wait an African- Canadian woman comes in looking all hassled, she was obviously pulled in from something else that she was doing in that administration building. She calls me to the counter and powers up the computer again. Asks me for the 'long sheet-with my name on it', she obviously meant my COPR which was a big piece of paper. She looks at it, scans the bar code, looks at me and says welcome to canada and I could go now. I was like is that it? no bank statements? no pay stubs? do i even have to surrender my work permit? She is confused again, asks me to wait for a while as she gets on the phone.
After a 20 min wait I am told they dont need to verify anything and i was free to go. I asked her for something to acknoledge my landing and she was like oh-hum, you can have this 'long sheet' back. I pointed out that there was 2 of them and she could keep one if she wants and give me the other one. Then she makes me sign the 'long sheet' aka the COPR and keeps it in her file.
After looking/standing there awkwardly for 20 seconds or so I turn and walk out, take my car and drive into Canada.

LOL, I would recommend Windsor-detroit tunnel as landing for everyone, no questions asked.

I would be very concerned if this happened to me LOL! I though they were supposed to update their online records or something to indicate you indeed do your landing at a certain date and provide you of the details regarding the next steps. The woman apparently did not have sufficient understanding of how the process works and that would have made me too uneasy and would have probably asked a series of questions until I get satisfied that the process was performed properly.

 

[ghatot201]

Either you have missed out a WHOLE LOAD of the landing procedure story, or you should be very worried...

This is the current, and correct, landing procedure... http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2013/ob545-mod.asp

What stamps were put on the COPR and your passport?
Did you do all the declarations and signatures?
Was your COPR number written into the passport under the stamp etc etc?

in my passport they put a stamp with a 'PR' (written with a pen, and her signature) and the date of landing. No COPR number on passport though.
Am not actually worried as my ECAS shows that I landed via the windsor international tunnel adn that I am a Permanent Resident. So all good, I guess.