What should I bring for a flagpole landing?

[jack87]

I am currently living in Canada with my wife on a study permit and we received my stamped passport and COPR from the Mexico City VO (we applied outland) a couple of weeks ago.

We live near the border, as do my in-laws, and my mother-in-law wants to drive across the border to buy pop from the US side because the kind she wants is not available in Canada. Neither my wife or I drive, so my mother-in-law has agreed to use the opportunity to take us both with her so that I can land when we drive back to the Canadian side. I have a valid US tourist visa stamped in my passport so we anticipate going to a grocery store across the border, exploring for a bit, and going back to Canada within the same day. We will be heading out for this day trip tomorrow in the afternoon.

I know the instructions say I only need my stamped passport and COPR (all the stuff I need to have in Canada is already here with us so I didn't fill out any of the B4 forms), but knowing CIC, we'd rather be safe than sorry. Here is a list of the documents we'll be bringing, just in case:

• My stamped passport
• COPR
• Current study permit
• All of my previous, expired study permits (I had to extend a couple of times)
• Marriage certificate
• My BCID card
• My BC Services card

Is there anything more we should include, such as proof of funds? We can bring our most recent bank statement if needed, but I'm not sure this is relevant.

Thanks!

 

[Ponga]

You also need to bring a flag with you, if you plan to do a flagpole landing.

It's rather silly, but it's customary for the person to bring a flag that they can actually raise on the flagpole. They take your picture and you have a nice keepsake of the experience.






Oh wait....never mind. They no longer do that.
(they never did...I'm just being cheeky). ;D



The only thing you need is your CoPR and passport. No need to bring all the other stuff. You don't need to prove anything anymore...you're done!

Congratulations!

 

[jack87]

You also need to bring a flag with you, if you plan to do a flagpole landing.

It's rather silly, but it's customary for the person to bring a flag that they can actually raise on the flagpole. They take your picture and you have a nice keepsake of the experience.






Oh wait....never mind. They no longer do that.
(they never did...I'm just being cheeky). ;D



The only thing you need is your CoPR and passport. No need to bring all the other stuff. You don't need to prove anything anymore...you're done!

Congratulations!

Hehehe!! I actually told my wife, half-jokingly, that I wanted to wrap myself in a Canadian flag after landing and have my picture taken for the occasion and she looked at me like I had three heads ;D

Thanks! We will be going through the Pacific Highway border crossing in BC as the wait times are shorter than the Peace Arch crossing.

 

[Ponga]

Hehehe!! I actually told my wife, half-jokingly, that I wanted to wrap myself in a Canadian flag after landing and have my picture taken for the occasion and she looked at me like I had three heads ;D

Thanks! We will be going through the Pacific Highway border crossing in BC as the wait times are shorter than the Peace Arch crossing.

Too bad they don't do landings at the Point Roberts crossing.

 

[Amalthea]

I should be landing at the same spot next week! Good luck, maybe I'll see ya there haha.

This is the first I've heard of a stamped passport - do I need to get it stamped on my way out of Canada by the US Border officials?

 

[jack87]

Too bad they don't do landings at the Point Roberts crossing.

That was the original plan, until I read a thread in the forum in which someone said not all border crossings have immigration services. I went to the CBSA website to check and sure enough, Point Roberts doesn't.

 

[jack87]

I should be landing at the same spot next week! Good luck, maybe I'll see ya there haha.

This is the first I've heard of a stamped passport - do I need to get it stamped on my way out of Canada by the US Border officials?

Mexico is not visa-exempt so I had to send my passport to the VO where they stamped/glued/pasted an immigrant visa right onto one of the pages. The same thing is done with TRVs and my US tourist visa is also "stamped" onto another page of my passport in the same way.

If you're visa-exempt you don't need to worry about this. You should be OK just with your passport and COPR.

Good luck on your landing next week!!

 

[MiriamT]

Mexico is not visa-exempt so I had to send my passport to the VO where they stamped/glued/pasted an immigrant visa right onto one of the pages. The same thing is done with TRVs and my US tourist visa is also "stamped" onto another page of my passport in the same way.

If you're visa-exempt you don't need to worry about this. You should be OK just with your passport and COPR.

Good luck on your landing next week!!

Same here (Brazilian passport, so not visa-exempt). I was initially surprised when I found out that visa-exempt people don't send their passports to the visa office to have an immigrant visa counterfoil affixed to it.

 

[innosense]

Hi guys,

I landed yesterday at Rainbow bridge crossing. I was the only one landing at around 10 pm. Weekdays are supposed to be less crowded.
The lady officer was very kind as well as the gentleman who processed my B4 forms. Landing formalities took about 10 mins.

This is all you need
1. Passport with Immigrant visa ( if applicable ) and proof of current status ( work permit, visitor record )
2. Both the copies of COPR. They gave me back the client copy. I signed and put my initials in several places.
3. B4 and B4a forms plus any additional printouts of excel sheets if you have made detailed lists. Take 2 copies. I signed these in front of them and one copy was returned to me.

Refer this thread on how to prepare B4 forms
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/form-b4-goods-to-followaccompanying-list-how-to-t44793.0.html

All docs to be signed in front of them and in black pen.

Initially when I approached the US side, I let the officer in the booth know that I am there to flagpole and do my immigration landing for Canada. He scanned my passport and let the other guys know that am there to flagpole.
Then they let me go a different route and wait near a small building inside the car. Then I got a refusal doc with my details. No need to get down from your vehicle for any of this.
Then at the Canada side, another officer in the booth asked my status, how long I have been in Canada, where was I living previously, if I have goods to follow and if I stopped at the duty free shop. She checked my visa, gave me another slip which mentioned I am there for landing and then asked me to go inside another building. I gave this slip as well US refusal doc to the CBSA officer and it was not returned back. Also the visa was stroked off.

There will be another checkpoint where you need to pay 3.50 USD or 4.25 CAD for entry.
Rest of the process was in the office and went smooth.

 

[Panamai]

Hi guys,

I landed yesterday at Rainbow bridge crossing. I was the only one landing at around 10 pm. Weekdays are supposed to be less crowded.
The lady officer was very kind as well as the gentleman who processed my B4 forms. Landing formalities took about 10 mins.

This is all you need
1. Passport with Immigrant visa ( if applicable ) and proof of current status ( work permit, visitor record )
2. Both the copies of COPR. They gave me back the client copy. I signed and put my initials in several places.
3. B4 and B4a forms plus any additional printouts of excel sheets if you have made detailed lists. Take 2 copies. I signed these in front of them and one copy was returned to me.

Refer this thread on how to prepare B4 forms
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/form-b4-goods-to-followaccompanying-list-how-to-t44793.0.html

All docs to be signed in front of them and in black pen.

Initially when I approached the US side, I let the officer in the booth know that I am there to flagpole and do my immigration landing for Canada. He scanned my passport and let the other guys know that am there to flagpole.
Then they let me go a different route and wait near a small building inside the car. Then I got a refusal doc with my details. No need to get down from your vehicle for any of this.
Then at the Canada side, another officer in the booth asked my status, how long I have been in Canada, where was I living previously, if I have goods to follow and if I stopped at the duty free shop. She checked my visa, gave me another slip which mentioned I am there for landing and then asked me to go inside another building. I gave this slip as well US refusal doc to the CBSA officer and it was not returned back. Also the visa was stroked off.

There will be another checkpoint where you need to pay 3.50 USD or 4.25 CAD for entry.
Rest of the process was in the office and went smooth.

Ok, if you are visa-exempt and came in with a NEXUS card (no passport stamp), what can you use as proof of current status?

 

[innosense]

Ok, if you are visa-exempt and came in with a NEXUS card (no passport stamp), what can you use as proof of current status?

Then its not applicable to you. You can just show your NEXUS card.

 

[Panamai]

Then its not applicable to you. You can just show your NEXUS card.

Ah, ok. I encountered an issue with proving my status another time with my OHIP appeal. She was asking for proof of my status and I told her I just came in on my NEXUS card. I hope that was enough in that case too.

 

[saria1]

You also need to bring a flag with you, if you plan to do a flagpole landing.

It's rather silly, but it's customary for the person to bring a flag that they can actually raise on the flagpole. They take your picture and you have a nice keepsake of the experience.






Oh wait....never mind. They no longer do that.
(they never did...I'm just being cheeky). ;D

ROFL.... Now that was some seriously funny stuff