Landing in Canada: Stories

I will share the stories i see about landing experiences of new immigrants to Canada.

If you have one… share too.

Forwarded from another group

Finally at peace of mind and relaxed to jot down my landing experience…

Flew by jet 2.40 am flight Mum-Ams-Toronto.

Purchased 2 extra baggages by check-in on call. Flat 50% off on extra baggage rates if you pay by credit card. They don’t care about the weight of ur hand baggage and the laptop bag so stuff in as much as u want, if need be.

On clearing the baggage formalities, proceed for security checking and immigration. Purpose of visit was asked for and cleared for boarding…

Layover at Amsterdam was short and pleasant…

The activities at Toronto airport were as:

  • fill up details at the kiosk, scan the passport and get a receipt
  • proceed towards security check wherein the kiosk receipt, purpose of visit, amount being carried is enquired.

There has been a lot of discussions on whether we should tick the box asking if the funds being carried is >= 10000cad - please be advised that u should tick the box only if the amount being carried is in form of cash, cheques and demand Draft. forex card is not considered as an instrument for this declaration purpose As per conversations over the group, I ticked the box and had to face questions later on during immigration.

Since I had a major amount (>10000) in forex card, a remark in pink was made on my declaration slip and was asked to explain about funds later on during immigration check.

After security, the immigration check happened and I was asked to provide the address of stay and write it down on a piece of paper without looking at my diary; dunno why was I taken for such a ride. 🤦🏻‍♂ The security officer signed both the copies of the COPR and instructed on keeping the document super safe even after getting the PR card. cos even after having the PR card, if u don’t have the COPR; there are legal implications

Next is the service Canada counter wherein ur given a slip to fill in details of ur parents name and Canadian address. On submitting the slip, ur given the SIN document. Please note that the SIN number should be used for the following purpose only:

  • bank account opening
  • taxation
  • jobs The issuing personnel clearly stated that the SIN no. should not be shared with anyone (not even for accomodation) apart from the activities mentioned above.

On getting ur SIN and welcome package from service Canada, u move towards the baggage aisles… My flight landed at 1.15 pm and got my SIN thing done at 6, so had to search for my baggages throughout the baggage area. Please note that u cannot pick ur baggage first and then return back to get the SIN thing.

Further to that is the goods declaration checkpoint. Please keep ur BSF forms handy over here for them to stamp and give it back…

On clearance, you arrive at the departure wherein airport taxi services are available for grabs. Please avoid people asking for out of queue personal taxi services, as they charge u 20-30 cad more than the airport service.

Some personal suggestions to all:

  1. Please spend as much time as u have with ur family and people back in India. U need all those memories to overcome the home sickness after landing
  2. Opening a bank account is the most crucial thing. Literally u cannot do a single thing without having a credit card
  3. If at Toronto airport, use the kiosks for declaration rather than filling the one provided in the plane; they’re Gona throw that any which ways
  4. Study how the public transportation system works out here prior to landing. Will help a lot until you purchase a car

Finally living the Canadian dreams… Climate is awesome and people are really welcoming. All in all, a lot to learn and achieve… Best luck everyone :+1:t3:

Forwarded from another group

2 Likes

From whatsapp group:

Hello, Guys,

So after this 1.5 yr journey, I finally landed last week in Toronto Pearson. When I saw Canada and I was landing. I was already in tears. Because it was a dream of mine to have a residential status elsewhere, other than India and UAE. And now it was Canada.

As soon as I landed, we walked to a place there were so many machines that will scan your passport. It dint scan for me so I went to the office and he stamped something on my decalaration paper. Be hoenst guys. Whatever you think when filling the form. Fill it genuinely.

Then I went to the immigration place, where they were very friendly and asked questions like is this your first time in Canada.and Few signatures on the COPR form and mention the address where to send your PR card. Give an address of your family friend or family or whatever and then they say welcome to Canada and let you in.

right next to it was Service Canada, You go there and give your papers they get your SIN number in a paper. And then that’s it.

you Walk out to Canada. And the Air just is perfect !. brought a big smile to my face.

So I did the soft landing guys and stayed in Missuaga for a week. I went touring to Niagara Falls, ST catherines, Welland, Then to Burlinton. Night trip to Toronto. Then went to this beautiful place called Bellevelle. It’s a Native indian terriority. Tat was anaother crazy ecperenice. With nature.

About the driving licence, I rented a car for 5 days at 40Dollars a day. And driuve about 1100 Kms in total. Now I though Ill do my G1, and G2 as well showing my UAE driving licence.

but as soon as you apply for a G1, you cannot drive in Canada on your international licence. Thus then until you do your G2 test – you are stuck, Thus I did not bother with my licnece during this week.

For Health Card, you need to be living in Canada for 3 months, to be eligible to apply.

You need to keep giving for everything just one address, as those mails and posts to your address is the evidence and proof of your address that they need for many things that come up later.

After enjoying Canada for 1 week, now I am going back. Need to find a job here and come… Coming and serachign for a job, is a risk for people like me – tha already have a very very good job in UAE.

you have to start over too much.

think about already getting 80-90 K tax free in your hand in UAE To getting 50-60-70K before tax here. and then buy everything with tax. – it will kill you for a while.

so unless you have good back up funds, or a good job waiting for you here. Think a few times and move.

I will make it a mission to go back and then search for jobs, and come back to settle only when I am ready to. Anyways you have 2yrs in 5 yrs time to maintain PR.

probbaaly come and live here 1 month and serach for jobs during annual leave. And then go back. Do it for 2 yrs and then you can really decide for yourself, if to move or not.

the driving laws are so easy and they all drive so slowly you need to try to make a mistake on the roads.

The people are lovely. And Canadians are lovely people…

I love this place already… flying in two hours.

Canada you are such a beauty. I am coming to see you again soon .!

*typing from the airport.

From Whatsapp:

Landing Experience at Toronto along with my wife ( no kids ) - FSWO

From: Los Angeles International Airport

To: Toronto Pearson International Airport

From Airport: I took a direct flight ‘West Jet’ from Los Angeles to Toronto - 4hrs flight journey. I had 7 check-in bags ( 23 kgs each ), 2 cabin bags ( 7 kilos each ), 2 personal bags. Yes we had hello lot of bags with us. After contemplating a lot, we decided to carry luggage along with us over cargo them because each ticket costed us USD $ 130, all luggage put together costed us USD $ 380. Hence, the whole trip costed us USD $640 which seemed to be economical rather than shipping or driving. The flight journey was smooth - 4.5hrs, no complaints.

At Toronto International Airport: Let me break this down at every level as you guys must be interested in this stuff

  1. You will be given a declaration card in the aircraft. Don’t bother filling it as you must digitally fill it at the kiosks

  2. Once you leave the aircraft, you stand in the que and scan your passport and declare if you are a first-time immigrant or otherwise. The kiosk will scan you and your dependents and print out a receipt with photos of each one of you. Keep it safely

  3. Next que is where the immigration officer meets you. When your turn comes, the officer will direct you to a different immigration room since this is our first time.

  4. In the immigration room you submit your COPR, Passports. The immigration officer asked me why Canada from USA, I said ‘ the world believes Canada is a better place ‘. Officer smiles and says it is indeed. He asked me how much cash I have. I said only $30 CAD, rest is in my bank and I will be using my international credit cards. The officer said don’t worry, this is only for our records. No POF documents asked. The officer asked me to sit down for 15 min and called me back. He takes our sign on COPR, keeps a copy and gives us a copy. He said we are all set and welcomes us to Toronto.

  5. We are then directed to Service Canada department when they ask our passports again for SIN. They ask dad and mom full names, mom’s maiden name before marriage for their records. Within 5 min, we get our SIN which is just a printed document. They no more issue SIN cards, its all paper based.

  6. After that, there is a small desk when there are different tourist, settlement, housing etc pamphlets. They did not interest me as I felt google is better and skipped this kiosk

  7. I then go pick my luggage ( all the 7 big bags ) and move towards customs. I had the BSF186A form filled up for each of my bag and a summary form along with pictures of gold ornaments. I was all prepared. The custom officer just asked if I was carrying any hazardous equipment. I said no, he did not even bother toughing or looking into my BSF186A forms. Lol

  8. I came out of the airport, had booked an AIRBNB in Etobicoke, Uber said $89. Local Taxi Van said $50. I went with the local taxi.

Now, trust me guys I just stood outside for a few minute, it was 17 deg C. The air was so fresh and crisp. Never enjoyed breathing so much. Canada really has fresh air to offer. I am sure in places like Alberta and British Columbia, the air quality is of much higher grade.

Came back home took a straight 6 hrs nap and headed out to the mobile store.

Mobile Network: Chose freedom mobile over the rest. They have the cheapest rates and best plans. The network and speed so far is fine. Wanted to try the cheapest one to begin life with. The store lady was super sweet. She suggested grocery outlets and malls which are reasonable enough to begin life here

Bank: Opened a joined account with TD bank. Process was super smooth. Gave passport, SIN and COPR. Within 30min our accounts were active. For new comers, they have many packages which can waive various fees depending on how you are going to use your account.

I am sitting at my window right now and staring at the beautiful lake outside with colorful autumn flowers embroidering it. I like the air here, tap water tastes good. People indeed seem to be calm and helpful. There is so much positive energy around here. I can only wish everyone the best of times ahead!

Finally Landed in Toronto on 26th October 9am!! (Etihad Airways, Kolkata-AbuDhabi-Toronto)

Detailed Landing Experience for the 2 of us (My wife and I):

Luggage – We had no idea how Etihad would treat us with respect to baggage weights and dimensions of the suitcases. We took out lot of stuff and made sure we are at 23kgs or at best 24kgs. Hence, we had 94kgs in total for 4 Check-in baggages instead of 92 and the Etihad guy was cool about it and we felt we could have got 2 or 3 kgs more and that should have been fine. Our Handbags were not weighed or checked. We had around 10 kgs of Laptop Bag and a small suitcase stuffed with 14 kgs.

Flight – Flight service and hospitality was great, seats were good with comfortable leg space. Food was the best, we opted for Veg Meal and it was delicious in both our flights. We were served with Paneer, Rice and Dal Makhani.

Landing – Post landing, we went to Kiosks as mentioned in other landing experiences, and its easy and good. However, do fill your declaration card given on flight, as it gives you an idea and time to discuss on what to fill and what not to. The money declaration of $10k CAD on card seems to be per family, so we said yes to it. But when it comes to Kiosks, it specifically asks, which passenger is carrying 10k. Neither of us had 10k separately to our name, so we had to say NO to the 10k CAD amount on Kiosks and explained the same to the Immigration Officer. He was happy to know that and then he just confirms about the cash I am carrying. No one is interested in your POF, don’t sweat over that. We did not prepare a single list for goods we were carrying, and neither did we prepare any Goods to Follow. We had to wait around 1 hour in the Queue before our turn came for submitting COPR. He just asked for COPR and Address and the cash being carried. SIN counters did not open until 11am, which was quite weird as it was a weekday. The officer said, they come in by 1pm, which was surprising. We were the last to leave the Airport from our flight and so our 4 bags were scattered over 3 different places, which was quite scary, as baggage getting lost or stolen thoughts come to your mind. The whole process from Kiosk to Baggage collection took less than 2 hours.

We never carried POF documents with us, as we believed that’s a thing while you are applying for PR. Once you get PR, it is not mandate to carry that amount of money with you while landing.

Don’t prepare any list of goods that you are carrying with you, unless it’s gold or any specific declaration that you want to make.

We did not carry any Good to follow list, as whenever we would get anything back from India on our next trip, it would be regular stuff.

Will go for SIN, Mobile No. and Bank account today in Brampton (staying with Friends family until we find accommodation). Thanks for reading this long post, hope it help you guys. Please message me separately if you have questions, as I might miss to see your question in between the chats… Expect a delay in reply, as I might be out most of the day with out Internet. And yes all the planning to avoid Jet Lag is a waste of time and energy; it hits you no matter what. This post was written at 4am ET. :slight_smile:

Utsav Jainy

Hi Guys, Landed in Toronto this afternoon. I was on a Jet flight from New Delhi to Toronto via Amsterdam. Since I was visiting Amsterdam had to take the baggage, else the baggage claim is directly in Toronto. Both the flights were good and the food was ok. Both my checked luggage were around 23 each, so it wasn’t a problem. I had two cabin bags; a laptop bag and another bag of over 10 kgs. They weren’t weighed or checked for dimensions.

After landing in Canada, went to the Kiosk to fill some details (similar to the declaration card given in the flight) and scan the passport. It was really simple, a slip was generated and with that went to a counter and showed the officer the slip, passport and both copies of COPR. The officer just marked the slip and then directed me to the immigration counter in another hall.

Gave the passport, both copies of COPR to the immigration officer. He just asked for the Canadian Address for the PR card and the cash I was carrying. Told him the address and about the 3000 CAD I had. He updated them and wrote the details on the COPR, asked me to sign them and gave me one copy. Also told me about the residency rules of minimum stay for renewing PR (2/5 years).

I asked him if I can go to US via car and come back with the COPR. He said he’s not sure but believes I can return via road with the COPR.

Then I went to the Service Canada counter for SIN Number. They gave a small form to fill and gave the SIN instantly.

Then went to collect the baggages, which were already off the belts. Thus went to the exit and gave the slip generated from the Kiosk to the officer and left.

I didn’t have any goods accompanying and goods to follow list as I mainly carried clothes and don’t intend to bring any declarable stuff later from India.

All this was very quick and took little less an hour.

Will go for SIM and Bank account in the coming days. Thanks for reading this and message me if you’ve any doubts.

Dear Andy Kindly add me to a pre landing group. I have received copr and visa today.

Hello Andy-MyImmiTracker, could you please add me to the post PPR or the pre-landing group ?

I received my PPR 2 days ago and submitted my passport yesterday.

+91-8919506217. Much thanks!

Congrats!

Sorry i have no such group, maybe someone else would add you :slight_smile:

Hi, pls add me to Pre landing what’s app group, I got my PPR and submitted my passport to VFS

Appreciate on adding your stories. Spouse and myself are planning to travel on 25th Jan. or 26th Jan. 2019 from St. Louis to Toronto Pearson. As we do not have enough vacation period, we are planning to take evening flight on 25th Jan(Friday). which reaches Toronto at 9 pm. After landing, for Immigration we might take 2 hours to clear all the formalities. Is there a Canada Service Center at airport to apply for SIN, if we apply at 11.15 pm or so? The second option would be to reach on 26th Jan. (Saturday) morning at 9 am and work on all the formalities. For this option too, will the Canada Service Center at airport be open? Please let us know, so that we could add our experience too. Also we are planning for soft landing, as we would take our return flights on 27th Jan.(Sunday).

Hi,

For those who did a soft landing i have 2 questions:

  1. Is it Ok to say so to the immigration officer, that i’m landing for only a short period!
  2. What about the address for Pr cards, what address should i put. As i don’t have a ny relatives back there!

Thanks in advance