Arriving in Canada as a new immigrant : Best Guide


It may appear somewhat daunting whenever you learn the official IRCC guidance of what to expect whenever you arrive in Canada as a new immigrant; it talks a couple of Canada Border Service Agency (CBSA) immigration interview to make the last word choice about whether or not to grant you entry! However don’t fear – in actuality the method is pretty much a breeze. I’ll cowl the complete course of on this article from our expertise once we landed as new permanent residents.
Remember the method described beneath was pre-COVID-19 so there would now be COVID testing necessities to be included within the steps outlined.
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Landing in Canada for the first time and your immigration interview
Step 1: Electronic Declaration
As soon as you leave the airplane you comply with the normal arrivals path to immigration.
Together with all different passengers crossing the border, the very first thing you’ll be met with is an digital kiosk to confirm your identification and do a customs declaration (the kiosks at the moment are in any respect the key international airports).
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You are able to do one declaration per household (as much as 5 individuals) all collectively at one machine.
Firstly it’ll ask you to scan you passport and it’ll take a photograph of you.
Subsequent you’ll must reply a collection of questions, nothing difficult (verify that you just’re not bringing in prohibited objects, that you’ve received lower than $10okay in money on you, that sort of factor).
You’ll lastly give your fingerprint to “signal” your declaration as true after which the machine will print out your declaration receipt.
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Step 2: First CBSA agent
You then take your receipt and line as much as see a Canada Border Service Agent with all the other international arrivals.
So-far the identical as arriving as a customer.
However when you get up to the border agent you tell them that you’re touchdown as a brand new everlasting resident (or no matter work/study visa you’re on) and at this level they’ll direct you the place to go on your immigration interview.
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Step 3: CBSA immigration interview

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We have been directed to an workplace with a ready room off to the facet the place we needed to take a paper ticket to join the queue to be seen by a border agent.
We waited for about 10 minutes till our quantity was known as and headed as much as the desk to talk to the border agent. Clearly every interview will be barely different however primarily there’s a set listing of issues they should undergo with you:
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- They’ll examine your passports and Confirmation of Permanent Residency (CoPR) letter (or different visa).
- They’ll ask what cash you need to survive on initially. For this we had a latest bank assertion from our UK bank account and screenshots from our on-line banking. The agent was pleased with this. To get extra data on how a lot cash you’ll have to exhibit you personally have.
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- They’ll ask the place you’ll be staying initially. We had printed out the Airbnb reserving affirmation. Once more, effective.
- They’ll ask what items you’re bringing into the nation with you. That is the place you give them your two copies of ‘items accompanying listing’ (also called settler’s results listing).
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- They’ll ask what items you may be importing later. That is the place you give them two copies of your ‘items to comply with’ listing. We had two completely different variations of this, a listing that we’d produced ourselves with values and the listing that the elimination agency had produced themselves.
- The border agent will full a kind known as Personal Effect Accounting Document – BSF186 for you utilizing your ‘items to comply with listing’ and stamp and connect the listing to the shape. This manner is vital because it’s this accomplished kind that you’ll want to point out the customs agent to have the ability to declare tax free importation of your items after they arrive in Canada.
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- As soon as they’re pleased with every little thing they’ll ask you to reply and preliminary a few questions on each copies of the Affirmation of Everlasting Residence letter (verify dependents and that you’re not convicted of a criminal offense) and to signal it. The officer will then signal and stamp the letter and provide you with one copy (with out the photograph) and hold the opposite (the one with the photograph) which is used to ship you your Permanent Resident card inside Three months. The signed CoPR letter they provide you serves as proof of everlasting residency till the cardboard arrives. Keep it safe!
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And that’s it, you’re now a Permanent Resident of Canada!
All that you just then must do is go and acquire your baggage from baggage reclaim and hand that declaration receipt you bought from the digital kiosk to the customs agent as you allow the bags space (together with all the other regular international arrivals).
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Arriving into Quebec as a new Federal Skilled Worker Permanent Resident
We have been a bit concerned earlier than we flew to Canada that our initial Port of Entry into Canada was in Quebec (from the place we have been travelling on to our final vacation spot in Ontario).
As a touchdown Permanent Resident, in the event you plan to settle in Quebec you need to have a Certificat de Sélection du Quebec (CSQ), we clearly didn’t have this and weren’t planning to settle in Quebec however thought the immigration officer would possibly make a difficulty of it.
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Because it turned out, it was effective, we informed the immigration officer that we have been going to be residing in Ontario and he or she was completely effective with that. We did have a duplicate of a practice reservation to Ontario and a duplicate of our Airbnb reservation however she didn’t ask to see this – nevertheless it’s most likely smart to have one thing like this.
Quebec selects its personal skilled staff by a special program to the federal program. In case your intention is to reside within the province of Quebec then it’s good to apply by the Quebec-selected expert staff program. That said however, when you’re a everlasting resident of Canada you possibly can reside in any province you need – together with Quebec!
RECOMMENDED LINKS
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Landing And Settlement In Canada – General
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Ensure to take a look at the official Canada Web site here.