@rahulbak which route you took? I am travelling from Boston as well. Did you cross border at Cornwall?
Our flight was delayed and we landed pretty late at night at Toronto Pearson airport (YYZ). The whole process after landing took about an hour and a half, and we were out of the airport around midnight.
We were given the typical customs declaration form before landing which we filled out (1 form per family of up to 4 members). At the airport, we headed into the Visitors queue for immigration since we were landing for the first time. Here, the officer looked at our passports, COPRs and then the Customs form. She marked with a pink highlighter on the front and back of the form and asked us to proceed outside.
At the exit there was another officer who looked at the highlighted form and asked us to proceed to a second immigration area where people had queued up. After a while, a third officer came and started checking everyoneās custom forms again and asked the purpose of visit. For those who had come for PR, there was a third immigration area to which we were directed.
In this area, the officer asked for our passports, COPRs, Customs form and then asked us some basic questions which she ticked off on the COPRs. We were then asked to sign both copies of the COPRs. Then she asked us how much cash we were carrying which she wrote on the Customs form. She took our address down where the PR cards were to be mailed and asked us how long we planned to stay at that address. She provided contact details in case we moved before our PR cards arrived. Then she asked us to take a seat while she processed our application.
I was asked to step up to the counter once to confirm the airline on which we flew and then we were both asked to step up once the process completed. We were handed back our passports, 1 copy of the COPRs and the Customs form. From here we headed out to pick up our baggage and then to the Customs area for the final step.
In the Customs area, we provided 2 copies of our Goods Accompanying and Goods to Follow forms, along with a document with pictures of our items which would be shipped from the US and the Customs form which we had filled out earlier. The officer was not at all interested in the Goods Accompanying forms but kept a copy for his record. He went through the Goods to Follow list and asked where the items were going to be shipped from. He filled out something at his desk and asked me to sign the GTF copies. After that he went to the checkout window and got a receipt for us. We were told we would need that irrespective of whether the goods were shipped or we drove them across the border. After that we were done with all the formalities and out of the airport!!
Since it was late at night the Service Canada office at the airport was closed. We went to the Etobicoke location the next day around 11am. It took us exactly an hour to get our SINs. The wait is only because of the large number of people coming in. Once our number came, we got our SINs in just a few minutes. We asked whether we needed to update the address once we moved to which we were told it isnāt required.
The next day we went and opened a bank account. We had made an appointment so it was quick. Again this took an hour since we applied for credit cards as well. Almost all banks have newcomer packages so look online and compare them to find the one most suitable for you.
We applied for SIM cards online, over chat with Virgin Mobile customer service. Since we did it online, the activation fees were waived off and as it was with a service executive, we were provided some add-on offers for free, for a year. Again, compare the cellphone service providers for the different plans and go with the one most suitable for you. Usually if you order the SIM cards online, the activation fees get waived off. As we were bringing our own phones, this worked for us. The SIM cards are expected to be delivered within 2-4 days.
On a side note, we have been using public transit to get around GTA and it is very convenient. We got the Presto card, loaded some money in it at the subway station and have been using it for all our rides. We tried the buses, the subway, the streetcar and the GO too, and they were all very hassle-free to ride on.
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Following to learn from othersā experiences. We will also be doing soft landing by private vehicle and returning to prepare for the big move, probably making multiple trips back and forth to work on our house. Do any of you have Nexus cards, and are you supposed to update those once you get co-PR?
Hello Vignesh,
I am planning for a soft landing and provide my cousinās address to mail PR card. Will I be asked if I reside in the address provided? Can I say that Iām there only to complete PR formalities and will move to Canada in a few months?
They wonāt be asking if you will reside there etc. give the address as that becomes your Canadian address your cousin can in turn ship your pr to you.
What I have seen these days in my experience and few of my friends is if you mention that you will be returning later they are not processing PR card during the landing. In turn they are asking you to apply for PR card after you move permanently.
Appreciate your quick response!
Ok, so did they have to apply for a visitor visa or something to enter the next time?
Need to apply for PRTD
If you are driving across the border from USA to Canada you can use COPR, but if you are flying from USA or anywhere else you need PRTD
Hi Everyone,
I am planning to do a soft landing at Toronto Pearson and return in a weekās time.
I was wondering if someone could please help me with my below queries:
-
Is it possible for the goods to follow list to be provided once I settle in Canada permanently?
-
If my PR card is shipped to a relativeās address, can they bring the card with them when they visit me in Dubai? Would I be allowed to travel with this PR card or would I be asked as to how I received the card if I was not in Canada at the time it was delivered.
I would appreciate your response. Thank you.
Thank you!
- No You have to provide GTF list when you land for the first time, you cannot provide it at a later date when you intent to move permanently.
- Yes they can and you should not have much problem.
I landed yesterday to activate my PR, not soft landing but permanent.
Although I listed Toronto as my landing city, I landed in a different cityās airport. After doing preliminary digital kiosk based check-in, where you scan your passport and answer a few simple questions at the kiosk, I was told to go to the area where PRās, work and student visas were processed.
Once there, I took a ticket number. Excluding the wait time, total time to process the PR upon landing was 10 minutes.
The only documents needed for processing PR were passport, both copies of CoPR and 2 copies each of Goods to Follow and Accompanying Goods, all forms taken by the officer processing my PR. I didnāt have to show any pictures of my accompanying goods or anything, nor was I asked for PoF or how much cash I was carrying. The only question asked was if I had any spouse or dependents. Was told the usual 6 - 8 weeks for card to reach the provided mailing address.
Super easy, fast and pleasant experience throughout.
Re: Goods to Follow, not sure if I needed this since I was doing permanent landing, but since I will have stuff shipped to me later I filled it out. I may not have needed to do this though, I think.
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Itās better to get the GTF out of the way as well. You bring in your goods any time after that (Iāve heard 10 years is the limit but I could be wrong).
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Welcome to canada 
. Just wondering if the shipping address for pr cards you provided was in Alberta or Ontario ? Since you landed in a different state than your final destination , are you aware of any restrictions on shipping card address . Might be helpful to other folks
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Thanks! There didnāt seem to be an issue with the address I gave so looks like you can give any address in Canada.
Welcome to Toronto! Its a super chill country in every way 
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No Shipping restrictions based on my understanding. I landed in Vancouver although my destination is Toronto. I was able to get my card in 3 weeks.
I have a general question regarding making an arrival by air on a weekend. Would it be recommended. Has anyone traveled to Toronto Airport on a weekend when they are arriving for the first time to Canada with their COPR and to get their PR Card issued.
Are the SIN Offices open on weekends. Can we apply for SIN later after we move in and settle down.
Appreciate your help.