Please share your landing experiences
 

Hi All

I will be coming across to Canada in August on a 1 year study visa. My partner will follow soon after on an open work permit as my common law partner. We got out approval letters and are now busy sorting everything out.

I am getting really worried about landing in Canada. As you will all know I will have to convince the officer that I will be leaving again even though this is not my intention. Anyhow, I will bring my cats over and some house hold goods. Nothing major just some stuff which has sentimental value. I know I will have to write lists of everything that I will eventually bring across but I am now worried that this won't help my case i.e. won't help in convincing the officer I will leave again (since I am supposed to be in the country for one year only...). We do believe that shipping both ways (if necessary but lets hope not) will be cheaper than storage but I am worried this won't be a good enough argument....

I would love to hear your experiences when you landed and if it is as scary as I think it might be.

:)

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

You're not actually 'landing' if you are going over on a study permit, so it should be less onerous. And I didn't think you needed a Goods to Follow list unless you are 'landing' as a PR? Normally people on a TWP or study permit aren't required to have a GTF list.

Not sure that bringing your cats and all your household goods for a year's worth of study is going to look that great tbh, but hopefully Former Lancastrian will see this thread shortly and be able to give his professional view on it i.e. whether he'd kick you out or not!

There are also loads and loads of threads with people's experiences of landing (although as above, this will be as PR's usually, rather than a temp visa), so it might be worth doing a search. This one is only a few threads down to start you off - http://britishexpats.com/forum/showthread.php?t=752172

Best of luck with it.

:)

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

We landed last May as TWP. We shipped the whole container over and were told to have the GTF list. The customs officer said we had to pay the duty as we arrived as TWP.

We told that nobody told us that and meanwhile our PNP application was in process. Eventually, the officer stamped on our GTF list without duty paid.

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

I contacted the Canadian border agency and they told me I needed a list to state what I am looking to take with me even on a temp visa.

:(

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

To add to christmasoompa's point, landing has a specific meaning. And it is not when the the aircraft wheels touch the tarmac.

The old name for a permanent resident was a landed immigrant. The process of confirming that status was known as landing. In more modern terminology "landing" is the process of activating a PR visa.

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

Thanks well lets not call it landing then lets say arriving. As I said the border agency did tell me to list everything properly. So suppose there is no way around that :thumbdown:

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

You may have to pay the duty but you can claim back later on. That was one of the options the officer gave us.

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

We just landed on a temp work permit valid for 2 years.

We had our goods to follow list (it was about 12 pages - from the shippers) and listed everything. We brought a full 20 foot container.

They looked at it, then said "oh you don't need to bother with this - if you are here temporarily" and waved us on... didn't ask at all what we were going to be doing at the end of the 2 years... they were just friendly :) they wrote Dog in black marker all over our landing card (skip the jokes everyone - our dog was following a few days later)

We were nervous - waste of energy that was :)

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

Quite frankly I think this is asking for trouble.

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

As you are coming legally on a 1 year study permit then you can bring items that would be consistent with your stay and if the goods are being sent at a later date you can if you wish provide a list of those goods but it is not mandatory.
If I was the examining officer and had doubts about your intention to leave Canada I would issue the study permit and impose the condition that you report to CBSA prior to leaving Canada. I would also flag you in the system with my notes.
Of course the easiest way will be to have your stay extended and move over to Visitor status until your partner arrives bearing in mind you wont be able to work or continue studying and will leave Canada. You could also extend your Study Permit. The following 2 links should be read
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/study/study-extend.asp
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/extend-stay.asp

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

[QUOTE]:) I wont have near as much as that. I doubt I could fill a 2m squared parcel. I literally have paintings, clothes, two pieces of small furniture and some books. :)

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

[/QUOTE]

Thanks that is helpful! My partner will come a few weeks after me so will stay with me during my studies. He is already talking to potential employers. My college actually told me about being able to extend cause I am doing a post grad. We hope for my partner to find a permanent job and extend that way but we will see. I suppose I might consider storing everything to avoid problems at the border. I mean my attentions at the time are to stay one year but they might change later on ;)

As I said above though, I really dont have much. Maybe I just ask them when I arrive if i can import it, if the officer seems worried I will just store it. :)

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

I came in on a sowp (hubby arrived pnp twp two weeks before) and they didn't want my gtf list but said it was a good idea to keep hold of it for customs.
I then separately shipped two desktop computers over to arrive the day after us and for customs all dhl needed was a look at an emailed copy of my visa to say I was allowed in the country and they were "settlers effects" no duty to pay although they won't deliver to your door if you have a drive and it's snowing!

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

[QUOTE=Allycatnip;10001557]If I include a table and a desk that I love (one inherited from my grandmother and one bought in a thrift store) to my boxes of sentimentals, clothes, computer stuff etc, I am probably up in 6 square metres. I also have two cats AND a horse. But neither would be able to look after themselves for three years and storage of the table and desk would be more than shipping back and fourth.

Maybe I will ship them as well. I'd prefer not to have anything at storage as the tax office here would then deem me taxable in Sweden for my Canadian income.

Thank you for a very useful thread.

Re: Please share your landing experiences
 

I don't get what you are so worried about? if you were bringing a 40 foot container I could see why you would think they might question if you would leave 12 months later. :confused:

You are bringing so little anyway....

I don't think it's normal for them to grill people on entry? is it everyone?