Getting Into Canada
There is a great website from Canada Customs & Immigration about staying in Canada as a foreigner- what you can & can't bring, documentation you'll need, etc. It is HERE.
Arriving by plane & car are different procedures to arrive at the same questions:
a) Issues of Immigration: Is this person admitable into Canada or are they an undesirable or attempting to emigrate illegally?
b) Issues of Customs: Is this person carrying anything that is prohibited in Canada or are they bringing in goods for resale that should be taxed on admission?
By car one simply arrives at the border station, waits your turn in line (like a tollbooth), & reports who you are, where you are going, how long you'll be there, & answers about five questions about possible contraband. Remember that fruits & vegetables cannot be carried across the border. They'll take them from you. They'll ask everyone in the car the same questions. If they ask you to pull over to the building and report to a immigration officer or customs officer then you are being given given extra scrutiny.
Plane arrivals: At some point in your flight the staff will hand out cards for you to fill out. They look like this (click to download a detailed copy):
You fill that out sometime in the trip and stick it inside your passport. Have both of these and a driver's license secured but readily accessible as you get off the plane. After getting off the airplane you follow corridors until you come to your luggage. Get a cart, they're free, and load it up. Once you've got your stuff follow the signs until you come to a nice big room get into line & wait until you come to the next available officer. Present the officer with your three documents, make eye contact, & answer their questions with the shortest answer you can think of. Don't tell them anything you are not certain of. The monitor they have at their desk has a lot of info about you on it- especially flight info & criminal records. If you get motioned into the glass room, you're being scrutinized. Otherwise you breeze out and get a cab.
I'm attaching a letter from me that you all can print out and show to the officer, if you'd like:
Arriving by plane & car are different procedures to arrive at the same questions:
a) Issues of Immigration: Is this person admitable into Canada or are they an undesirable or attempting to emigrate illegally?
b) Issues of Customs: Is this person carrying anything that is prohibited in Canada or are they bringing in goods for resale that should be taxed on admission?
By car one simply arrives at the border station, waits your turn in line (like a tollbooth), & reports who you are, where you are going, how long you'll be there, & answers about five questions about possible contraband. Remember that fruits & vegetables cannot be carried across the border. They'll take them from you. They'll ask everyone in the car the same questions. If they ask you to pull over to the building and report to a immigration officer or customs officer then you are being given given extra scrutiny.
Plane arrivals: At some point in your flight the staff will hand out cards for you to fill out. They look like this (click to download a detailed copy):
You fill that out sometime in the trip and stick it inside your passport. Have both of these and a driver's license secured but readily accessible as you get off the plane. After getting off the airplane you follow corridors until you come to your luggage. Get a cart, they're free, and load it up. Once you've got your stuff follow the signs until you come to a nice big room get into line & wait until you come to the next available officer. Present the officer with your three documents, make eye contact, & answer their questions with the shortest answer you can think of. Don't tell them anything you are not certain of. The monitor they have at their desk has a lot of info about you on it- especially flight info & criminal records. If you get motioned into the glass room, you're being scrutinized. Otherwise you breeze out and get a cab.I'm attaching a letter from me that you all can print out and show to the officer, if you'd like:
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B.Rex
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9:58 a.m.
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