Preparing For The First Landing

So you have got those coveted entry visas to Canada as a PR! Congratulations! In this post, I am going to lay out a few bare essentials to your landing process. Your immigration lawyer/consultant (if you have one) has probably not told you any of this but this is very important. So, print the page out and follow the instructions one by one. 

1. Please view this video. Remember, this is only the background and some basic information. 

2. Get your documentation ready. Documentation will include the following:

a. The passports for your entire family, with visa stamps on the passport (applicable only to visa required countries)

b. Confirmation of Permanent Residence (Form IMM 5292 or IMM 5688). You will have two copies for each immigrant, one with a photo attached and one without. You have to carry these forms with you while entering Canada. These forms are extremely important for landed immigrants and you will need them throughout the rest of your life in Canada. So keep them very safe. These forms are required for both visa exempt countries and non-visa exempt countries (in addition to the visa on the passport for these countries)
c. 4 passport size photos of each family member, in the prescribed CIC format (print this page and take it to the photo studio. They will do it for you, but compare your photos before delivery to ensure they match perfectly with the specifications required)

d. As a PR, you may be bringing personal goods with you or they may be following you later on. If that is the case, you need to fill this form for the goods that are coming with you and this form for the goods that are going to follow later. Make two copies of these forms. Most importantly, if you have any jewelry/gold/silver items on the import list, you must make two copies of the photographs of each item to be imported. Remember - when you go to present your landing documents to Canadian Customs, you must inform them that you are importing goods/have goods to follow. They will then take this list from you and give you one copy with acknowledgement, including one set of photos. Based on this list, you can bring in your personal effects. Please do not be very precise with the details, just mention generic items and that should be fine. You can bring in items of whatever quantity and cost you wish, free of any customs duties once you have those goods listed on this sheet.
f. Driver's experience certificate - see this post

3. Book your tickets:
Tickets can be booked by whichever method you like, but if you haven't tried Google Flights, I suggest you should. It is by far the best flight aggregation system. You will have to book through the airline website though. Some of the best and most cost effective flights to Canada are generally Turkish, Air Canada, Swissair and Saudi Airlines. Egypt Air and Al Italia can be cost effective but have long layovers. Emirates and Jet Airways are on the costlier side. Sometimes good direct flight deals can be found on Air India as well.

4. Pack your bags and travel! Bon Voyage!

 If you have any questions on the above, email me on tanmaycanada@gmail.com

Immigration Lawyers/Consultants

Many people have asked me as to which immigration lawyers I used or why did I go through an immigration lawyer in the first place. 

I have always believed that in today's day and age, you can learn everything from the internet. You can visit the Canada Immigration Website, learn what category of immigration you belong to and follow the process thereon. I did the same. Turns out, I ignored the last advisory by the CIC (Canada Immigration, that is) and my application was rejected because it did not fit the criteria on the date on which the application was received. Majority of my efforts were wasted. If you believe you will have the time to follow the CIC guidelines to the T, by all means, do it yourself. But remember, once in Canada, you will have many opportunities (lot of them forced) to DIY stuff. DIY beforehand might not be the best way to avail of these DIY opportunities in Canada. So, if I were in your shoes, I would use an immigration lawyer or consultant.

Immigration lawyers or consultants that you use have to be authorized by one of the agencies of the Canadian government to do this job legally. That means, they can not cheat you so easily, or squander your money without making the required efforts to get you to Canada. Do not use a lawyer/consultant who is not on this list. This is a big red flag and if you have money to squander, I can suggest a few great charities instead.

Now, which consultant or lawyer should you chose? It is your personal choice. Different consultants serve different classes of immigrants better. If you are confused as to which ones to use, just send me an email with your background and I can suggest the lawyer/consultant you can use, depending on your situation and location. Remember I get paid every time you use my referral, so please contact me! (just kidding. Some consultants do pay referrals, some don't, and majority of my referrals are as miserly as they come. I will, in any case, indicate whether I get any referral fees or not and the final choice is yours to make)

My Story

I had two professional degrees from India, a very successful career with six figure tax free salary in the middle east and a future that looked pretty bright. In the middle of all this, I decided to come to Canada - the land of the unknown, the land which according to many before me, sucked big time in terms of providing adequate job opportunities in the immigrants' chosen field of work and made them feel small, unwanted and rejected.

Why did I make this decision? Several factors contributed to it. The uncertainties of the middle east, the uncertainties of India as a place where our kids may or may not adjust, future of our children and also, to a certain extent, the tiredness of doing the same thing every day and the will to do something different. 

I am sure you are in a similar position now that you have obtained your Canadian PR. This blog is not focused on "How" to get your PR or "How" to immigrate to Canada, but it is focused on "What" to do once you land here in Canada. I have found that not many people talk about this issue. Lots of immigrants come here, some are extremely successful, some are not. Out of those who are not, some continue on, cursing their decision, cursing the country and all that stands in between. Some go back, completely disillusioned. My objective is to help you make an informed choice, force you to do some quality research before you decide to take the leap, and give you some tips on how to be successful in this country. It does not take a lot, it takes a bit of luck, lots of hard work and some guidance. Many a time, the guidance is something that is hard to come by, and that is precisely the reason why newcomers struggle. I want to make your lives a bit easier by providing that guidance. This is precisely the reason why I am going to give you my personal email so that you can reach me anytime, with any question that is not answered on this blog and I will try and answer the question to the best of my abilities.

So, lets start this journey together!

tanmaycanada@gmail.com