Customs and Immigration
As long as you have the necessary documents, you should find the customs and immigration entry procedure fairly straightforward upon your arrival in Canada. The documents you should have ready to present are:
- a Canadian immigrant visa and Confirmation of Permanent Residence for each family member travelling with you;
- a valid passport or other travel document for each family member travelling with you;
- two copies of a detailed list of all the personal or household items you are bringing with you; and
- two copies of a list of items that are arriving later. The lists should state how much your personal and household items are worth.
- You must also bring with you enough money to cover living expenses such as rent, food, clothing and transportation for a six-month period. You may be asked to show proof of your funds.
You will be interviewed by a Canada Customs officer. You will need to give the officer a list of all the household and personal items that you will be bringing into Canada. You should also show the immigrant visa to the customs officer, who will refer you to an immigration officer.
The immigration officer will check your visa and travel documents and ask you questions similar to those on the Immigrant Application Form, in order to verify that you are of good character and in good health. At this time, you may also be asked to show proof of your funds. If there are no difficulties, the officer will authorize your entry to Canada as a permanent resident by signing your Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence.
If you arrive at one of Canada's major airports, you will be given a booklet called "Welcome to Canada: What You Should Know". It has information on most aspects of life in Canada. It also provides addresses and telephone numbers for:
- immigrant-serving organizations across Canada;
- language training assessment centres (which help eligible adult newcomers find free language classes);
- useful federal and provincial government offices.
If you arrive in Toronto, Montréal or Vancouver, you will find immigrant reception services in the airport. These services are run by immigrant-serving organizations. They help newcomers get the information and services they need, and this help is often available in several languages. In Montréal, the Ministère des Relations avec les citoyens et de l'Immigration runs this service.