Making a soft landing in Canada after the lengthy procedures and rigorous processes it takes, from the application to verifications and every other requirement is just as important as the process it takes to obtain your visa for onward migration. There are several necessary itineraries you must, however, keep in mind in other to have a soft landing in Canada.
To have a soft landing simply means do all that is necessary to be cleared from the point of entry, having all necessary documents, meeting all necessary criteria, doing all that is possible to transit to your new home in Canada without experiencing any bottleneck or difficulty which might result from your own part.
You can do a soft landing as an immigrant if you have completed your Permanent Residency process (PR) and landing in Canada after you might have received your Confirmation of Permanent Residency from Immigration, Refugee, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC).
What Is Soft Landing?
A soft landing would also refer to if you decided to go back to your home country to get some affairs or business settled such as; maybe (sell cars, real estate or apartments, save or raise more money) after you have initially entered into Canada, in order to come back later for permanent status.
Often this is possible because of the fact that for you to keep your PR status you must complete 730 days out of 5 years in Canada after you receive your PR status.
Basically, it is a strategy that is used to test the waters before committing to permanent residency.
What Are Some Of The Itinerary To Look Out For?
To have a smooth transition, it is important that you prepare and organize your documents.
Last-minute preparations can be quite daunting and overwhelming, it is important that you begin to prepare and organize your travel documents way before the time of your departure date to Canada.
Also, make sure your documents are up to date and in the officially designated format. You should have the latest immigration information and developments as it concerns you.
What Are The Documents That You Need To Prepare And Organize?
Your Visa
- Ensure your Visitor visa, Business visa, Tourist Visa, Work Permit, Study Permit, and any other Immigration visa as it concerns you checks out alright.
Passport
- Ensure your passport is up to date and valid
Bank Documents
- You might be asked to provide proof of funds at immigration in the airport, therefore you will require your bank’s statement of account to be handy and ready for declaration. Please note that you do not need to bring the full amount of funds required for Express Entry, or other immigration programs.
- Should your immigration be for a long-term or a permanent one, you might consider closing your home country bank account if you think you won’t be needing it anymore.
Insurance Documents
- You certainly must keep your insurance documents tidy and available in the case,
- (i) you have International Experience Visa or
- (ii) You will be landing or residing in a province not offering health insurance for the first three months of landing to non-citizens and anyone without a permanent residence status. Be sure to find out if this applies to you.
Employment
- While intending to migrate for permanent status, it is important that you have a reference letter from your previous employers as seeking employment will become one of your major priorities, it is a common requirement in Canada for employers to ask for a reference letter.
- A handwritten reference letter will often be more appropriate.
- Ensure that you make your resume to Canadian standards.
Accommodation
- Where do you intend to stay as soon as you land in Canada, prior arrangements must be made to answer for this.
- If you do not have friends or relatives you can stay with for the first few days of your arrival. You should have enough resources to cater to your accommodation as you begin your house hunting. In addition, you can begin and secure your accommodation from outside Canada online.
- It is quite common for Canadian landlords to ask for a letter of recommendation as a requirement for letting a house or apartment for rent, it will go a long way to help secure a place as soon as possible should you have a letter of recommendation from your previous landlords.
Health
- Depending on the province you are landing in, you may not have access to Government-sponsored health care, it is, therefore, important that you have health insurance.
- You should have with you any medication you think you might need and it’s prescription. If you are not insured, you may be liable to get a prescription, in Canada this can be quite expensive. Moreover, you cannot buy prescription drugs without a prescription in Canada.
Drivers License
- You should not forget to come along with the driver’s license from your home country.
- Nevertheless, having an International Driver’s Permit will be more suitable and preferable, this you can apply for at your home country.
- Depending on the province or territory, there are different requirements and pre-requisites for which you can be allowed to drive in Canada with your current license.
- Depending on the province/territory, you can exchange your current license, you, however, need to provide proof of driving experience from the entity that issued your permit.
Cellphone
- Your contract with your service provider or the carrier will have to be terminated as you leave your home country, check the notice period in your contract to avoid useless charges.
- Your phone can also be blocked, so if you intend to use the same phone in Canada, you need to check if it is blocked. If so, you need to unblock it in order for it to work.
Other Important Facts You Need to Know
- You should always prepare to travel with an adapter for your electronics and gadgets, if you are not from the U.S, especially chances are your electronics will not work in Canada without an adapter. For any gadget or electronic you will be traveling with, you will need as many adapters too, in place of an adapter, however, you can get an extension cord with only one adapter.
- You will need some Canadian currency with you, it might be possible your debit/credit card does not work at an ATM in the airport. You will need some quick cash at some point in your journey, thus, it becomes wise and necessary to have some Canadian dollars at hand to ease your landing.
- A power bank will be quite handy and very appropriate in case your phone dies on you. This is important if you will have to call someone to meet you up at the airport for pickup or if you need your phone to get an address to where you are going. Notwithstanding, there is always a place to plug your phone anywhere within the airport, it is not out of place though to have one.
- You will need to make sure to have your chargers for your gadgets with you as you travel.
How To Transfer Money Before Your Soft Landing
While deciding to travel to Canada, one important thing you should know is how to transfer money from your home country bank account to Canada and vice versa.
While there are several options by which this can be achieved, it is often more reasonable to know which is the best option that you can choose from, as you might want to cut down on transfer charges.
Some of the transfer methods include the following:
- Traditional banks
- Currencyfair and Transferwise
- Money Transfer Operators
- Peer – to – peer service providers
Each of these different means of money transfer has its advantages and disadvantages, you might need to review them individually to find out which one works best for you.
FAQ About Soft Landing In Canada
Q. Can I do a soft landing in Canada?
Ans. If you live outside Canada and do not have a valid Permanent resident card, you need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada. You can only apply for a PRTD from outside Canada.
If you try to return to Canada without a PR card, you may not be able to take your flight to Canada.
Q. Can I land anywhere in Canada?
Ans. Yes. You can land anywhere in Canada once you have your Certificate of Permanent Residence (CoPR) but there are exceptions to this.
Q. What is a soft landing?
Ans. A soft landing means that if you do decide to visit or travel to Canada, it is important that you are financially prepared to extend your stay in case the processing times take longer than usual.
Q. How much is the landing fee in Canada?
Ans. It is worth assessing some facts concerning the Right of Landing Fee as it applies to those recognized as refugees in Canada: the fee is $975 for each adult. loans are made available by the federal government, subject to an assessment of the applicant’s ability to repay the loan.
