POE - Canadian Pre-clearance and visa activation

[jedinite 0]

I'm heading to the Eastern US this weekend but I'm flying through Montreal on the way there, and I have no idea if Montreal has a Pre-Clearance area for connecting flights or if I will even have enough time to activate my visa when I go to visit my in-laws with my wife.

I know if I flew directly out of Calgary to the US, that Calgary has a pre-clearance area that I could go to activate my visa. Does anyone know if Montreal has one or if I will have to do my POE Clearance at my destination? If it helps my destination is IAD Washington DC Dulles International Airport.

My flight is from Calgary to Montreal then Montreal to DC. But I only have about 50mins after arriving in Montreal to get onto my connecting flight to DC.

Thanks for the input.

[SapphireDreams 71]

Yes there is pre-clearence in Montreal I believe.

[Flames9_RN 358]

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/pr...r_locations.xml

yeppers!! One will probably need more than 50 minutes!!!

[zyggy 9]

Yeah.. Montreal has pre-clearance. You'll activate the visa in Montreal.

[jedinite 0]

http://cbp.gov/xp/cgov/toolbox/contacts/pr...r_locations.xml

yeppers!! One will probably need more than 50 minutes!!!

Thanks for all the replies, I just got off the phone with Air Canada and I have the minimum amount of time required for connecting flights, in the middle of winter no less. Wonderful

I have to collect my baggage from the connecting flight's carousel, then run through customs then drop my bag off again to connecting flight's carousel and board. I don't think I'll have time to activate my visa this trip.

Anyone know what sort of paperwork they do anyways to activate the visa? I will be returning to Canada for a few weeks then heading back down to LA (our home) so must I activate the first time I cross into the US or can it be done during my LA trip?

[Saddle Bronc 124]

Yes there is pre-clearence in Montreal I believe.

fixxored--I activated my own GC there in 1999! Edited December 15, 2008 by CherryXS

[Jenni and Bo 0]

Oh sweetie...

I flew through Montreal for a trip back in February, and just going through customs regularly took me 45 mins :S you may want to see about getting a new connecting flight.

Good luck though! It's very exciting that you are going to be activating your visa

[jedinite 0]

Well I'm fully activated US PR now. I had to do the activation when I traveled from Canada to the US over X-mas, and it does take about 30 mins for them to get it done. If you have a connecting flight that is less than 2 hours I'd look at rescheduling the connection or flying in earlier.

I had 50 mins to get from my plane arriving from YYC to YUL and there's barely enough time to do this even if you don't have to go through customs.

Once you land in Montreal from another Canadian destination you must run to the US connections area, you'll have to wait there at the baggage area for any bags you checked as you'll have to drop them off again after you pass US customs. After you pick up your connecting bags (took about 20mins for them to deliver my bags to the baggage carousel) you'll pass thru customs. There they will ask you to hand over your packet and take you to the side room, it took about 30mins for me as I was the second person in line and they only had a few officers working. They went over the paper work, asked me if the photo was a picture of my wife, and then they get you to sign and fingerprint on a document. Once that is done the officer stamped my passport and welcomed me to the US.

As a side note, if you sent in any original documents instead of certified copies you'll have to fill out a form at the Immigration Office in the US to get them back. The Officer told me that all the documents in the packet belonged to her and that the interview official was mistaken in telling me that I could request for my originals back there.

Ok after the paper work is done you have to drop off your checked luggage on another carousel to be placed on your plane and then go through another security check. I don't know why Montreal airport has it laid out like this but it's annoying having to go through 2 security checks. I guess I haven't flown directly from Montreal to the US but I assumed that if you're connecting you're good with your baggage.

Anyways, there was definitely not enough time to get from gate to gate, grab your checked luggage, go through customs then line up again for another security check. Fortunately, my flight from YUL to the US was delayed by 6.5 hours leaving me with about 5 hours to kill after it was all said and done. Not the most fun way to spend a flight right before Christmas but at least I got to my destination and got to spend the holidays with my wifey.

[Flames9_RN 358]

I have flown out of Mtl a few times, and if I was a betting man, I would have stated 50 minutes would not have been enough time, but why be negative,lol! Glad to see mother nature was on ur side!!

I got the majority of my originals back at the Interview in Mtl. I think the only one they kept was the police background check! Welcome to the USA

[MsZ 6]

Jedi, do they have the paperwork that needs to be filled in online somewhere by any chance? (I didn't even remember to ask my husband if he asked for ours back.)

[melusine 5]

note..... make sure you can go back to canada without AP.

I don't think CR1 people needs it but just make sure.

[Flames9_RN 358]

note..... make sure you can go back to canada without AP.

I don't think CR1 people needs it but just make sure.

cr-1/ir-1 do NOT require AP & Elgible to work right from the get go!!!

[MsZ 6]

Turns out my husband asked for and received all of our originals back at the interview. And yes, no need for AP for CR1/IR1s. That's one of the reasons to choose that route over a K-3 in fact.

[jedinite 0]

Turns out my husband asked for and received all of our originals back at the interview. And yes, no need for AP for CR1/IR1s. That's one of the reasons to choose that route over a K-3 in fact.

Sorry for not getting back to you sooner MsZ, I didn't have the form number with me. Actually, I have the form number written on a piece of paper in on of the luggages that the airline lost on the way back to Calgary. Grrrr! United Airlines really sucks!

[trailmix 77]

Turns out my husband asked for and received all of our originals back at the interview. And yes, no need for AP for CR1/IR1s. That's one of the reasons to choose that route over a K-3 in fact.

K3 is a multiple entry visa, K3ers do not require AP.