How early should I go to the airport?

[spa 12]

42 minutes ago, jle2234 said:

I don't recall getting a blue sheet of paper (but I may have), but mine was processed electronically. This was how my POE went...

 

I approached the Customs Officer and handed him my passport open to my visa.

 

Me: Hi, I'm activating my immigrant visa.

Customs Officer: You have a visa?

Me: Yes, this is my first time crossing with it.

Customs Officer: Do you have your packet?

Me: I'm part of a pilot program. It's supposed to have been uploaded to you electronically.

Customs Officer: ...

Neighboring Customs Officer: We got an email about that. (jokingly) They said we wouldn't be seeing much of it.

Customs Officer: Come with me.

 

The Customs Officer led me to secondary where I was instructed to sit in a waiting area. 5-10 minutes later, I was called to the counter and given my passport. The processing was complete at that point, and I was free to go on to my gate.

This is very helpful.  

My understanding is that all or most cases are moving to the electronic system (at least for Montreal processed visas). Hopefully this is easier for everyone, it was for us!

 

[jle2234 68]

39 minutes ago, spa said:

This is very helpful.  

My understanding is that all or most cases are moving to the electronic system (at least for Montreal processed visas). Hopefully this is easier for everyone, it was for us!

 

I'm glad you find it helpful!

 

It seemed that the Customs Officer working at the desk was not up to speed on the new electronic process, but those working in secondary (where the visa is actually processed) seemed to be very familiar with the new system. The initial Customs Officer checked with the secondary officers before leaving me at secondary, and they were very efficient from there.

[TS_123 9]

I received the yellow "do not open package"  that I have to give the CO. Flying from Pearson. Will arrive 3 hours early as suggested. Thanks everyone! 

[acidrain 325]

I always have to report to secondary when traveling to the US because my passport is flagged. When I traveled through YVR (Vancouver) the first time was the busiest but still got through to make a very tight connection. The second and third time I didn't wait any more than 10 minutes. When I flew through Calgary it took 5 minutes. I have been told by customs to always plan a 2-3 hour layover because on occasion a bunch of people plug up the wait. They can't predict when it happens because it all depends on who is going through at any given time.

 

Thanks to all for answering the how long it takes to activate the actual visa. I was wondering this myself. It's smart to plan a big layover cause then you won't be a basket case if it's busy (trust me I've been there). Once I get through I usually grab some food and take my son to the play area. The time actually goes by pretty fast.

[NikLR 13,231]

Actual activation is generally not more than 20 mins, even at a land crossing.  There are exceptions obviously.  But personally I'd rather sit and wait for the plane than wait in line and worry Im going to miss it.