Connecting flights through Toronto POE

[MT and BT 9]

I'll be entering the US soon on an IR-1 visa and I'm trying to figure out how flight connections through Toronto Pearson work, with Pearson as my POE.

I'll be flying from Regina to New Orleans, with a connection in Toronto.  I know Toronto is where I will go through US Immigration Preclearance.  And I know I need to allot 3-4 hours for that connection time because of visiting secondary to get my visa activated.  But I'm confused about my luggage - do I need to pick it up in Toronto and carry it through US Customs there before checking it again?  The Air Canada website says my bags will be checked all the way through, but other sites seem to suggest otherwise.  And especially since I'm immigrating - won't they want to see my bags?  Or is an inventory list good enough?

Can anyone with Toronto POE (as a connection) experience help?

[JFH 12,191]

Through-checked doesn’t mean you don’t see your bags between Regina and your final destination. It just means that you won’t have to go back to the check-in desks. You will have to claim your baggage at Toronto and clear customs and immigration. Your bags will then be taken from you and routed to the next flight. Your bags will be tagged to your final destination in Regina. That’s what through-checked means. 

[MT and BT 9]

11 hours ago, JFH said:

Through-checked doesn’t mean you don’t see your bags between Regina and your final destination. It just means that you won’t have to go back to the check-in desks. You will have to claim your baggage at Toronto and clear customs and immigration. Your bags will then be taken from you and routed to the next flight. Your bags will be tagged to your final destination in Regina. That’s what through-checked means. 

Thank you!  That is exactly the information I was looking for.

[mikebike 9]

If you're flying on Air Canada the whole way you won't need to pick up your bags. You can either use the bypass to connect to the F gates where US departures are, or just leave the domestic area as per normal and take the elevator or escalator up to departures and enter the F gates security there. I haven't taken the bypass from domestic to USA in a while but I believe you'll skip having to do security again if you choose to do it that way.

[mikebike 9]

12 hours ago, JFH said:

Through-checked doesn’t mean you don’t see your bags between Regina and your final destination. It just means that you won’t have to go back to the check-in desks. You will have to claim your baggage at Toronto and clear customs and immigration. Your bags will then be taken from you and routed to the next flight. Your bags will be tagged to your final destination in Regina. That’s what through-checked means. 

Not sure when you last travelled through YYZ but that procedure no longer exists. You no longer carry your bags through customs as of a few years ago when they changed the entire customs area.

[Ksenia_O 696]

9 minutes ago, mikebike said:

Not sure when you last travelled through YYZ but that procedure no longer exists. You no longer carry your bags through customs as of a few years ago when they changed the entire customs area.

I didn't have to get my luggage either in Toronto Pearson. I even asked them - couldn't believe I didn't have to do that

 

Was flying with Air Canada, from Ukraine to the US with a layover in Toronto Pearson. Went there through both Customs, Canada and US.

 

[MT and BT 9]

Thanks for the information, @mikebike and @Ksenia_O.  That sounds even better - much less hassle if I don't have to pick up and drop off my bags again.

[SunnyTiger 9]

6 hours ago, MT and BT said:

Thanks for the information, @mikebike and @Ksenia_O.  That sounds even better - much less hassle if I don't have to pick up and drop off my bags again.

Agreed - you don't pick them up.  What happens is that you have to wait for the bags to transfer from your Regina flight to your next flight.  Gist of it is that you scan your boarding pass which then checks to see if your bags have been transferred over to intl flight.  If yes, you're allowed to go into customs. If no, you wait in a room until they get transferred over.  Learned way too much about this last summer when the luggage system broke and hubby got stuck in Toronto overnight!