Hey guys, What is the process for us getting our visa? I have the piece of paper that came in my package for the J1 visa....do I just take that to the airport with me? And if so, how long does it take them to process it? My stopover in Toronto is where I'd be doing the immigration stuff I would imagine - I think the stopover is 4 hours. Is that enough time?
I was told by Eric that we do NOTHING for CANADIANS. We jsut leave it to THEM!! I suspect that you would take the paper to the airport with you, along with your passport and that should do it for you!! They don't get MANY of these Visa's so they will probably be asking ALOT of questions as well!! Maybe someone who is THERE already can truly confirm this for you!!
Hey there, The papers with the J-1 info is all we need, because the visa process is simpler for canadians. You will just show that to the customs officer, and it really doesn't take much longer than when you enter the states for a vacation (unless you look sketchy! ). I may be wrong, but I don't think you'll be doing all this in Toronto. I think you go through American customs in the first US airport you hit. Either way, 4 hours is plenty of time... just answer their questions and everything should go smoothly! Robin
you will almost definitely go through customs in toronto... last vacation to disneyworld i found this out when the bags had to be xrayed in some special machine that you do yourself before they get checked and then answer a bunch of questions while under the watchful eye of armed servicemen.
YEAH you will be doing it FIRST THING when you get to TORONTO to be honest with ya!! Just make sure you have your passport around close when you do this!! You will also have to fill out the paperwork at the airport about things your entering into the States!!
You'll clear customs in Toronto. When I went a couple years ago, I had to fill out -the I-?? (anyone remember what it was called) form while I was in the customs line and then take that and the piece of US Gov't paper with the bunch of names on it to the customs guy (or girl). They asked a couple questions and I had to give them the spiel on what I was doing down there. Some of the customs people I had going back and forth during the year had heard about it, others hadn't. It only took a couple of extra minutes. The biggest pain in the bum will be having to pick up your bags and lug them around with you through customs! 4 hours will be waaaaaay more than enough time...but the customs line can often be long. (FYI...whenever you leave the US to go ANYWHERE eg. cruise, be sure to carry that paper with the list of names on it because you need it to get back into the US...boyfriend and I went on a cruise and didn't have it and it caused great grief and all of the customs officers were so confused by the Q1 visa...they were like OOOOhh...the DISNEY Visa...but still couldn't figure it out!) Shannon
A piece of paper (probably a photocopy...or mine was pink because it was the original) issued by the US Gov't with names of arrivals on it. Your name will be on it and if you know any other Canadians arriving on the same day as you, most likely their name will be on it too. I think it had the Statue of Liberty in the background or something. Do you have any paper with a number of names on it? This was 2003, so things might be different now. Shan
I had a Q-Visa, and all I did was take it with me to the airport with my passport. (WDWIP sent it to me, I did no paperwork myself to obtain it). When I got to customs, he stapled it inside my passport, and said "Have fun!". That was it.
As well you will be fingerprinted at the Toronto or Montreal Airport when you are preclearing customs before your flight to Orlando....
Well, I guess I look "sketchy" since I had to go and get fingerprinted and sit in a waiting room for half an hour while the customs officer looked at all my stuff. I don't recall any list of names... but you do get an I-94 card, its a form you fill out and they keep the top portion and staple the bottom portion to your passport. IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!! You'll need it to get back into Canada! Some people were unlucky and got an officer who must've been sleeping or something because they didn't get the I-94 cards. It was a hassle for them to get them after they got here. But if you don't get one and it isn't taken care of, or if you lose it, you have to pay I think $160 to get a new one. So make sure you get one!
I don't know about the fingerprints, but most people that arrived with me said they did not have to go to a separate room and wait for a customs officer to look over everything... they just had the first officer to go through.
MATT...... Again I wanted to THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much for the updates!! It is hard for the rest of us waiting to go to sit back and WAIT!! So, with your updates, we get IMPORTANT information and questions answered and it gives us a little look at what we are going to expect to go through!! YOU ROCK BUD and I TRULY hope this experience is ALL you ever wanted it to be!! ;D
No worries, I absolutely love it here! Some things are not as I expected them to be, but that doesn't mean it makes it suck. When you get here, you'll notice a whole lot of people complaining. I think the majority of them are US college programmers or just people from Orlando who got hired. It isn't always like "living in a dream", but as long as you look from a positive perspective, you'll have a BLAST! Plus if you buy the "wishes" soundtrack and listen to it... indescribable!
