Readers of Sing in Can would have followed my epic journey from Singapore to Vancouver, Canada, which involved a transit stop at Hong Kong Airport, where I did a little lounge hopping.
After a 12-hour flight across the Pacific via Cathay Pacific Business Class on its spanking new A350, I finally caught a glimpse of the land I had worked so hard and long to get into!
Vancouver Airport First Feels
Walking through the walkway perched above the gate hold rooms and departure area, he design of the airport felt very much like that of Oslo Airport, albeit without the wooden, earthy tones.
The choice of carpet, though, was exactly in the same theme as the textile for Cathay Pacific seats, so it actually felt like I was walking on “Cathay Pacific Airport” when I disembarked!
Clearing Customs
Despite touching down at 8am, which was a peak timing for all major aviation hubs, the airport was empty and quiet (which also explained why it felt like Oslo Airport to me).
Therefore, it was actually a breeze clearing customs at Vancouver Airport.
We first had to queue up at before the counters. Like all airports, the counters were segregated to serve locals and foreigners. Unlike many airports, the counters serving locals readily accepted foreigners whenever their queue was cleared, which sped up the waiting time for the foreigners queue, which was wayyy longer.
The officer handed me a slip after clearing me; he didn’t even ask about my ETA (or the lack thereof). Fearing that I might end up with an illegal immigrant status, I tried my luck and asked him about my study permit, which was supposed to be issued upon arrival. He told me that I should go to the immigration (points to his back in a general direction) to obtain my study permit.
Which was weird. All along, I thought the guys checking passports were the immigration officers.. lol
Claiming Baggage
As the airport was not huge, the baggage claim belts were just a few steps from the customs counters. Weird to say, there was a staff in between to check the slip of paper handed to me. I asked her again about the location for getting my study permit and she pointed to her back (in a general direction).
Oh well…
Luckily for me, my luggage came out very early. After grabbing my suitcases, I asked around again for the office to get my study permit. Sure enough, the Immigration office was right beside the baggage claim, which was not in the direction where the officers pointed.
Oh well…
Obtaining Study Permit
Before I managed to enter the office, which was cordoned off, I was told to leave my luggage at a holding area near the exit of the office. This was the time when I felt so alone… Other students had their family members guard their luggage for them, whereas mine was to be left alone…
The office was actually divided into 2, one for work permit and the other for study permit. There was a queue set aside for the work permit’s area, which was weird, because the place was almost empty.
The officer at the end of the queue took my documents and asked me to wait in the holding area until my name was called.
It was during my wait that I realised why there were queue poles for the study permit area. Students just waltzed in and ignored the signs. In that 30 minutes, I witnessed quite a number of them getting reprimanded for not observing rules.
Which was interesting, because it was an instinct for me, as a Singaporean, to follow rules and wait at queues! It never occurred to me that there were people who were oblivious that queue poles = queue up!
The waiting part was gruesome. I saw many who came after me got their study permit and left. I was starting to worry if there was actually something wrong with my documents! If yes, I was a loooong way home to get what was needed!
It was also interesting that, despite arriving on a flight from Hong Kong, I was the only Chinese / East Asian waiting for a study permit.
After what felt like eternity, I finally heard my name got called to the counter. The process was swift, take over the single piece of document (it felt like holding a certificate) and check the particulars for accuracy.
The journey from the office to retrieving my luggage and to exiting the transit area was a short one, but I took some time admiring that piece of certification that I had waited long and hard for. It felt like time stopped for me as I stood in the sun-bathed atrium beside the baggage claim belt enjoying the feeling of holding on to the study permit!
Get Your Study Permit – From Touch Down to Legal Status
In case any reader is here to have a clearer idea of the whole process, here is a summary of what to expect after touch down at Vancouver Airport:
- Disembark plane
- Clear Customs (get passport stamped)
- Clear a 2nd check (present the piece of paper given by the Customs officer)
- Claim baggage
- If you are here with your family members, they can do it for you while you go get your study permit.
- If not, claim your baggage first, as you might not know how long you’ll be stuck in the immigration office
- Stow your luggage at the exit of the immigration office
- Enter the immigration office and queue up for your turn
- Surrender your documents (passport, letter from IRCC, financial documents)
- Prepare the documents while in queue
- Check the official IRCC website for updated list of required documents to present to immigration upon arrival
- Wait for name to be called
- Receive study permit
- Legally qualified to be in Canada!
Leaving Vancouver Airport
My goal after touch down was to:
- Obtain study permit
- Buy a SIM card
- Find my way to the Skytrain station
Buying a SIM Card at Vancouver Airport
Since I had already gotten my study permit, I went to look for the 7-11 that online forummers said visitors could get a SIM card.
Yes, there was little information on how to get a SIM card online, and the information was vague. So here is the clear direction on how to get that SIM card, before you step out of the free WiFi zone in the airport and become totally disconnected.
- After exiting the transit area, turn right and walk to the escalator
- Walk up the escalator (the same one to take when going to the Skytrain station)
- Follow the signage to enter the Domestic Terminal (which was on the right of the escalator and looked like the path would lead to a dead end)
- The first section of the Domestic Terminal had low ceilings – ignore that and continue walking (it would be a long 100m walk)
- At the end of the low-ceiling section, you will walk out into a cavernous part of the terminal, which was the main section of the Departure Hall
- Find the nearest escalator near the entrance of Departure Hall to go down to Arrival Hall
- The 7-11 is right beside the escalator after reaching Arrival Hall
I hope the direction was clear enough, because I walked up and down the terminal a few times due to the ambiguous instructions left by the forummers!
Getting a Taxi Out of Vancouver Airport
Halfway through trying to find the 7-11, I found out that a wheel on one of my suitcases was spoilt – I didn’t think it would survive any more rolling on the Skytrain (I still have to roll it to my Airbnb, and then roll it to my permanent accommodation, so I needed to preserve the wheel!), so I decided to take a cab from the domestic terminal instead.
Turned out, finding a cab in Vancouver Airport was just as confusing.
I got directions from the Customer Service at the Departure Hall, whose instructions were just as ambiguous as the officers directing me to the immigration office. I just couldn’t find a taxi queue along the driveway as he told me.
Following the signs after I re-entered the Arrival Hall, I saw a concierge behind a podium stating something like “Taxi to City”.
It turned out to be a limousine service, which cost a bomb. Luckily for me, the guy gave me a clearer direction to get to the taxi stand: Walk out of the door beside me, turn right (behind the counter) and walk all the way to the end.
After like an hour scurrying around the International and Domestic Terminals, I was finally on my way to Vancouver core!
Arriving in Burnaby
The ride on the cab took slightly more than an hour – the weather was fine. According to the driver, it had just rained for a few days prior and that was the first non-rainy day!
Like what I read online, the taxi I was in felt like a relic from the 1990s. Singaporeans might be able to relate, if I were to say the taxis felt like those we could take in JB! Be prepared for strong smell and painful butt as you bump along the road!
We skirted around Boundary Road and entered Burnaby proper, where my Airbnb was located.
Luckily for me, my Airbnb was situated in a very quiet and quaint neighbourhood.
I reached earlier than what I told my landlord – I had expected long queues at the customs and a long wait for the study permit. She showed me to my room, gave me a general introduction of the house and the neighbourhood, and left me to rest and recover from my jet lag.
My Journey from Singapore to Vancouver!
I hope you had enjoyed the recap of my epic journey from Singapore to Canada! If you have not done so, check out my earlier blog posts for the Singapore to Hong Kong hop, lounge hopping in Hong Kong Airport and my trip review on Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class!
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Till then, sing while you can!
Editor’s Note: This article was first posted on Sing in Can blog in 2019. It is now re-posted with edits on Live.Life.Love as SiC has closed down.
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