An unconventional way to change your immigration status in Canada

An unconventional way to change your immigration status in Canada

If you want to change your Canadian tourist visa to a student or work visa, but do not fit the standard requirements of the procedure, you can make a flagpole.

In Canada, there is such a procedure as flagpoles. Literally translated, it means "to go around the flagpole". And what does this have to do with changing immigration status, you may ask? Read on!

Flagpolling, or "flagpole circumvention," occurs when temporary Canadian residents cross the border but immediately return to receive immediate immigration services at the point of entry, namely:

  • activate permanent resident status;
  • get a renewed permit to study or work;
  • change your immigration status from a tourist to a work permit holder, for example.

This procedure is popularly referred to as a change of immigration status at the border.

This is a completely legal and much faster way to change immigration status in Canada.

You do not need a visa to the United States to do flagpole. In fact, you are leaving Canada but not entering the US, just "going around the flagpole".

What's all this for?

Flagpole is a time-saving alternative to online filing, where processing times can be weeks or months. After bypassing the flagpole at the point of entry into Canada, documents are often processed in less than 30 minutes.

Who can "go around the flagpole"?

Flagpole is usually done by


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  • #immigration to Canada
  • #change of status in Canada
  • #get a permit to study in Canada
  • #get a permit to work in Canada
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