Going through Canadian immigration/customs for wwoofing
Hello everyone,
I’m leaving for Canada on September 1st to do WWOOFing at ranches through the HelpX platform. Overall, I’ll be spending 5 weeks at a ranch near Kelowna, 5 weeks at another one near Saskatoon, then 5 days in Montreal as a tourist before flying back to Paris.
I already have my eTA, passport, international driving permit, travel insurance, and all the necessary flight tickets, including my return flight. Since I’ve finished my studies, I’ve also signed a job offer for when I return to France.
However, after reading several people’s experiences, I’m a bit worried about going through Canadian customs. From what I’ve read, many people recommend saying that you’re visiting friends rather than mentioning that you’re going to do WWOOFing.
I’m planning to book 2 cheap hotel nights in the city where I arrive, just in case, so I don’t have to explain the WWOOFing situation right away, or in case I meet up with friends and they ask me additional questions.
I’ve also bought some gifts for my hosts (French biscuits, strawberry jam, and a few pâtés/terrines that comply with the permitted regulations). However, I understand that I need to declare them when I arrive.
So I have a few questions:
- How does declaring the food I’m bringing work?
- What would you generally recommend telling the customs officer? Especially if I book 2 nights at a hotel at the beginning, how should I explain the rest of my trip if I don’t have any other bookings?
- If anyone has had experience staying at ranches or travelling around Canada, I’d love to hear about it!
- Anything else I should know or any advice?
Thank you!!