Dual citizen (USA / Canada), succefully sponsored wife and kids (USA citizens), about to do soft landing

[swallace]

I was born in the US. I have a US passport and got my Canadian passport through my Canadian dad. I successfully sponsored my American wife and kids for permanent residency in Canada through family class sponsorship (outland). We live in the US.

As medicals for my wife and kids expire soon, we want to do a soft landing around Christmas now that they got COPR. We need to continue to live in the US for at least a few more years.

1) Do I need to accompany my wife and kids for their soft landing? Or could just the three of them fly to Canada (so as to save on airfare)? Same question for applying for the SIN.

2) Regarding the 'goods to follow' customs declaration, do we need to prepare the full document now? Or when we move to Canada, can we just say that everything is mine as I'm a Canadian citizen? I have never lived in Canada. Is there any benefit if I (the Canadian citizen) prepare a 'goods to follow' customs declaration for this soft landing visit at Christmas? Any tips on amendments (for example, if we sell one car and buy another)?

3) We will try to get one of the multi-year, multi-entry Permanent Resident Travel Documents. My wife has a cruise planned in May of next year that stops in Victoria. All fine if she presents that upon disembarking, explains she's just on a vacation, and hops back on the cruise ship? Has anyone ever had success getting more than one of these multi-year, multi-entry Permanent Resident Travel Documents after the first one expires?

4) To be clear, we will all live together (with me as a Canadian citizen) in the US for at least the next few years.

5) Under this plan, there's no reason to think we would need to file Canadian taxes, correct?

Thanks so much y'all

 

[wlee62]

1) No, you do not need to accompany your wife and kids. They should have all the paperwork they need to do the landing. Same with the SIN card.
3) I have received 2 multi-entry PRTDs ,but they only grant it for 1 year at a time... lame. I know.
5) Best to ask an accountant, but I'm pretty sure my husband (Canadian citizen) and I (Canadian PR) do not file Canadian taxes. We just do our US taxes. But you should ask a professional.

 

[Tubsmagee]

3) I have received 2 multi-entry PRTDs ,but they only grant it for 1 year at a time... lame. I know.

No hard and fast but it is possible to get more than a year at a time. I received one valid through expiration of passport, close to 3 years.

 

[canuck78]

I was born in the US. I have a US passport and got my Canadian passport through my Canadian dad. I successfully sponsored my American wife and kids for permanent residency in Canada through family class sponsorship (outland). We live in the US.

As medicals for my wife and kids expire soon, we want to do a soft landing around Christmas now that they got COPR. We need to continue to live in the US for at least a few more years.

1) Do I need to accompany my wife and kids for their soft landing? Or could just the three of them fly to Canada (so as to save on airfare)? Same question for applying for the SIN.

2) Regarding the 'goods to follow' customs declaration, do we need to prepare the full document now? Or when we move to Canada, can we just say that everything is mine as I'm a Canadian citizen? I have never lived in Canada. Is there any benefit if I (the Canadian citizen) prepare a 'goods to follow' customs declaration for this soft landing visit at Christmas? Any tips on amendments (for example, if we sell one car and buy another)?

3) We will try to get one of the multi-year, multi-entry Permanent Resident Travel Documents. My wife has a cruise planned in May of next year that stops in Victoria. All fine if she presents that upon disembarking, explains she's just on a vacation, and hops back on the cruise ship? Has anyone ever had success getting more than one of these multi-year, multi-entry Permanent Resident Travel Documents after the first one expires?

4) To be clear, we will all live together (with me as a Canadian citizen) in the US for at least the next few years.

5) Under this plan, there's no reason to think we would need to file Canadian taxes, correct?

Thanks so much y'all

Given that you either never have lived in Canada or haven’t lived in Canada you would have to have provided concrete proof that you would be relocating to Canada in order to get approved to sponsor your family. Were you asked to provide concrete proof that you were planning on moving after you received PR? In terms of trying or obtain a multi-entry PRTD that may be very difficult. These tend to be reserved for very specific circumstances like after establishing a life in Canada a couple moves abroad while one is still a PR. Once their PR card expires they can apply for a PRTD and ask to be considered for a multi-entry PRTD versus flying to Canada to renew their PR card and then flying back to Canada to pick up their new PRTD. They may have needed to obtain a PRTD to enter Canada or fly into the US just to get the new PR card. If you had provided proof that your family would move to the US after receiving their PR but haven’t moved that could be the first issue because that could be consider misrepresentation. Not sure how you would justify the need for a multi-entry PRTD given your profile. Why did you sponsor your family if you have no immediate plans on moving? If you don’t plan on moving for at least a few years may not meet the residency obligation at the point and there is a good chance you misrepresented the fact that you would be moving to Canada after receiving PR as well as which could also lead to problems.

 

[wlee62]

No hard and fast but it is possible to get more than a year at a time. I received one valid through expiration of passport, close to 3 years.

I know they say they do grant multi-year, but they only gave me 1 year even tho my passport was valid for over 2 years.

 

[canuck78]

I know they say they do grant multi-year, but they only gave me 1 year even tho my passport was valid for over 2 years.

Usually dependent on circumstances. Why couldn’t you get a PR card and needed a multiple entry PRTD. When did you first land as a PR?

 

[wlee62]

I landed in 2012. I've been living in the States for the last few years with my Canadian spouse. My card has expired twice, so I've applied for PRTD twice. Both times they've only issued 1-year multi-entry PRTD. The first time I applied for PR renewal, it was fine. Second time (last year), I've been running into issues, that I'm on my second application in over a year, and I'm STILL waiting for updates on my online application.

I'm pretty unimpressed with it by this point.

 

[canuck78]

I landed in 2012. I've been living in the States for the last few years with my Canadian spouse. My card has expired twice, so I've applied for PRTD twice. Both times they've only issued 1-year multi-entry PRTD. The first time I applied for PR renewal, it was fine. Second time (last year), I've been running into issues, that I'm on my second application in over a year, and I'm STILL waiting for updates on my online application.

I'm pretty unimpressed with it by this point.

Dod you move to Canada after getting PR and how much time did you and your spouse spend living in Canada after getting sponsored?

 

[wlee62]

I got PR through the CEC class. It was a few years after my landing that I moved down to the US.

I checked application processing times and I'm now over the quoted 78 days for processing, and my online application just says "submitted" still.

 

[canuck78]

I got PR through the CEC class. It was a few years after my landing that I moved down to the US.

I checked application processing times and I'm now over the quoted 78 days for processing, and my online application just says "submitted" still.

78 days is just estimated average processing time so can be both shorter and longer. Given that you may have been abroad most of the time a longer then it is probably not considered normal processing. Did you request PRTD or PR card?

 

[wlee62]

I requested for PR card since I was able to apply while within Canada for a short visit.