A few (more) questions!

[Silver_Spirit]

My visa is in london now and will be processing again as soon as ive sent of my psych analysis. However im hoping to go to canada to wait it out on a visitor visa on the 24th. We have a return ticket booked, my husband will be with me to say he will support me once he gets a job, and my mother in law has written me a letter and got bank statements to prove she is also willing to support me for that time period. And i have all my letters i've gotten to date stating client ID's and sponsorship approval etc.

1. My question is, what exactly do i say to the customs people? and what do i fill out on the landing card? do i put the time of stay as the 5 months that my return ticket is booked for? Also are there any extra costs incurred for the uk-canada 6 month visits (i know we are visa exempt but as i still get stamped or something i assume i figured there may be something and i'd rather be prepared)

2. Is it best i mention the needing the psych analysis to the immigration officer when seeking 6 months stay, or is this something best kept to the visa processing people to keep things smoother

3. And also, once there is it best if i change my addresses to canada? My mother owns the house we are living in the UK and could alert me of any further mail we got, but i wasnt sure if the visa people need to know my whereabouts during processing etc And if it is best i change the address how do i best go about doing this? (email, phone etc)


Once again thank you for being so prompt and helpful, hopefully soon you'll all be rid of me

 

[matthewc]

1. Put the visit length in to match your return trip. As for dealing with the IO, there are some good suggestions here:

http://us2canada.com/visiting.php
http://us2canada.com/visitorrecord.php

(It's written for the US, but applicable to your situation.)

2. No, don't mention that.

3. Once you're in, changing the mailing address to Canada would be a good idea. You have to contact the visa office directly to do that when the file is outside Canada.

 

[BeShoo]

They will issue you a "visitor record" which is a piece of paper folded up and stapled to a page of your passport. There is no charge for this. It specifies the date by which you must either leave Canada or apply for an extension to your visit.

 

[Silver_Spirit]

Thank you, and presuambly i just say i have sponsor approval and im just waiting out the rest of the process with my husband?

 

[sbwv09]

I'm interested in this topic too. Is there really any reason they would turn down the visitor's pass if you have all the documentation, etc that you need? Is a stamp in the passport the same as a visitor's record?

 

[BeShoo]

Thank you, and presuambly i just say i have sponsor approval and im just waiting out the rest of the process with my husband?

Yes, that's just what you should say. They'll want to see proof that you applied for PR (a copy of the fee receipt) and if you can show them proof that you have sponsorship approval, that's even better.

Remember that you are still coming to "visit", not to move in. The luggage you are bringing should be appropriate for a visit of that duration and don't bring anything that might suggest you are never planning to leave. You need to show that you are planning to return to the UK. A return ticket is good for that. A residence outside Canada that you own or pay rent on would also be important and a job that you need to get back to is also good. Actually any obligations that you have in your home country are important. If you can't show "sufficient ties" to your home country, it could be a reason to deny your entry to Canada.

Is a stamp in the passport the same as a visitor's record?

You get a visitor record is they think there is any danger that you will overstay. There is a "leave-by" date and you must surrender the VR by that time (or request an extension). If you request an extension, you have to show when your current visitor status ends and a VR is useful for that. Yes a stamp is okay. If it doesn't have a "leave-by" date, it's 6 months. Occasionally, visitors may not get a stamp, but that makes it really harder to prove when you came in.

 

[sbwv09]

I've actually never gotten my passport stamped.. maybe I should start asking for that?

 

[Baloo]

There is a "leave-by" date and you must surrender the VR by that time (or request an extension).

Do you mean physically surrender the VR, if yes, can you point me at a link for this please?

There is nothing on my VR that mentions surrendering the document, it does however have an expiry date.

 

[BeShoo]

Do you mean physically surrender the VR, if yes, can you point me at a link for this please?

I can't find anything official from CIC that mentions surrendering the VR, but I feel certain that we were told that by the IO and I did find several other non-CIC web pages that talk about surrendering it.