Hello,osti said:HI Que Em
Have you landed to Canada or not yet , please let me know how it went .
I have submitted my pasport to VFS in Dubai on Sep 1st , the officer said it take approx 15 days to get the COPR and visa stamped.
in your case How many total days inclusing weekend did ittake to get your COPR and visa stamped ( from the date the officer recieved your Aramex) ?
am planning to fly to canada for 5 days , my initial province is Onatrio , but due to cheap flight to Montreal , am planning to land in Montreal and take rent a car to Toronto , will this work?
Second : POF , i need to provide 23k CAD i think for family of 4 , is it ok if i take my NBAD bank statement ? or take the money in AED as its easier to carry 66 notes of 1000 AED than 23,000 CAD ?
any idea how to overcome?
Thanx!
I am still waiting for my PPR. I think you've mentioned me in your post by mistake.
Anyways, I guess you can use the VFS/Aramex tracking option to monitor the progress of your package. You can also check your MyCIC account for information about your application as it will show 'decision made' and then a return tracker activation, e.g. I guess it takes around 2-4 weeks time for visa stamping.
About flights, I think you can check Expedia for economical flights, also, Etihad offers cheap direct flights to Toronto, I guess. I am not sure renting a car and driving from Montreal to Toronto would be a good idea, especially, if you haven't lived in Canada before. Also, I don't think it would be of any benefit, considering the drive time (over 5 hours) plus car rent charges compared to the money you want to save.
Regarding the POF, I think the best option is to get a recent bank statement provided the funds are available to you immediately and you can withdraw money from inside Canada and/or are able to transfer it to a Canadian bank account. I won't suggest carrying money in cash, also, check and get familiar with the latest information from CBSA on travelling with money to Canada.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/travel-voyage/ttd-vdd-eng.html
The bank statement should be fine.
You can use your Master/Visa card(s) at Canadian ATM outlets to withdraw money as you need it and/or you can also use your credit cards online as well, if needed (for your stay and bookings etc). Also, just keep some money for your personal expenses in cash, in Canadian dollars.
I hope this helps. Good luck and wish you a smooth and easy landing experience.