Can I still go to Canada but not landing with my Immigrant Visa

[skyinvan]

Can I still visit Canada as visitor/worker with my work permit and visa but not using my immigrant visa?

Try to put off the landing date here.

Thanks.
Sky

 

[ZingyDNA]

I don't think so. You work permit/non-immigrant visa get nullified even if they are still valid. My wife had a visitor visa good for 10 years but they put something on it when we get her passport back.

 

[melgirl]

Im pretty sure that would be unavoidable once you land and get to Canadian immigration at the airport. The officer would send you straight to the immigration section at the airport to confirm your immigration landing and refusing to "land" would definitely raise red flags to them. And your other visas such as your visitors and work permit are no longer valid.

Cheers!

 

[chasinglight]

What if you live in a visa exempt country?

 

[siroccoon]

I had the same question on my mind, but yes I wouldn't apply for another visa or try to visit Canada and not doing landing now.

 

[pie_vancouver]

do you mind me asking why you wouldn't want to land?

 

[skyinvan]

Thanks Everyone for your replies. I think I would rather wait

 

[EU_2010]

Can I still visit Canada as visitor/worker with my work permit and visa but not using my immigrant visa?

Try to put off the landing date here.

Thanks.
Sky

Hi,

Yes you can. I can answer this question for someone in my situation. I do not know if the same applies to your particular situation. (Myself: visa-exempt and on a work permit that is valid until the end of 2014).

I received my COPR mid January. I could have landed right away with my next upcoming trip to the US (already booked) end of January but knowing that I had a couple of other trips in January/February/March (two more to the US and one to Europe) already booked, I was also looking for a way to put it off till end of March (last planned trip and nothing outside of Canada planned after that until August).
With that information I consulted with my lawyer to find out what would happen if I kept exiting/entering on my passport + work permit and only inform them that I want to land and present my COPR on the last trip in March.

Yes I know there are numerous threads debating whether or not you can travel without the PR card if you are visa exempt. It is possible, but the airline can make it difficult. Since they usually give me hassle I just preferred to avoid such situations altogether and not land until March, knowing that for the next overseas trip in August my PR card would likely have arrived (it did a month ago).

The lawyer confirmed that this was the safest way to avoid problems traveling while waiting for the PR card and hence landing two months sooner or later did not really make a difference, he advised me to postpone the landing. He mentioned that my status (having received COPR) would appear on the immigration officer’s screen and I should just not be surprised to get a question regarding why I did not want to land yet. In the three times I entered at Toronto Pearson on the work permit despite having received COPR, nobody ever questioned this.

It was certainly not a problem, the only downside is it will take me two months longer to accumulate my residence days in Canada as a PR before I can apply for citizenship. In my situation, well worth not having to worry about potentially getting problems when trying to board a plane.

Your situation and reasons for delaying may be entirely different, just wanted to share this.

 

[LPS]

Yes I know there are numerous threads debating whether or not you can travel without the PR card if you are visa exempt. It is possible, but the airline can make it difficult. Since they usually give me hassle I just preferred to avoid such situations altogether and not land until March, knowing that for the next overseas trip in August my PR card would likely have arrived (it did a month ago).

I'm curious - could you elaborate on how the airlines make this difficult? As far as I knew, if you have a visa exempt passport they should let you board, regardless of what other status documents you may have.

 

[EU_2010]

Of course.
I often book my flights starting in Frankfurt or Munich rather than starting in Toronto. So I usually leave either city in February or March and will have the return from Toronto booked for December, just before Christmas. I will go back during the year but those are shorter trips and I tend to plan them at shorter notice.

So needless to say, to the airline this looks as if I were a tourist trying to overstay. It has happened to me twice in Frankfurt that they've been calling me various times (of course I wasn't at the gate yet) and then I got a "we've been looking for you all over, we are very concerned about your documents". Of course once they check my passport with the work permit, all is good, but I just find it very annoying.

In the US they very closely examine both passport and work permit every single time I board. I go a few times a year, either on business for 2 days or privately for a (long) weekend. Technically, I should be able to enter Canada from the US even as a tourist. Nevertheless, they always ask me where I live and then immediately go on "well you know you better have your papers in order". I guess I could just say I live in Germany and am visiting Canada as a tourist but not exactly the situation I'd like to get busted in for not telling the truth. What if they start asking for onward travel out of Canada etc. Have no interest of making future US travel difficult for myself.

My papers are completely in order and I look (and am) totally harmless so I am not sure why they give me such a hard time every single time. I sometimes think they are overbooked again and desperately looking for passengers they can bump off without having to pay compensation according to EUR regulations ;-)

Hope this explains...

 

[LPS]

^ Oh I see. Hadn't thought of the frequent traveller angle. Thanks