Can I travel immediately after taking oath?

[txboyscout]

Hi

I am scheduled to take the oath on Saturday. Unfortunately I will have to travel immediately after taking the oath. Is this possible?

 

[Rob_TO]

If travelling on a visa-exempt passport it should be fine.

If your passport requires a visa to enter Canada, you'll need to get a Canadian passport first if flying, OR travel by personal car through a land border to re-enter Canada.

 

[applicant314]

Caution: Even if the country that issued your passport is exempted from the visa requirement, you probably will have to show a booked flight out of Canada. Airlines check for that and might not let you board otherwise. Also, I was given a hard time during my pre-PR time when I entered Canada overland, because my return flight was leaving from the US instead of Canada. A visa-free passport does not entitle you to an unlimited stay in Canada.

Either postpone your journey for a few days and apply for an express passport, or try to gt the passport by a Canadian mission abroad. The latter might be headache.

 

[Rob_TO]

Caution: Even if the country that issued your passport is exempted from the visa requirement, you probably will have to show a booked flight out of Canada. Airlines check for that and might not let you board otherwise.

Most times it is fine. I know many people who have done this with no problems, including my wife. Worst case scenario if the airline is really picky about having a return or onward ticket, just book a fully refundable one on the spot and cancel it right after.

Also, I was given a hard time during my pre-PR time when I entered Canada overland, because my return flight was leaving from the US instead of Canada. A visa-free passport does not entitle you to an unlimited stay in Canada.

When presenting yourself to Canada immigration either by land or air, you would be entering as a citizen, so are entitled to stay forever. CBSA officer can look up citizenship status on their computer system, and can also show citizenship certificate as well, or COPR for extra proof if needed.

It's only boarding the flight there you would have to worry about.

 

[eileenf]

I am scheduled to take the oath on Saturday. Unfortunately I will have to travel immediately after taking the oath. Is this possible?

This is not at all a good idea. The problem is not where you're going, but getting back into Canada. You might get lucky, but the Oath certificate is not a travel document and trying to get back into Canada on your home country passport (with no PR card or visa) is a huge risk.

If you can wait 2-3 days, you can get a rush passport. Otherwise you may be out thousands of dollars (I really doubt an airline will refund your ticket when you made the error of attempting to travel without a legit travel document), or you may get stuck :
http://www.thestar.com/news/immigration/2014/08/04/dual_citizens_carrying_foreign_passport_turned_away_at_florida_airport.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/new-canadian-without-passport-stuck-in-jamaica-1.1882573

 

[keesio]

txboyscout - if you are traveling to the US and trying to get back to Canada on your US passport, then you should not have any issue. When I got my oath letter in Mississauga, they explained how they were going to take our PR card and someone asked the a similar question as you (can they travel asap to the US with their citizenship certificate) and the CIC official said that they need to wait until they get their Canadian passport unless they have a visa-exempt passport like a US passport, then they can just travel back to Canada on that.

 

[txboyscout]

Thanks for all of your responses guys

I do not have a visa exempt passport but do have a US perm resident (green) card.

The reason I am travelling so soon is because my grandmother is terminally ill and might only have a few days left

 

[eileenf]

Sorry to hear that txboyscout.

Is your grandmother in the US?

If not, I recommend that you call the airlines and ask them what documents they require to let you on a flight back to Canada.

Otherwise the only plausible way of getting back into Canada after your trip would be flying into the US close to the Canadian border, entering the US on your green card, renting a car and then entering Canada by land border (where you can probably cross with your home passport and cit certificate, but there are no guarantees).

 

[txboyscout]

Sorry to hear that txboyscout.

Is your grandmother in the US?

If not, I recommend that you call the airlines and ask them what documents they require to let you on a flight back to Canada.

Otherwise the only plausible way of getting back into Canada after your trip would be flying into the US close to the Canadian border, entering the US on your green card, renting a car and then entering Canada by land border (where you can probably cross with your home passport and cit certificate, but there are no guarantees).

Thanks for the response.

Yes she is in the US

I checked with the consulate and they said that new citizens can only apply for passports within Canada.

I am thinking that after my oath. I leave for the US. The airlines should let me board because my green card gives me visa free entry into Canada.

Once I return, I can apply for a passport.

Does this sound plausible?

 

[eileenf]

Thanks for the response.

Yes she is in the US

I checked with the consulate and they said that new citizens can only apply for passports within Canada.

I am thinking that after my oath. I leave for the US. The airlines should let me board because my green card gives me visa free entry into Canada.

Once I return, I can apply for a passport.

Does this sound plausible?

Firstly I hope your grandmother and your family are doing as well as can be expected.

I'm not a lawyer, so please do your due diligence and make the decisions that you are comfortable with.

I do not recommend trying to get back into Canada w/out the proper documentation, but it is up to you to decide what is best for you and your family.

That said,
Advice/Options:
1. Call a lawyer now or have a lawyer's phone number on hand when you cross.
2. Call the CBSA. Ask for the agents' name before you speak to them. Write it down along with the time of the call. Ask them what to do.
3. Call the CIC. Ask for the agents' name before you speak to them. Write it down along with the time of the call. Ask them what to do.
4. Contact your MP. Get their staff to rush the hell out of your passport and leave for USA afterwards. Or alert them to your situation ahead of leaving for USA and tell them you may be calling on them for assistance should you have trouble getting back into Canada.
5. If you do go without a Canadian passport and run into trouble, call the journalists who wrote the stories I linked above. Call the CBSA. Call your MP.
6. Crossing via land would be easier than going via airplane. (Are you going to Texas?)

If you do it, present yourself to the CBSA as a new citizen not a US green card holder (perhaps it's slightly less of a problem to use your green card with the airlines, to get on the flight, but I can't say for sure).

The problem with entering as txboyscout: US green card holder is that CBSA will register you as another person with striking similarities (same DOB) as txboyscout: Cdn PR/citizen. If there's one thing that freaks border guards out, it's when the person in front of them might not be who they're saying they are or that they have multiple identities meaning the CBSA can't see the whole picture. They will worry that you are trying to trick them, that you are hiding who you really are, or that your document could be fraudulent.

This is not unlike US/Cdn dual citizens being required to enter Canada on a Canadian passport and US on their US passport.

Anyway, good luck, godspeed and let us know how it goes. I can only imagine that this is a large and entirely unnecessary stress during a challenging, important time for you and your family.

 

[Rob_TO]

Thanks for all of your responses guys

I do not have a visa exempt passport but do have a US perm resident (green) card.

The reason I am travelling so soon is because my grandmother is terminally ill and might only have a few days left

Your only concern is boarding the airplane. You need to check if your passport + green card is suitable to enter Canada. I'm not sure Canada's rules when it comes to this, and if US green card is good enough to make you visa-exempt.

From this, it should be fine: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=593&t=16
I have U.S. residency (Green Card). Do I need a visa to visit Canada or can I use my Green Card?
As a U.S. Green Card holder, you do not need a temporary resident visa to travel to Canada. At the Canadian border, you will need to present your valid passport and Green Card.

If you can board the aircraft with just your passport + green card, then you will be fine. Once you reach Canadian airport, you can then present yourself as a citizen and they should be able to look you up on their system.