COPR and coronavirus

[filtyfox]

Hi Guys, I would like to share my experience.
My PPR was early march and CoPR expiry date was first week of September. We were based in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia has commercial flights suspended from March till now. Only special flights are being operative.

We waited patiently in hope of the travel ban being lifted but nothing came up. Therefore, mid-August we decided to get special flights and move over to Canada - since jobs are still being done on remote basis (so it was not a problem).

We took KLM flight (they had requirement to get Covid-test done not more than 72 hours before the flight). Our flight was 24th early morning. We did our tests on 21st night and got results 22nd early morning.

After landing at Canada Airport on 24th August morning:
1. Immigration Officer (1st):
After getting off from plane, we got to the first screening immigration officer. He looked at our passports and KLM own health screening checks. He inquired us the purpose to which we responded that we are landing first time. He asked us if we have the 14 day quarantine plan ready to which we responded that yes we booked furnished apartment for more than 14 days. He asked if other people were living to which we replied that no one else will live with us in the apartment. He asked how we will manage groceries - to which we responded that we will do online. Then he directed us to go inside to complete the first landing documentation requirement.

2. Immigration Officer (2nd):
It was not crowded but officers took time to process each individual cases. Our turn - it was very smooth. The officer asked us for CoPRs and passports. Checked the details and gave us CoPR client copy to us. Asked us for the permanent address to which PR cards will be delivered. Informed us that normally it took 6 weeks before covid for the cards, now it would be longer. She suggested that it would be better to get PR cards and then leave the country, however, if we need to go before we get the PR card, it is not a problem. In case we want to come back and don't have PR card, we will have to get a visa from embassy in our country and we could come easily. Then we asked if we can get our SIN number from the airport. She checked and responded that ppl from SIN offices are not coming to Airport branch but we can do it easily from anywhere in Canada after our 14 day quarantine. Then she stamped our CoPRs and gave us back our passport. Welcomed us to Canada as Permanent Residents and told us that CoPR would act like PR card for anything that we want to do until we get PR cards.

3. Baggage:
By the time we cleared immigration, our baggage were all there and we collected and proceeded to Customs.

4. Customs:
We went through "To Declare" section and gave Goods accompanying and Goods to Follow list to the Custom Officer. Please make sure you have 2 copies of these lists. We only took one and the poor guy had to do the copy for his record himself. He asked for a permanent address here. We gave him the same address as we gave for the PR cards. It was an address of family friend.

After clearing customs we exited the Airport and got to our place via Uber. This is the latest landing experience. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to help out.

Thank you for sharing your experience and I'm sure this will help a lot of us. Have your moved permanently or did your soft landing?
I have a question regarding providing the address at POE for PR cards to get delivered. I am nominated by Saskatchewan province but I have no one in saskatchewan, at the time of landing if I provide my sisters address in Toronto, will it be OK or I have to provide an address in saskatchewan only.
Thanks

 

[SambaBlue]

Hi there. Thanks for your detailed explanation. I am a fellow Riyadh resident. I have my CoPR till end of February 21. But I am not planning to delay travel further. I have a few questions for you ;
1. How does one go about finding accommodation?
2. How's the weather right now?

Thanks and all the best!

1. Booking.com and Airbnb. Very easy to find. Try looking for apartments (furnished) for 14 days due to quarantine requirement.
2. Weather was hot when we landed 2 days before. Then it was raining yesterday. So it varies between 16 degrees to 25 degrees Celsius. Plus, if you are planning to come now, make sure you pack all types of clothes for winter too because you never know when Saudi Arabia will open its airspace if you want to go back.

 

[SambaBlue]

Are you moving permanently or staying temporarily? If temp, how long do you see yourself staying?

Well because of covid we couldn't really wrap up everything back home but the nature of our jobs is such that we can work remotely from anywhere in the world. Right now, we haven't really figured out anything yet but will jump on any good opportunity that arrives.

 

[SambaBlue]

Thank you for sharing your experience and I'm sure this will help a lot of us. Have your moved permanently or did your soft landing?
I have a question regarding providing the address at POE for PR cards to get delivered. I am nominated by Saskatchewan province but I have no one in saskatchewan, at the time of landing if I provide my sisters address in Toronto, will it be OK or I have to provide an address in saskatchewan only.
Thanks

I am glad I could be of help. Regarding your query, honestly I have no clue. We provided address of family friend but they resided in the same city where we landed.

 

[hinavin]

Hello everyone

I am in deep trouble and concerned for my PR.
COPR was issued on 20th March 2020, which is after the specified date of 18th March 2020.
COPR will expire on 30th august 2020 which is just 3 days from now.
I have connected with the border agency in Canada and they told me if you have valid COPR and you land in Canada you will be permitted to come in.
I spoke with all airlines which fly from Delhi to Toronto and Air India and Air Canada are allowing me to travel to Canada.
IRCC is not giving any response, and more importantly no response from the Canadian Embassy in Delhi.

Is there anybody else who is on the same boat?
I am very confused and concerned, much needed help will be appreciated.

Hi,

You are healthy, have a CoPR which is valid, means you are blessed! Not in trouble!

(below is my personal opinion - I may be totally wrong. But I think you already expect nothing less from an internet forum, right! )

You should travel. Attempt it with all your heart and preparation.

Travel restrictions spoke about allowing for CoPRs approved prior to 18 March, true. With a charming smile and confidence if you can board the flight (point of max risk where you may be denied) - then an approved CoPR which is still active would enable CBSA to let you in. Chances of being declined at POE in Canada are slim.

Worst case scenario:
You will loose money.
You will be stressed.
You will curse this member at CanadaVisa who suggested this.

Gain:
You get to achieve your dream. Now.

Best wishes,
Nav

 

[RahulBatra]

Hey,

Are you saying that CBSA told you that you would be permitted in with the COPR you have?

I am keen to know how things progress in your case since my COPR is from March 21 and expires in September. Have you booked flight tickets already?

So what i am saying is just a telephonic conversation and no written thing.
No I haven't booked any tickets yet but I am just thinking of taking the risk or not. The cancellation charges are INR 20k for 0-72 Hours. So it is a risk of 20k, all i am thinking is that should i go for it or not.

 

[RahulBatra]

Hi,

You are healthy, have a CoPR which is valid, means you are blessed! Not in trouble!

(below is my personal opinion - I may be totally wrong. But I think you already expect noting more from an internet forum, right! )

You should travel. Attempt it with all your heart and preparation.

Travel restrictions spoke about allowing for CoPRs approved prior to 18 March, true. With a charming smile and confidence if you can board the flight (point of max risk where you may be denied) - then an approved CoPR which is still active would enable CBSA to let you in. Chances of being declined at POE in Canada are slim.

Worst case scenario:
You will loose money.
You will be stressed.
You will curse this member at CanadaVisa who suggested this.

Gain:
You get to achieve your dream. Now.

Best wishes,
Nav

Thank you for the kind words.
That's what I have been thinking
if they say NO to me on the Delhi Auirport I lose 20k
but if they tell me NO on the Toronto Airport, I lose 1.4 Lacs (including the return tickets which will have to be booked)

But yes, the gain is huge if everything goes well.

 

[hinavin]

For anyone who has received the ETA..approximately how long did it take you??

We have also raised a ready to travel webform (expired COPR) and need to travel in early October. But they r taking so long to reply! We need to book tickets and Make necessary arrangements..which we have mentioned to our visa office and IRCC. Hoping for a quick response...

Several folks here have reported affirmative ETA or extension of CoPR. some have also landed. Countries they came from or VOs have included: Phillipines, Pakistan, Algeria etc.

One member here spoke of some friend who received an eTA from India.

No other member with NDVO has had any progress on the subject. No communication has been made by NDVO till date on what plans exist, or what criteria has beed decided to signal extension of CoPR.

I.e. number of months, COVID rates, COVID vaccine or due arrival of Father Christmas...

Pray? may be?

 

[Mumbai2Canada]

So what i am saying is just a telephonic conversation and no written thing.
No I haven't booked any tickets yet but I am just thinking of taking the risk or not. The cancellation charges are INR 20k for 0-72 Hours. So it is a risk of 20k, all i am thinking is that should i go for it or not.

If you are traveling alone then it is probably worth a shot since you have had a positive conversation with CBSA on this but it is ultimately your decision. If you do get to travel then you will become a trailblazer for the post March 18 approval lot

 

[RahulBatra]

Hello

In the same boat and would love to know what how you are handling this. I had tweeted to IRCC asking them what are people in our situation to do if our COPR expires and I got no useful info from them. They basically just reiterated the restrictions for folks in our boat and asked us to wait for the next course of action. But no concrete answer was given - as to what we are to do once the COPR expires.

I really hope you get an answer soon! Good luck!

Regards!

I convinced someone in Canada to help me out. So they call up the number which can be only dialled from Canada and they took me on conference and i asked all these queries.

But the problem is that nobody is ready to give any concrete answer.

 

[butterflyins]

Thank you for the kind words.
That's what I have been thinking
if they say NO to me on the Delhi Auirport I lose 20k
but if they tell me NO on the Toronto Airport, I lose 1.4 Lacs (including the return tickets which will have to be booked)

But yes, the gain is huge if everything goes well.

I am in a similar position (19th Mar), and I was told the opposite by a CBS agent over the phone. She actually yelled at me when I tried to explain my situation to her, threatened that I would be deported if I set foot there and the airlines will be penalized as well. I have never been spoken to in that tone ever, she made me feel as if I was a criminal or something. It is beyond preposterous how they are treating those who have done everything by the book so far, respected their long legal process and poured in time and money and effort into this process. It is very disturbing. I thought Canada was better than this.

 

[Shahanastar]

Yeah sorry, it was not NDVO. I just re read the post again. However, on brighter side NDVO has tweeted again yesterday to raise ready to travel webform if you are travelling to settle.

Pls be sure what you post to avoid any confusion with people seeking genuine answers. Also, think about it yourself how can that one person get extension when NDVO is closed of every other Indian awaiting extension.

 

[Shahanastar]

Thank you for the kind words.
That's what I have been thinking
if they say NO to me on the Delhi Auirport I lose 20k
but if they tell me NO on the Toronto Airport, I lose 1.4 Lacs (including the return tickets which will have to be booked)

But yes, the gain is huge if everything goes well.

If you're not exempted from travel restrictions, you shouldn't travel to Canada. There is a process once COPR expires and you will be able to travel once you have been included in the exemptions.
I say this because there is very little chance airlines will let you in. Exemptions have been there for a while and airlines are aware of them. Its also posted on IATA website. Airline also have direct access to CBSA who will not allow them to board you. Dont rely on phone conversations you have with airline call center staff. The staff on ground at the airport are very well informed of travel restrictions.
However, if you beat the odds and land in Canada, you are again at a huge risk and my personal view is that its not worth it.

 

[hinavin]

I am in a similar position (19th Mar), and I was told the opposite by a CBS agent over the phone. She actually yelled at me when I tried to explain my situation to her, threatened that I would be deported if I set foot there and the airlines will be penalized as well. I have never been spoken to in that tone ever, she made me feel as if I was a criminal or something. It is beyond preposterous how they are treating those who have done everything by the book so far, respected their long legal process and poured in time and money and effort into this process. It is very disturbing. I thought Canada was better than this.

Spam Agent - ha ha..

Sorry to hear about your experience! Must admit extremely un-Canadian, extremely rare.

You see, whatever else happens ad hardly matters if they think you are utterly wrong, unlawful, asking something preposterous - generally speaking contact centre agents with these organisations in Canada are:

• Natural born 'polites'.
• Generally careful since the calls are recorded
• Very, I mean very empathetic to the other persons perspective
• All in all I can love and hug them. Literally.

May I suggest if this happens again, please save yourself the time and hassle, close the call and call again. I would also never hesitate to request supervisor referral. If one is not available right away, they may be able to log a request, log a complaint. (the last bit is my guess)

Accountability is where we spend millions. In every organisation and every facet of life. At times it feels a waste as well.

Again, sorry to hear of your experience. Please call again! (I would avoid narrating the previous call experience at start of the call - keep it positive so you can get to your desired outcome from the call)

Best wishes!
Nav

 

[RahulBatra]

I am in a similar position (19th Mar), and I was told the opposite by a CBS agent over the phone. She actually yelled at me when I tried to explain my situation to her, threatened that I would be deported if I set foot there and the airlines will be penalized as well. I have never been spoken to in that tone ever, she made me feel as if I was a criminal or something. It is beyond preposterous how they are treating those who have done everything by the book so far, respected their long legal process and poured in time and money and effort into this process. It is very disturbing. I thought Canada was better than this.

I can understand that is very harsh to be said.
With me, it was a very polite and a good interaction but yes it also depends on person to person and if they had fight at home in the morning or not.

I wish the best for you as well.