Entering Canada without COPR.

[ecshumway]

My husband (a US Citizen) and my self ( Canadian citizen living in the US for 19 Years) are moving to Canada. My husband received a letter from immigration May 2 that indicated that his application was almost complete. He had to send a stamped self addressed envelope so they could sent the COPR document to him. It is June 14th and we still haven't received it and we fly out on the 16th. Our house sold very quickly and we have no place to stay. We know it is coming soon, but can we enter Canada as a visitor and when we receive the document, do our landing then? Our possessions will be held in storage with the moving company until we go through the process. Will we have trouble at the border?

 

[armoured]

My husband (a US Citizen) and my self ( Canadian citizen living in the US for 19 Years) are moving to Canada. My husband received a letter from immigration May 2 that indicated that his application was almost complete. He had to send a stamped self addressed envelope so they could sent the COPR document to him. It is June 14th and we still haven't received it and we fly out on the 16th. Our house sold very quickly and we have no place to stay. We know it is coming soon, but can we enter Canada as a visitor and when we receive the document, do our landing then? Our possessions will be held in storage with the moving company until we go through the process. Will we have trouble at the border?

Do you have some way that the document - when delivered - will be received and held by someone for you?

Because if yes - he can enter as a visitor until it is received in USA. Then when the doc is received, he'll leave Canada and re-enter with the COPR/landing docs to complete the formalities. (You'll have to figure out logistics of where he travels to / receives docs).

Small notes:
1) There is a SMALL possibility - when he crosses the first time - that they'll ask/offer about the landing, ie. they may be able to print it out. If so, great (travel with PR card sized photos just in case). If not - he's just entering as a visitor, he'll travel back when needed.

2) I don't understand about your moving stuff. You may be able to sign for it all as 'yours', and you're settling (you singular - although if customs sees/understands he's settling soon, they may just not care enough and be willing to put it all as yours even if obvious it's joint). If that seems too complex - you do it later when he's landing.

 

[ecshumway]

We have someone who is going to send it to us when it comes. She is also going to take a picture of it and we were going to go back to customs and see if we can do our landing then. The customs office is in the airport. Does he have to go back across the border and enter again or can we just go to customs in the airport and enter that way.

 

[armoured]

We have someone who is going to send it to us when it comes. She is also going to take a picture of it and we were going to go back to customs and see if we can do our landing then. The customs office is in the airport. Does he have to go back across the border and enter again or can we just go to customs in the airport and enter that way.

As far as I'm aware he would have to leave and come back.

OR - hypothetically - tell IRCC he wants to do the landing 'in Canada', i.e. virtually. But I didn't suggest that because I think it would take longer.

I do not know about your customs issue at all. Again, it seems to me you could put everything under your name - if I understood you are also moving as well and it is one household.

(I - Cdn citizen - moved back with my spouse - who landed as PR - but we put all the stuff under her name in dealings with customs, for no particular reason - even though was clear it was for us and kids, one of whom was already an adult. Or honestly maybe it was under my name, not certain).

 

[ecshumway]

We found out the we have to reenter Canada but we aren’t sure if we have to cross into the US or just turn around and enter through customs into Canada. The customs agent said we just have to make a U turn at the flagpole and come through customs

 

[armoured]

We found out the we have to reenter Canada but we aren’t sure if we have to cross into the US or just turn around and enter through customs into Canada. The customs agent said we just have to make a U turn at the flagpole and come through customs

I think I understand but am not certain. While customs and immigration are done at the border by CBSA, they are different concepts and different procedures (at land borders the distinctions not always clear).

If you're asking about his immigration formalities, then yes, he has to leave and come back to complete the PR process with the COPR you've been sent. I've no idea whether you can just do a U-turn but you asked someone already. If you enter USA and then return - no big deal, at least from Canadian perspective. My only doubt here is you often here people say they intended to do that and then by surprise they were at the US border officer - and once you're physically in front of an officer, they won't let you chnage your mind.

On the way back, when you get to the border officer in Canada, tell them you need to complete landing procedures. (Old term, but still in informal use). They'll send him to a building I think for the immigration aspect.

I've lost track of what you're doing with your household goods. That is purely a customs issue. If you still haven't brought the stuff or presented the forms, the person immigrating should tell them you need to do the 'goods arriving later' documentation.