Experienced advice needed! TRV from USA?

[TannedCanadian]

Hello everyone.

Planning to apply for a TRV for Canada. I am from the Caribbean (Port of Spain Trinidad would be my processing center) but have a decent job and job letter and approved vacation for 2 weeks. I also have a USA multiple entry visa.

I had originally planned to send my paper application from my home country and wait 2 weeks to hear back while twiddling my thumbs. I would prefer to go visit my family in the USA while I'm waiting but obviously need my passport and visa to travel to the states. So I'm wondering.... could I take all of my application to the usa with me, send my application and passport back to the POS office and have them send me my passport back to the states?

I don't want to raise any flags sending my application from the states and having a usa address on the prepaid return envelope.. but I'm not even sure if that's something they look at.

I had also thought about applying online to prevent this whole issue but it looks a bit complicated and I have loads of supporting docs to upload and I don't want to do it incorrectly.

Advice please? I really want to avoid a rejection...

Thanks!

 

[bellaluna]

To me, given your situation and ignoring your preferences, my advice would be: Apply online, it will be processed at Port of Spain, and you can submit your passport in the US if it's approved. Main reason being, it's not usually advised to apply for a TRV where you don't have legal status.

It's not complicated at all, really. It'll take time to scan (or take pictures with your mobile phone), and you may have to merge your documents in one PDF per requirement though.

On the other hand, sending a paper application from within the US won't raise any red flags if your documents can prove otherwise.

 

[TannedCanadian]

Apply online, it will be processed at Port of Spain, and you can submit your passport in the US if it's approved.

It's not as hard as it seems, really. We can help you out. You may have to merge your documents in one PDF per requirement though. It'll take time to scan (or take pictures with your mobile phone), but what you were originally planning is more complicated. It's not usually advised to apply for a TRV where you don't have legal status.

Thanks so much for the speedy reply. Is there a higher rate of rejection with online applications for TRV? To me it just seems less solid than them seeing my original job letters and original USA visa and stuff.. but I'm paranoid so.. lol

Also, the POS office lists 11 days for TRV processing. Is it longer if you apply online? And if I'm approved and I take my passport into the offixe to get it stamped, that won't be an issue? They won't think that's odd or change their minds etc? Lol

Thanks again!

 

[bellaluna]

There's no difference between online and paper.

Canada grants permanent residence almost solely through online applications now, so they would know how to authenticate soft copies of documents. For example, they have access to the US's immigration records, so they could verify your US visa's validity that way.

The estimates should be for both paper and online.

No, it won't be an issue to send your passport to a VAC in the US (Los Angeles or New York, whichever will be nearer), it happens all the time to people with similar plans as you, so visa offices are used to this. You'll just have to send a message to the POS office to ask for your visa to be stamped in the US.

 

[TannedCanadian]

There's no difference between online and paper.

Canada grants permanent residence almost solely through online applications now, so they would know how to authenticate soft copies of documents. For example, they have access to the US's immigration records, so they could verify your US visa's validity that way.

The estimates should be for both paper and online.

No, it won't be an issue to send your passport to a VAC in the US (Los Angeles or New York, whichever will be nearer), it happens all the time to people with similar plans as you, so visa offices are used to this. You'll just have to send a message to the POS office to ask for your visa to be stamped in the US.

Awesome info. Thank you.

So if I get an email stating my TRV is approved, do I just respond to it and ask that I have it stamped in a usa office? Or is there another way I'm supposed to contact POS to tell them this? And once I've contacted POS to tell them I want to do it this way, is it as simple as just sending my passport with a typed letter explaining the situation and the approval email from POS? OR does it take awhile for POS to allow me to do this and I'd have to wait for them to work it out with a USA office etc?

Also, how long would stamping usually take if I sent it to a VAC office in the USA (excluding mailing of course, that's fixed). I don't want to end up stuck in the states and get fired if I send my passport to NY to get stamped and it takes like 3 weeks lol.

Thank you so much for your advice. You have been beyond helpful! Sorry for all of the questions.

 

[bellaluna]

If you apply online, the approval letter will arrive in your MyCIC account, you can't reply to it, so you have to email the POS office directly.

I looked it up, and the email address for the POS office is:
PSPAN-im-enquiry@international.gc.ca

Another alternative is to send a case specific enquiry directed to the POS office:
https://secure.cic.gc.ca/enquiries-renseignements/canada-case-cas-eng.aspx

And once I've contacted POS to tell them I want to do it this way, is it as simple as just sending my passport with a typed letter explaining the situation and the approval email from POS? OR does it take awhile for POS to allow me to do this and I'd have to wait for them to work it out with a USA office etc?

The way I did it, I waited for the response from my home visa office (Manila, took them about 1 week) and included the response when I sent my passport for stamping in Ottawa. Each visa office has different response or processing times, so I don't know how long POS will take. At worst, you can do the first thing you said, and let the US and POS offices handle the verification themselves.

Also, how long would stamping usually take if I sent it to a VAC office in the USA (excluding mailing of course, that's fixed). I don't want to end up stuck in the states and get fired if I send my passport to NY to get stamped and it takes like 3 weeks lol.

Well, normally, it would take about 2-3 business days plus courier to and from your address. But stranger things have happened.

 

[TannedCanadian]

Thank you. My hero.