Flag pole for a Cuban citizen?

[MissScarlett]

Hi, my 15 years old step-son is Cuban and he's in Canada with a TRV. He will get his PR soon, the embassy will send his visa with his passport and the Permanent residence papers with DHL.

I've been told we have to go to the border to validate his PR. My fear is that if we do the "flag pole" procedure, can he have problems at the US customs? Will they take his prints, interrogate him etc. because he's from Cuba? The US considers Cuba in the 14 countries for high risk of terrorists, same as Irak, etc.

I've been told by CIC that we could get an appointment in the CIC office in our town, instead of going to the border. But it takes at least 1 month. Should we do that instead?

Thanks for your time!

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi, my 15 years old step-son is Cuban and he's in Canada with a TRV. He will get his PR soon, the embassy will send his visa with his passport and the Permanent residence papers with DHL.

I've been told we have to go to the border to validate his PR. My fear is that if we do the "flag pole" procedure, can he have problems at the US customs? Will they take his prints, interrogate him etc. because he's from Cuba? The US considers Cuba in the 14 countries for high risk of terrorists, same as Irak, etc.

I've been told by CIC that we could get an appointment in the CIC office in our town, instead of going to the border. But it takes at least 1 month. Should we do that instead?

Thanks for your time!

Make the appointment when he gets his COPR.

 

[MissScarlett]

So you think I should do the appointment instead of doing the "flag pole" procedure?

 

[AllisonVSC]

I agree with PMM. Save the potential for a hassle and make an appointment at the local office.

 

[MissScarlett]

Thanks to both. That's what I'll do, anyway I'm in no hurry the kid is already here and going to school, one month more won't chage anything.

 

[angelbrat]

Thanks to both. That's what I'll do, anyway I'm in no hurry the kid is already here and going to school, one month more won't chage anything.

How did you get him into school on a TRV?

I ask this out of curiosity because when I arrived in Canada on a TRV, there was no way any school in Vancouver would except my son unless I paid squillions of dollars and got a study permit.

I had to get a temp work visa to enable my son to get into school. What Provence are you in?

 

[MissScarlett]

I'm in Quebec. At first they would not let him in school, unless I paid thousands of dollars. Then they said they could issue an invoice, and cancell it after he gets his PR, but I would still have to pay proportionnally for the time before he gets the PR (like 600$ a month). I refused, so he didn't start at the end of August like all the other kids. I did a lot of phone calls, to the school board, my MP, city representants, etc. Nothing.

I got a call on September 28, they changed their mind, they would issue the invoice but cancel it totally when I produce the PR papers. So he started school on September 30.

I think it's because here the government pays the school board for evrey kid who's in school on September 30th. If a kid is enrolled after that, the school board gets nothing. So if they refused him and he got his PR in October they would have to accept him but they would get nothing for him for all year. They probably preferred to put him on the list on September 30th even if the government will only pay them once he gets his PR. But all that is my guess...

 

[angelbrat]

I'm in Quebec. At first they would not let him in school, unless I paid thousands of dollars. Then they said they could issue an invoice, and cancell it after he gets his PR, but I would still have to pay proportionnally for the time before he gets the PR (like 600$ a month). I refused, so he didn't start at the end of August like all the other kids. I did a lot of phone calls, to the school board, my MP, city representants, etc. Nothing.

I got a call on September 28, they changed their mind, they would issue the invoice but cancel it totally when I produce the PR papers. So he started school on September 30.

I think it's because here the government pays the school board for evrey kid who's in school on September 30th. If a kid is enrolled after that, the school board gets nothing. So if they refused him and he got his PR in October they would have to accept him but they would get nothing for him for all year. They probably preferred to put him on the list on September 30th even if the government will only pay them once he gets his PR. But all that is my guess...

That makes a lot of sense and probably an excellent guess. Thanks for the information, I tried to get my son in school well past the September 30th date, so this could have been the reason that no one was interested at the time.

 

[Riyko]

Hi, my 15 years old step-son is Cuban and he's in Canada with a TRV. He will get his PR soon, the embassy will send his visa with his passport and the Permanent residence papers with DHL.

I've been told we have to go to the border to validate his PR. My fear is that if we do the "flag pole" procedure, can he have problems at the US customs? Will they take his prints, interrogate him etc. because he's from Cuba? The US considers Cuba in the 14 countries for high risk of terrorists, same as Irak, etc.

I've been told by CIC that we could get an appointment in the CIC office in our town, instead of going to the border. But it takes at least 1 month. Should we do that instead?

Thanks for your time!

Err if you try and take him to the boarder to validate his PR they won't let him into the US (on a cuban passport at least) because of a Travel Ban placed on between the US and Cuba back in 1963. The best best would be to make an appointment at the CIC office even though it will take a month.

 

[MissScarlett]

Err if you try and take him to the boarder to validate his PR they won't let him into the US (on a cuban passport at least) because of a Travel Ban placed on between the US and Cuba back in 1963. The best best would be to make an appointment at the CIC office even though it will take a month.

Yes, I know they would not let him into the US, that's sort of the whole point of a "flag pole" procedure. You go to the US border, they refuse you the entry, so you go back to the Canadian border and then you can get your visa stamped. You just "go around the flag pole"...

But my fear is not that they won't let him in, it's that they might decide to interrogate him, or me, or my husband, just for the fun of it, to see if my 15 year old step-son is not a "terrorist"... They did put a 15 year old in Guantanamo for 8 years, so, it's not totally impossible they would harass us for a few hours. I don't need the headache, I will make the appointment.