Hi Everyone,
Finally I got back my passport with a shining Canadian PR Immigrant stamp for a single entry to day.
I had mailed my passport by Fedex on 16th Oct to CPPO which they received the very next day.
In the whole 6 months of visa processing, I had this nerve wrecking 2 weeks waiting time, since there is no way to know when I will get back the passport. I had seen from other forum that people had waited 3-6 weeks to get back their passport. And to make things worse, CIC says, they are not responsible if the document is lost!
I had enclosed a prepaid self addressed Canadian "Xpresspost?USA" envelope which had the tracking facility and signature requirement. I started monitoring Canadian Postal web site after 10 days of submission. The tracking got activated on 31st Oct evening and today on 2nd Nov I received the passport.
(My suggestion to all CPPO applicants who have already sent their passports .. Don't waste your time tracking the Canadian Postal web site multiple times in a day. As CPPO sends the packages to the local Post Office in the closing hours of evening, you may like to check their web site just once every day after 18:30Hrs Eastern time). I observed that applicants residing in Canada and sending their passports under other programs wait longer to get back their passports.
My medical report was uploaded on 26th Sep, and the the E mail for Passport Request came on 11th Oct. I am surprised to note that my single entry Immigrant PR Visa will expire on 11th Oct 2014. (Perhaps that is the day CPPO had approved my medical report.)
Along with the passport, they had sent me two copies of "Confirmation of PR", of which one copy bears my photo at the bottom and an additional information sheet.
The salient points given in the "Info Sheet" are enumerated below.
1. Sign the copies of CPR only at the time of landing when instructed by the IO at the port of entry.
2. New immigrants are not eligible for public health insurance for upto 3 months after arrival. Plan to buy private health care insurance till such time you get Govt aided care.
3. Medical surveillance code 1 valid up to 11th Oct 2014. (I do not know what this means)
4. You must inform CIC of any change in marital status and composition of family if it occurs after issue of visa and before landing. CIC will inform you what further procedures to be followed.
4. Landing cannot be made after the expiry of PR visa which becomes null and void. Under no circumstances the PR visa can be extended even by a day.
5. If you fail to make the landing before the visa expires, you will have to reapply for visa as per the existing laws and conditions and the fact a CPR was previously issued to you does not mean that subsequent application will be approved.
6. Any approved family member may accompany or follow the principal applicant, but cannot arrive in Canada before the principal applicant.
7. Any approved family member who does not join the principal applicant before the expiry of CPR, must reapply and be accepted again for immigration.
That is the end of my journey to get Canadian PR.
Good luck to the remaining members who are eagerly waiting for their Shiny Maple leaf stamp in their passport.
Many congratulations Chinook!
