Got COPR but baby due soon!!!!

[offtocalgary]

I Just got my COPR through with a deadline of end of Feb 2014 before it expires. It doesn't give me long to land in Canada and get my PR card!!!!!!

The complication is my wife (my Canadian sponsor) is due to have our first child in January.

Should I get to Canada and 'land' before the child is born or 'land' after the child is born???????

Either way my wife will have to stay in the UK for a few months. I wondered if it was easier for me to land before or after the birth and what implications this may have on bringing our child into Canada once born????

PLEASE HELP

 

[Rob_TO]

If your wife is a Canadian citizen than most likely she can just pass citizenship onto your baby. If the baby will be Canadian upon birth, then it doesn't matter whatsoever regarding your PR. You could just "land" whenever it's convenient, then return back to the UK to be with your wife until you're all ready to move permanently to Canada.

 

[kyc221]

Either way my wife will have to stay in the UK for a few months. I wondered if it was easier for me to land before or after the birth and what implications this may have on bringing our child into Canada once born????

Is it an option to move and land NOW? If she's due in January, she can still travel, but not for long. I think most airlines will let you travel up to week 36, but I wouldn't wait that long.
The only problem I see with this option is getting health insurance upon arrival and finding a doctor. If you're moving to Alberta, as your name suggests, you can get health insurance right away.
It's overwhelming to think of moving and leaving so suddenly, especially when pregnant... believe me, I know! We had to move with only a month's notice because I'm pregnant. But it's possible Good luck!

 

[OhCanadiana]

I Just got my COPR through with a deadline of end of Feb 2014 before it expires. It doesn't give me long to land in Canada and get my PR card!!!!!!

The complication is my wife (my Canadian sponsor) is due to have our first child in January.

Should I get to Canada and 'land' before the child is born or 'land' after the child is born???????

Either way my wife will have to stay in the UK for a few months. I wondered if it was easier for me to land before or after the birth and what implications this may have on bringing our child into Canada once born????

PLEASE HELP

It would be simpler to land before your baby is born. Otherwise, you're CoPR would need to be updated to reflect the birth of your baby (dependents).

Regarding your baby, it depends on the specifics of your wife's situation. If she is a Canadian by birth and was born in Canada OR if she is a naturalized Canadian, then your baby will be a Canadian through his/her Mom. You can get a temporary passport at the Embassy in the UK if you need to travel before your baby's citizenship certificate processing completes. Take a look at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/rules/index.asp for additional details and the links to the forms you'll need to complete if your baby is born abroad.

 

[offtocalgary]

Thanks folks so far for such speedy and comprehensive answers.

My wife is born in Canada. I don't think with work commitments and so forth she would be in a position to get up and go to Canada immediately, although the idea of the baby being born there is attractive!

It sounds like the simplest option is for me to 'land' ASAP before the baby is born. I guess I can visit alone for a week and return to join my wife in the UK before the due date! If we then all travel later to Canada as a family a few months down the road....

My wife has her Canadian passport - no problem
I will have my PR card - no problem
Newborn baby born in England will have ? - what will the baby need to get into Canada with us?!

Thanks in advance

 

[OhCanadiana]

Thanks folks so far for such speedy and comprehensive answers.

My wife is born in Canada. I don't think with work commitments and so forth she would be in a position to get up and go to Canada immediately, although the idea of the baby being born there is attractive!

It sounds like the simplest option is for me to 'land' ASAP before the baby is born. I guess I can visit alone for a week and return to join my wife in the UK before the due date! If we then all travel later to Canada as a family a few months down the road....

My wife has her Canadian passport - no problem
I will have my PR card - no problem
Newborn baby born in England will have ? - what will the baby need to get into Canada with us?!

Thanks in advance

Since your wife was born in Canada and was a Canadian citizen at birth, your baby will be a Canadian citizen. You'll need to apply for a citizenship certificate (to apply for the first passport and any other time in the future proof of citizenship is needed). That can be a lengthy procedure so you may not get it before your move date. If you don't get it in time, you'll need a temporary passport. The details for the temporary passport are available at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2009/ob154.asp; my prior post has the link for the citizenship certificate application and instructions.

 

[Avadava]

I will have my PR card - no problem

Actually, if you are planning to stay in Canada only a few weeks after you land, you won't have your PR card. The card will be sent to you to the Canadian address you will provide when you land. You cannot provide an address that is not in Canada and the processing time for new residents is 43 days at the moment (but this could change in the future - it is updated weekly and I've seen it fluctuating a lot - two weeks ago was at 62 days). http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

What you can do, is to have someone that you trust send it to you in U.K. so you will have it when you return with your wife.

And just to add another thing: your baby will need a travel document in order to enter Canada - a passport. To receive a passport, you must first apply for a Certificate of Citizenship - Proof of Citizenship at the Canadian embassy (this is an application like any other, with processing times of 6 months according to CIC - http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/canada/certif-processing.asp )

EDIT: - I just read OhCanadiana's reply about the child's passport, sorry for repeating the same thing in my post.

 

[offtocalgary]

Great answers. Better book some flights eh!

Bit concerned about bringing the baby in at a later date though. I figured if getting Canadian temp passports etc is slow we could bring the baby in under a uk passport. Wondering how that might impact healthcare for the baby in Canada....

Any thoughts wise world?

 

[OhCanadiana]

Great answers. Better book some flights eh!

Bit concerned about bringing the baby in at a later date though. I figured if getting Canadian temp passports etc is slow we could bring the baby in under a uk passport. Wondering how that might impact healthcare for the baby in Canada....

Any thoughts wise world?

Healthcare for your baby depends on the province and, in some cases, reason you were abroad (some have waiting periods for people who move or return from abroad)

And, the temporary passport is processed at the Embassy so you could just apply for it when you drop off the citizenship certificate (that way they will have just reviewed all the documents).

 

[offtocalgary]

Thanks ohCanadiana

I figure if I land in a few weeks and get my PR card sorted it buys us some time to have the baby here in the UK and then get organised for our big move out to Canada and also sort the babies immigration stuff out (temp passports etc).

 

[OhCanadiana]

Thanks ohCanadiana

I figure if I land in a few weeks and get my PR card sorted it buys us some time to have the baby here in the UK and then get organised for our big move out to Canada and also sort the babies immigration stuff out (temp passports etc).

You're welcome. One other thing to consider is that you don't have to get your PR card upfront. You could land and go back to the UK and then when you get back to Canada order your PR card then. If you give CIC your address within 180 days of landing (which you can do online - see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=054&t=10), then there is no additional fee to apply for the PR card and you can get it when you are in Canada without any headaches of mailing it overseas (CIC call centre would tell you that CIC has instructed mail carriers to intercept any PR Cards being mailed and send them back to CIC). You can travel freely on your CoPR (assuming you are a British citizen or from another visa exempt country) so there's really no downside to waiting other than the natural desire to have it.

 

[Rob_TO]

(CIC call centre would tell you that CIC has instructed mail carriers to intercept any PR Cards being mailed and send them back to CIC).

Is this actually true?? I've only ever seen a rule that PR cards can't be issued to an address outside of Canada (hence the need for Canadian address at landing). But once you have the PR card, i've never seen a rule in any CIC guide or elsewhere, that says you can't mail them wherever you want.
Not that FedEx or Purolator or whoever you use, would ever know you're sending a PR card!

 

[Avadava]

This is what I found in another forum:

"Neither us nor CIC recommend mailing or couriering your PR Card to a location outside Canada. The reasons are:
1. The card could be lost
2. The card could be stolen
3. Your identity could be stolen if a dishonest person gets hold of your PR Card while enroute
4. Factors beyond your control could significantly delay the delivery of the card (i.e. service strike, strife, etc.)

Further, CIC representatives have stated "there is an understanding between Canada Post and CIC that if a PR card is found to be internationally bound, then they have the right to intercept and return it to CIC." Also, there is a chance that the customs officials at the other end may seize the mail for whatever reason.

If you send the card outside of Canada, you do so at your own risk."

That being said, I should add also that "there is no law in Canada or the postal regulations that restrict the sending of documents outside Canada." (quoted from the same forum)

 

[OhCanadiana]

Is this actually true?? I've only ever seen a rule that PR cards can't be issued to an address outside of Canada (hence the need for Canadian address at landing). But once you have the PR card, i've never seen a rule in any CIC guide or elsewhere, that says you can't mail them wherever you want.
Not that FedEx or Purolator or whoever you use, would ever know you're sending a PR card!

Yes. It is also amazingly consistent across agents (which in and of itself tells me something).

Whether when a specific person mails a PR card, that specific PR card will be seized and returned to CIC, that's a different question. It doesn't show up in CIC guides, but that's not really surprising. CIC instruction guides for applicants cover before you apply for the most part and give you a sense of what will happen the process. CIC internal instructions such as OP's and IP's cover internal CIC processes as they the process an application so that wouldn't address instructions to other agencies or external organizations. Bulletins and interviews (e.g., of visa office heads in Parliament) sometimes give you an insight into specific administrative rules and interactions with other agencies (e.g., CBSA to request a seized passport for approved inland applicants to be able to land or for renewal purposes) but that's just a sliver of what I'm sure is many other interaction points. After all, although CIC is very open with us, they don't publish every internal document for our reading pleasure.

Getting back to the OP's situation, assuming he is a British citizen or a citizen of another visa exempt country, he can travel back to Canada with his visa-exempt passport and he can enter Canada with his stamped CoPR. So, he has no need for a PR Card to facilitate his travel back to Canada after his baby is born. Therefore, waiting to apply for the PR Card until he's back in Canada or a couple months before travelling back so it's ready and waiting for him when he moves to Canada or having it sent to friends/family and having them hold on to it represents no real downside risk (assuming he picks a trustworthy friend or family member who won't lose it ).
If, instead, the OP chooses to send the PR Card to a friend or family member and asks them to mail it on to him abroad, he incurs the risk of the PR card being lost (whether by CIC instructed interception, by misdelivery, loss by the carrier, etc.) and he also incurs the shipping cost.
Thus, with one option, the OP has no cost. With the other path, he would choose to incur the actual cost of shipping and a potential cost from the risk of loss of the PR card AND would capture no incremental benefit for that increased cost. I know which option I would pick. There's plenty other sources of headaches in this world.

ETA: Avadava raises additional risks of mailing the card (identity theft)

 

[offtocalgary]

Even better solution -

The Canadian mother in law is due over to the UK in January, so providing she has received it (mailed to her house by CIC by then) she can bring it back to the UK with her.

I think!?