Ok first post as a PR (well my wife is the immigrant)
It is quite long and detailed but I wanted to share what was our day...
We are very happy of course, but we have gone through a lot today...
We went to 1010 St-Antoine 1 hour before our appointment time and were received by very polite and avenant security agent.
He asked for the time of our apppointment and he said well just come up with me upstairs you can even maybe pass earlier...
Upstairs at the reception desk, another very polite officer took our appointment letter (they kept it, so make a copy if you wanna have a copy later on not that it is really important).
Then we were invited to a waiting room with about 12 couples and maybe 2 or 3 single persons.
After only 15 min they already called us to a somehow private office with partition walls; not a counter like some people have experienced.
They asked us if we had already paid (which we had online) and then a young woman did our interview.
She basically asked for the letter of undertaking, CSQ and passport (we brought the whole file with all anyway).
My wife gave her the 2 pictures and we showed the receipt of payment.
As the sponsor I only had to show my ID (driving license was fine) and thats it, no question asked to me or a single paper to sign whatsoever.
As we expected my wife gave back her OWP (you need to give any OWP or temporary visa at this point).
Then my wife was asked the traditional have you any dependencies back in your country? have you commited any crime since in Canada? have you been out of Canada since last entry and it was it.
My wife signed and initialised her COPR (1 for them and one for us) and it was it : congratulations you are now a PR.
Now the funny part starts:
Then came the topic of SIN, she could not issue one immediately; we had to wait when we will receive the PR card which can take between 6 to 8 weeks and then go to a Service Canada Office she said.
Then I said: my wife is from Visa exempt country and what I learned lately, is that there is no more distinction between outland or inland application when it comes to visa exempt country for getting the SIN with just the COPR and no PR card yet. She then said she had no clue what I was talking about, it was her procedure they need to follow, that I could go to Service Canada and inquire.
I asked if the process was different at the other Immigration Office at 200 René Levesque to which she answered: it is not an immigration office it is just a Service canada Center...we are the only Immigration Office in Montreal
I would have bet some people on this very forum have landed there...I also add, she now is giving away her OWP on which her temp SIN is bound...she can't work now? or need to leave her job until she gets a new SIN in 2 months? She could not answer, but ok we were happy to land and we thanked her and left the building.
Then we headed to RAMQ office for getting a permanent health card because our was bound to the OWP which is now no good. She looked at our COPR paper asking if it was an original, because it is so poorly printed and the signatures are all in black ink, but of course it was an original so she proceeded and it was quite easy after; it took only 15 minutes overall the card will be sent early December.
We decided to go to 200 René Levesque (complexe Guy Favreau) where the main Service Canada office is, they should know about that SIN and COPR thing.
The lady at the desk welcomed us and we told her about the situation and she then looked at our COPR (again wondering if it was an original) and then my wife Passport: she then said, you landed this morning and you got your COPR but your passport is not stamped with your landing date...my face turned white I guess...SHe told we should have got a stamp and with that she could issue us an immediate SIN...but I was now more worried about a possible mistake by CIC Montreal...I recall many people having the passport stamped at the landing interview...but not my wife's.
We then went back to 1010 St-Antoine and told the agent at the entrance about our problem to which she answered: we are not stamping passport here, you need to go to Lacolle Border for instance ...I said what...? people are landing here everyday and you are not stamping passports...now I was very confused and puzzled. She then suggested I call CIC to know about what could be done...
Then I called on my cell phone CIC hoping to get an agent fast and then finally could get one.
Here is what he said: your wife landed INLAND so no stamp required they never asked for your passport before the interview right ? no I said, exactly so you need no stamping date in your passport because she is from visa exempt country and landed inland (was already in the country with a last entry date). You need to go back to Service Canada Office and tell them exactly that...they have to accept your COPR AS IS...
Finally I was so pissed we headed back home and decided to forget about Service Canada Guy Favreau and went to our local Service Canada Office¸just to see to what extent the circus would continue.
Believe it or not, they issued immediately her new SIN with only our COPR (the lady there also commented if it was an original because it is so poorly printed) and the landing stamp less passport.
Bottom line left hand doesn't know what the right is doing between services and offices but at least we could get everything done in the end.
Pay attention to the print quality of your COPR and ask for blue pen for signing...shop for your Service Canada Office for your SIN as the main one in Guy Favreau is clueless...
Now if people who landed at 200 René Levesque Guy Favreau can step in to share their landing experience at a non immigration office
