Hi All,
I finally had my landing interview in Ottawa praise the Lord! My interview went smoothly. The officer asked for my husband's 2 IDs and I was asked 3 questions regarding criminal record or offense, dependents aside from what is listed, and if ever been denied application in the past. After answering no to all 3, I heard 'Congratulations, you are now a permanent resident of Canada". It was a beautiful feeling! I was given a list of agencies and info on where to get SIN, OHIP, etc and was finished in less than 15 minutes. The wait was longer ( I waited at least almost an hour) than the interview proper! The original PR card will be mailed and it takes about 2-4 weeks to arrive the lady officer said.
Here are some tips I like to share: If you are scheduled at the CIC Ottawa for Interview, pls check online ahead of time where you are coming from in relation to the CIC address because Catherine Street is a busy 1-way street. You don't want to miss the turn to the building parking lot for being in the wrong lane. Also, please come at least 1 hour ahead of your schedule. The parking space next to the building is quite small I guess just for about 50 cars parking. My husband had to drop me by the curve because the parking lot was closed with a 'FULL' sign at 7AM-my schedule was at 8:30am. He got lucky on the next turn at the block when a car left and there was a vacant space at the lot. When I got in at 7am, there was already a line forming. The PR landing interview office is right to your left on the ground floor as soon as you enter the main door. There is another CIC office on the upper floor but that is for citizenship processing only. In my landing interview letter, it was specified that pictures are to be taken at the exact size asked for by the CIC, and most importantly that the photographer does NOT CUT the photos. I was unsure about what it meant and decided to play it safe. I had 2 of the photos cut from the photo paper sheet, and the rest I asked to leave them uncut, with the dates stamped on all the pics. It turned out, the officer cut the photos herself from the 4-picture uncut sheet, I guess to fit the card or something. She returned the rest, including the 2 pre-cut ones.
I am so happy and waiting for my PR card so I can apply for my SIN! Thank you to all of you who have shared information here. It was very helpful in my journey to becoming a permanent resident. So for all those waiting, just keep on hanging on- it is worth all the waiting. We will all get there soon.
