Is this a good sign? "Your confirmation of permanent residency has already..."

[Lemondrop78]

Some of you know my husband applied for permanent residency last April. Immigration requested him to get his fingerprints sent to RCMP in November. I've been waiting for my husband's criminal clearance certificate from RCMP since then. We wrote to RCMP and Immigration few days ago and today my husband received this from immigration in his email...

"Your confirmation of permanent residency has already been sent to you ( on the 24th of April 2013). "

We looked through his email and also junk mail and also mine and didn't see any emails from immigration. I checked the status on the Canadian Immigration website and it said something like...a decision has been made and the immigration office will contact you regarding the decision made.

So is this a good sign or a bad one? when the email says confirmation of permanent residency has been sent to us, it sounds positive...but looking at the status on the website, not sure if it's a good one. We resent another email to immigration telling them we didn't get the email from immigration and asked if it was sent to our home address. So we'll see what happens...fingers crossed!! Did most of you get this decision made by email or home address? so far everything we've received from them was by email.

 

[Sweden]

Hey!

congrats! the ecas status as "decision made" is the normal one. You won't get an email. AS you are visa-exempt, you will get the Confirmation of PR (COPR) by post, to your mailing address.... it's a letter, with 2 copies of your COPR.

It's most likely an approval... if they had doubts about your relationship, they would have asked for more proofs, or an interview. the paper was sent out on the 24th of April, so you should allow for a few more days to get to your address.

so yes - it's a good sign! nobody gets an email about it, it's only a physical letter that arrives... and it's sent to the mailing address you indicated on ecas, not the home address ( if they are different).

Sweden

 

[Hnhkrk]

This is a great sign! It means that your application has been accepted and you will be a Permanent Resident once you land!

 

[Lemondrop78]

Thank you to both of you!! I really hope so! What has made me worried is that immigration kept giving me 30 days extensions because the RCMP was taking so long on processing my husband's fingerprints. Up til now i didn't hear anything back from RCMP so I didn't know if immigration thinks it's taking too long and want us to reapply our whole application for PR...I really hope it's not the case.

If the decision was that I wasn't approved, would it say something else on the status instead of decision made? or would it still say the same thing. And does the status ever change to approved, and when? from here, if i am approved, how much longer approximately will it be before they give me the ok to land? I guess the last thing is I would have to send our passports? does this mean my interview is waived if a decision is already made?

 

[Sweden]

so... trying to answer every question:
*if you weren't approved, it would look the same. so from ecas, there is no way of knowing more information.
*It doesn't change to approve. Once you land, at some point it adds a line saying "you landed as a PR on DATE at NAME OF THE OFFICE/Border" - the only reason I know that is because I logged into ecas out of curiosity after I landed. Then you get the PR card, and normally you don't need ecas anymore.
*if you're approved, they have sent you the COPR. They are sent by normal post ( most of them, depends on the VO), and so it's mostly the time to get to your address. If yours arrives from Ottawa, and you're in Canada, a few days. If you're in the US, then somewhere between a week and 10 days. Then - once you have your COPR, you can go and land. THe "expiry date" of the COPR is either 1 year from the medicals, OR when your passport expires, whichever comes first.
now - in your case, your medicals most likely expired, and then extended then before. So with the COPR you will get a letter telling you that you have to land by that date. It's IMPERATIVE. You don't have to move to Canada, but you have to land. So - you can take a trip to the border (depending on where you are), land as a PR, and return to the US to pack your stuff. then move later on. BUt it's important to land before the expiry, because it can not be extended.

If you're from a visa-exempt country (are you from the US? as you're going through Ottawa), you don't need to send your passport. The COPR is enough (+ your passport when you go to the border). If a decision has been made - yes, the interview is waived. If you're from the US, there are very few chances of getting an interview.

About RCMP - yes, it takes quite a while to get it to the embassy. But as long as you informed Ottawa that you had applied and you were waiting for it, then it's all good - they won't close your case because of that. They would close your case if you hadn't informed them about waiting for fingerprints etc.

So - in your case, you're probably approved, and the process is over!
Sweden

 

[Lemondrop78]

Sweden, thank you for all your help with answering all my questions!! I am living in the US so it'll probrably arrive next week or two. I cannot wait to get it...until then I'm going to anxious. I am thinking more positive about it, but I feel like there might still be that slight chance that maybe it's not good news. But it's good to know that they can't close my case just because the RCMP is taking too long. And yes, I did keep them up to date with what was happening with waiting for the prints often. It's funny we got that email today cause we were thinking if we didn't hear back from RCMP about our fingerprints, we were going to head to BC tomorrow to get electronic prints to speed up the process...didn't know if his fingerprints got lost in the mail or just hadn't been processed yet.

Oh so I don't need to send our passports to immigration? I didn't know that...so you think the letter in the mail, if it's a good one...means that it will be letter to land forms?! We want to move in late Aug, so if we need to land before then, we will definitely head to BC since it's closest to us and then go back to the US before moving to Ontario...oooh, I can't wait!! Praying and hoping this will come true soon!!

 

[Sweden]

it will it will!

Unless there is an "obvious" reason to deny you (you're sponsoring somebody who is not your spouse etc!), then you're approved. There are very few applicants from the US that are denied, and if they had doubts about something, they would have asked you for an interview. They wouldn't deny you without giving you a chance to explain yourself. So - no need to be anxious.
What's coming in the mail: indeed, should be the COPR + the instructions to land. Process is over! it might be worth looking at landing earlier than the moving date, because for healthcare in Ontario, you have a 3 months waiting period... so it might be worth landing, looking at how to apply for OHIP (health care in Ontario), start the process, so when you move in August, you're already covered for healthcare.
I'm sure you can find more information about that.
Remember - if you go and land soon, you should take with you a B4, the list of things you will import... when you land as a PR, you're allowed to import things tax-free - but you need to declare everything when you land, as "goods to follow", so you can cross the border with it later on in August when you're actually moving.
Good luck!
Sweden

 

[Lemondrop78]

Sweden, thanks alot! I looked at your timeline and it says you received your PR card 2 months after you landed. I heard some people say they got the PR card few weeks after they landed...just curious. Yes, we plan to land earlier so that my husband can also start looking for jobs and maybe doing online interviews possibly. We're both excited. I'm not worried that they question our relationship cause we have 3 kids and we've been married since 1999. So we have alot of proof and photos of our family to back up our relationship...including a photo of my husband and I in the operating room right after I had a csection for our 3rd child. Hubby has hospital clothes and cap on and me still laying on the operating table holding our newborn, lol. Can't get more real than that, lol. Only thing I was worried about was about the RCMP fingerprints taking so long. I still haven't heard from RCMP that they processed it and sent it off to immigration. I just sent an email to RCMP also to ask them about it few days ago. but they haven't written back. But you said immigration can't deny me if it's RCMP that is taking so long and I've kept immigration up to date about it. So it should be good...still crossing fingers! Thank you so much again for your encouragement and helpful advice. It'll be nice to land early also so I can get my poutine fix, lol.

 

[Sweden]

3 kids and married for more than 10 years - you really have nothing to worry about. So - you're approved! COPR coming in the post.

For the PR card - it's on CIC website. WHen I landed, the timeline was around 60 days, and mine arrived exactly after 60 days. that's where to see the information http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

it's actually pretty accurate, and update weekly. It's updated often, and it changes. It was 60 days when I landed, then it went down to 30 days for a while, now it's back to 50... but to me it didn't really matter - I was in Canada, and I had my signed COPR, with that I could apply for a job, my SIN, etc... so I didn't need my PR very quickly.

Once you land - just check on the website, and it will give you an idea of what to expect. Just make sure that you have a Canadian address to give to the officer when you land ( even if it's not yours, it can be friends or family), as if you have to give your address later on it delays the issuing of the card.... It can not be send abroad.

now - because you're visa-exempt, then even if you need to re-enter Canada without your card, it won't be a problem. If you're flying you can travel on your US passport, and show your COPR signed when you arrive. If you're driving into Canada, and no PR card, just show the signed COPR at the border and it won't be a problem.

It's an issue for non-visa-exempt applicants, because they can't get on a plane etc, but it won't be for you.
Sweden

 

[Lemondrop78]

Thanks Sweden, I'll check the timeline for the PR when I land. We are using my parent's address as our Canadian address cause we will be living there when we first move. So after we land can we use that as the start date of the 3 months it takes to get the health card? cause i remember readingg that you have to be physically living in Canada for 3 months before you can apply for it. Also for myself and my kids who are all Canadian citizens already, do we also have to wait the 3 months or can I go ahead and apply for them after my husband lands? ...actually I think you have to take a photo for that, so we might have to wait til we are in Canada to do it.

 

[Sweden]

Thanks Sweden, I'll check the timeline for the PR when I land. We are using my parent's address as our Canadian address cause we will be living there when we first move. So after we land can we use that as the start date of the 3 months it takes to get the health card? cause i remember readingg that you have to be physically living in Canada for 3 months before you can apply for it. Also for myself and my kids who are all Canadian citizens already, do we also have to wait the 3 months or can I go ahead and apply for them after my husband lands? ...actually I think you have to take a photo for that, so we might have to wait til we are in Canada to do it.

healthcare is a provincial matter so it really depends on which province you will be settling in. Some provinces have 3 months waiting period for everybody, canadians and non, but not all. best to check with your provincial health care for the rules that applies to you.
Sweden

 

[parker24]

Thanks Sweden, I'll check the timeline for the PR when I land. We are using my parent's address as our Canadian address cause we will be living there when we first move. So after we land can we use that as the start date of the 3 months it takes to get the health card? cause i remember readingg that you have to be physically living in Canada for 3 months before you can apply for it. Also for myself and my kids who are all Canadian citizens already, do we also have to wait the 3 months or can I go ahead and apply for them after my husband lands? ...actually I think you have to take a photo for that, so we might have to wait til we are in Canada to do it.

In Ontario: You can apply before the three months, but you won't be covered until you get the card. My husband applied about a week after he landed, but he didn't get the card and wasn't covered until 3 months to the day of his landing. He actually got his card 2 days early.

 

[Lemondrop78]

Thanks Sweden and Parker. Does that mean I can count the 3 months starting when I land eventhough we are going to return to the US and officially move a few months later? I want us to land early so that my husband can get his PR card by the time we are moved there and also look for jobs online in the meantime.

 

[Lemondrop78]

By the way we got the letter in the mail today and my husband is approved!!!! It says issue date: 2013/04/23 valid to: 2014/02/06 so I'm assuming we have until Feb of 2014 to land!? don't want to miss the time period, but we are going to land soon, come back to the US and officially move in mid Aug.

 

[maplegal86]

By the way we got the letter in the mail today and my husband is approved!!!! It says issue date: 2013/04/23 valid to: 2014/02/06 so I'm assuming we have until Feb of 2014 to land!? don't want to miss the time period, but we are going to land soon, come back to the US and officially move in mid Aug.

Hey congrats!

You got a medical extension? That's exactly what I've been asking on a thread I started, whether CIC gives medical extensions. So they didnt tell you that you were getting an extension?