Landing as a PR while on TRV (outland spousal sponsorhip)

[zimporter]

I am sponsoring my wife via the outland process (her file is being processed by the Warsaw office) - we applied in September 2014. Some time ago, she came into Canada to visit me on a TRV (visitor visa) - she's here now and she's allowed to stay here for 6 months. As far as I can tell by looking at the timelines, there's a good chance the PR application may be approved soon (let's hope I don't jinx it by this comment : ).

If this does happen soon, is there any way she can do the "landing" / become a PR right here in Canada, without leaving/re-entering the country, or is this possible only with inland applications? (We may want to do it this way because it may work much better given some summer travel plans we have, and also to get her PR as soon as possible).

If it is possible, what would the process be? Would she need some sort of physical COPR paperwork from the Warsaw office? Would we still need to send her passport in to get a physical PR visa? (I'm hoping not... would rather not trust a courier with a physical passport unless absolutely necessary).

 

[Kayaker]

Yes, she needs the actual physical COPR from the Warsaw office. She can have her family/friends forward it to her in Canada if they send it to her address back home.

If she is not visa-exempt (and I guess she is not, since you say she is here on a TRV) she would need to send her passport to Warsaw to get the PR visa in it.

Did she change her mailing address with CIC? When I came to Canada to "visit" my husband before my PR was approved, I changed my address with CIC and they mailed me my COPR here. However, if she needs to send in her passport for the PR visa, I don't know if they would allow her to send it to Ottawa. They might still require that it be sent to Warsaw.

Once she has her PR visa and her COPR, she can drive to the nearest US border, then re-enter Canada as a PR. She doesn't need to fly.

 

[zimporter]

Thanks! Do you know whether she'd need a US visitor visa to do the processing at the US border, or can she do that without technically attempting to enter the US?

 

[Sheps]

She will ask for an Administrative Refusal at the US border and they will turn her around without her entering the US (keep in mind, anything that is with her will still be subject to examination by CPB, so if you travel by car with her they have the option of searching the car and taking you to secondary)