http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/enf/enf04-eng.pdf - page 50 said:
12.14. Family members arriving before the principal applicant
Occasionally, a BSO at Immigration Secondary will encounter a family member who arrives before the principal applicant and is seeking permanent residence. R51(b) requires a permanent resident visa holder to establish that they and their family members, whether accompanying or not, meet the requirements of the Act and Regulations. For a family member to meet these requirements, it is usually incumbent on the principal applicant being admissible at the port of entry. This also holds true for the principal applicant arriving before their family members.
A BSO encountering this situation should obtain the following information from the family member or principal applicant:
- why the family member or principal applicant is preceding the rest of the family (for example, to seek accommodation or employment, lack of a seat on the aircraft carrying the principal applicant, etc.);
- when the rest of the family is due to arrive; and
- the person's means of support.
The BSO should complete the verification process but should not grant permanent resident status to the family member. If the person has a valid permanent resident visa and the BSO is satisfied that the rest of the family intends to come to Canada, the BSO may wish to defer the examination pursuant to A23 in order to obtain more information or wait until the rest of the family arrives so they may be examined.
The BSO should enter the information into FOSS by means of an NCB, which indicates that the granting of permanent residence has been deferred pending the arrival of the rest of the family.
Note: Officers shall include their CBSA user ID (ABC123) and badge number when entering or amending remarks in FOSS.
If the BSO has reasonable grounds to believe that the rest of the family will not be coming to Canada, the BSO should initiate enforcement action unless the person qualifies in their own right for permanent resident status.
12.15. Arrival of the principal applicant prior to family members
A principal applicant may have decided to proceed to Canada in order to commence employment or to confirm that adequate settlement arrangements, such as accommodation and educational facilities prior to the arrival of their family members. A BSO at Immigration Secondary must confirm that the family members meet the requirements of the Act and its Regulations before granting permanent resident status to the principal applicant.
In most instances, the BSO can assume that persons listed on the principal applicant's permanent resident visa meet the requirements of the Act and Regulations and can grant permanent resident status to the principal applicant. If the BSO has reason to believe the family members may not have been examined, the BSO may defer the examination pursuant to A23 pending confirmation from the visa office that they have been examined.
