stevewbruce said:
Forgive me for being dumb but..... (Deep breath) I shouldn't have any difficulty on my first entrance to Canada should I? Surely I don't show my copr until I get to customs?
I think if the thing with your son has been resolved, and you don't do anything to make the border officer think that you don't intend to live in Canada (travelling back to the UK to tie up loose ends is fine), you won't have a problem on first entering. At this point, he will stamp your passport with a special PR stamp, and will fill out some stuff on your COPR document. You'll need to sign the COPR. (One of the questions is "Do you have any other dependants?" That's the source of the problem with your son, until you've established that he's a citizen.) After that's been done, you'll be a permanent resident of Canada. An application will automatically be made for your PR card, but it will take a couple of months for you to receive it.
On subsequent entries to Canada, you need your COPR, which is the one document proving you're a PR until you get your PR card. The PR stamp also shows this, but isn't normally used as proof. However, in order to reach the border with a commercial carrier such as an airline, railway, or bus company, you need either a travel document or a PR card. Otherwise, if they find out you're a PR, for example by noticing the PR stamp in your passport, they're entitled to refuse boarding to you. This is despite the fact that the COPR + passport combination is enough to get you into Canada once you've reached the border.
You need a new travel document for each entry to Canada.
