PLEASE HELP! - Inland Family Class Sponsorship - Flag Pole Procedure + Tips

[pilots]

Hello,

My common-law partner and I (I'm a Canadian citizen) have recently been both approved for PR Family Class. It took just over a year to get to this point and we are now waiting for the interview invitation letter.

We received a letter this week that appeared to be a standard template style letter that mentions things you need to have for the interview, but no mention of the interview time/date. We were confused and called IRCC (CIC) immediately to clarify. The CIC agent (#1) told us that the letter is sent out to pretty much everyone.

In our particular case, my partners holiday working visa expired a few months ago and we were told on a separate occasion a few months ago from a CIC agent (#2) that my partner no longer has legal status in the country. They continued to say "because you are in process for PR on our system and still in Canada and have passed multiple stages of the process so far (at the time), you should just wait until you get final notification from CIC".

Back to CIC agent (#1), who was our most recent call (today), after we explained our issue, she said now that your sponsor has been approved, you are now allowed to reapply for an open work permit, BUT she said to not do that because it doesn't make any sense to reapply at this point when both of us have been approved as sponsor/applicant and all medical, criminal background checks have been completed and we are very close to the last stage of finalization... she said to just sit and wait until we receive a letter regarding our interview. She said we would have to call the number provided on the letter and discuss the Flag Pole crossing option. So instead of going to CIC local office in Ontario, she said we will have to do it the other way and do the Flag Pole procedure at a land border such as Niagara. (We understand that the Flag Pole option doesn't mean cross into the USA, but rather, cross the bridge and explain to US officials we are flag poling for permanent residence in Canada and they turn you around back to Canada with a letter to present to Canadian border officials.)

Does anyone have similar experiences as an inland sponsor/applicant to perform your PR LANDING at a flag pole land border area instead of a local immigration office? What to expect? What to bring? Anyone who flag poled with no active permits (i.e. work permits and holiday working visas)?

We imagine this will happen very soon, so if anyone has information or help clarify this, we would both greatly appreciate it!

Thank you very much for your time.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

She said we would have to call the number provided on the letter and discuss the Flag Pole crossing option. So instead of going to CIC local office in Ontario, she said we will have to do it the other way and do the Flag Pole procedure at a land border such as Niagara. (We understand that the Flag Pole option doesn't mean cross into the USA, but rather, cross the bridge and explain to US officials we are flag poling for permanent residence in Canada and they turn you around back to Canada with a letter to present to Canadian border officials.)

Does anyone have similar experiences as an inland sponsor/applicant to perform your PR LANDING at a flag pole land border area instead of a local immigration office? What to expect? What to bring? Anyone who flag poled with no active permits (i.e. work permits and holiday working visas)?

Hi

The staff at that Call Centre seems to get more stupid every day.

Inland applicants can't flagpole. Outland applicants can flagpole because their COPR, the landing document, is mailed out to them; they then take it to the border and land. The COPR is NOT mailed out to inland applicants; they get it when they attend their landing interview.

 

[pilots]

Hello canuck_in_uk,

Thank you for your quick reply!!

So in our situation as inland PR Family Class Common-law sponsorship, we have to wait for an invitation to our interview at a local Ontario immigration office, for my spouse's PR approval letter, it stated that the CIC office we would be doing our interview at would be Etobicoke, near Toronto.

TO BE CLEAR: We just need to wait for our PR interview letter? Attend the interview in Etobicoke and then we receive of COPR letter there. Correct? What happens at that point? Please let us know.

Thanks again for your help so far! It is greatly appreciated.

 

[profiler]

Hello canuck_in_uk,

Thank you for your quick reply!!

So in our situation as inland PR Family Class Common-law sponsorship, we have to wait for an invitation to our interview at a local Ontario immigration office, for my spouse's PR approval letter, it stated that the CIC office we would be doing our interview at would be Etobicoke, near Toronto.

TO BE CLEAR: We just need to wait for our PR interview letter? Attend the interview in Etobicoke and then we receive of COPR letter there. Correct? What happens at that point? Please let us know.

Thanks again for your help so far! It is greatly appreciated.

Yes, Etobicoke will contact you with an interview time. Currently they seem to be running a little behind, and are even catching up on Saturday's. They will give you your CORP after the Principle Applicant and the Sponsor answer a couple of questions. They will apply for the PR Card on the PA's behalf at that time. 6wks-2 months later the card arrives.

 

[Rob_TO]

TO BE CLEAR: We just need to wait for our PR interview letter? Attend the interview in Etobicoke and then we receive of COPR letter there. Correct? What happens at that point? Please let us know.

Right. Inland applicants don't get a COPR in advance, so can't flagpole at land border.

At the inland landing intervew at IRCC office, they will issue you COPR (which you can use to apply for SIN) and automatically request for your PR card. You will then be a PR and card will arrive in the mail 1-2 months later.
Note both sponsor and applicant MUST attend the interview together. It's also good to bring some kind of proof that sponsor and applicant are living together, like a shared bank statement (this has been asked of other couples).

 

[taffy7]

Honestly they should be fired for telling you such stupid crap .. Inland application have to wait for interview . This isn't a relationship interview . They ask you a few question and then give you your corp . 1) Have you been charged or convicted of any crime .2) are you still in a relationship with your sponsor 3) Have you any dependent other than what is listed on your application. With an inland you both must attend . Do not apply for a work permit because once you get your corp it is void and it will cost you $255.00

 

[pilots]

Thank you so much everyone in this community for clarifying this very important step in our final stages of PR!!

We will continue to wait for our interview invitation then and go to our local PR office that is specified. We will bring all the required documents and hopefully the process will be smooth and quick. At this point we have had so many confusing speed bumps and hope this is the final stretch and all that is left are a few basic questions and the PR card processed.

The only thing that has me nervous is how my partners working visa expired in just a few months ago... I hope this is not a do or die situation for something like that. As an inlander application, don't we have some sort of status in Canada as long as we stayed in Canada the WHOLE time and we have just been waiting for our application to be approved? We plan to go prepared to the interview and keep it very simple and just answer the questions that are asked of us.

Thank you again for your information everyone and we hope we receive our letter soon. Truly disappointed in how a CIC agent can mislead us and put us on the wrong track... Any further tips are greatly appreciated!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

The only thing that has me nervous is how my partners working visa expired in just a few months ago... I hope this is not a do or die situation for something like that. As an inlander application, don't we have some sort of status in Canada as long as we stayed in Canada the WHOLE time and we have just been waiting for our application to be approved? We plan to go prepared to the interview and keep it very simple and just answer the questions that are asked of us.

Thank you again for your information everyone and we hope we receive our letter soon. Truly disappointed in how a CIC agent can mislead us and put us on the wrong track... Any further tips are greatly appreciated!

Status is not required to become a PR, so don't worry about that.

Don't stress. It's very straightforward.

 

[pilots]

So your saying if we are both approved as sponsor and applicant and now just waiting for an interview letter... thats it?

As an inland application, I guess my partner has the right to stay in Canada all the way up till approval and processing of the PR card following the PR interview.

 

[pilots]

Thank you again to everyone who has contributed so far to this thread. We really, really appreciate your help and advise.

 

[CDNPR2014]

As an inland application, I guess my partner has the right to stay in Canada all the way up till approval and processing of the PR card following the PR interview.

your understanding is incorrect. a PR Application (regardless of whether it is inland or outland) does NOT provide someone with status. It is the applicant's responsibility to maintain current status while their application is processing. In order for any applicant (inland or outland) to "have the right to stay", they must either apply to extend their stay as a visitor, or have a valid work/study visa. What gives someone status as an inland applicant is the OWP that most applicants apply for along with their PR application. Technically, since your partner's work visa is now expired, they are now out of status.

As canuck mentioned - there is no requirement for having status as a pr applicant, so it shouldn't be an issue at landing and at this point, there's no reason to apply for restoration of status. I would not recommend bringing it up at landing.

 

[pilots]

"As canuck mentioned - there is no requirement for having status as a pr applicant, so it shouldn't be an issue at landing and at this point, there's no reason to apply for restoration of status. I would not recommend bringing it up at landing."

I hope that statement is true. I noticed a Q&A page on the CIC website... not sure what to think of it? Are we going to be okay? Does the COPR letter pretty much confirm/secure our spot for a PR? We are currently waiting for the COPR letter. Does anyone know how much longer it takes for the COPR to arrive in our inbox? We were both approved recently.

Here is the text from the website I'm referring to:
How do I validate a Confirmation of Permanent Residence or a permanent resident visa if I live in Canada?
If you already live in Canada, you have two options to become a permanent resident:

You can make an appointment at one of our offices near where you live in Canada. To do this, contact us by using this Web form.

If your permanent resident visa (or one of your family’s) expires in two months or less, please indicate that you need urgent processing.

If you are not able to make an appointment as set out above, you may leave Canada and return through an international airport or a Canadian land border.

When you arrive, an IRCC officer will interview you, and grant you entry into Canada based on the information in your visa.

In either case, you will have to show the officer:

your passport, travel or identity document (including your visa sticker, if you have one), and
your Confirmation of Permanent Residence, permanent resident visa, Certificat de sélection du Québec (CSQ), letter of introduction or any instructions from the Canadian visa office, and
your proof of legal status in Canada, such as a valid work permit, study permit, temporary resident permit, or visitor document, or any immigration document you have (whether valid or not), or
proof of implied status (if you applied to extend your stay before it ended). Proof of this status may include:
payment receipt,
copy of your application to extend your stay,
printout of online application, or
proof of mailing.

Please help!

Thank you.

 

[CDNPR2014]

I hope that statement is true. I noticed a Q&A page on the CIC website... not sure what to think of it? Are we going to be okay? Does the COPR letter pretty much confirm/secure our spot for a PR? We are currently waiting for the COPR letter. Does anyone know how much longer it takes for the COPR to arrive in our inbox? We were both approved recently.

the information you are posting is not for inland applications. it is for people who applied outland and are currently in canada. none of this is relavant to you because as already stated, inland applicants can't just flagpole or schedule a landing appointment at an IRCC office. Inland applicants receive invitations for landing interview letters that are set by IRCC. Inland applicants don't get their COPR sent to them. Inland applicants receive their COPR AT THEIR LANDING INTERVIEW!

you are trying to find problems where there are none. if the applicant received AIP already and have been told by IRCC they are being scheduled for a landing interview, then you can be confident there is no issue with the application. at this point, if IRCC was concerned about the applicant and their status, you would know. there's nothing for you to do except wait for the landing interview letter as IRCC has told you to do.

Your next step is to get your landing interview letter, not your COPR. Once you get your letter, you will then go to the designated office at the day/time they tell you to and the applicant will go through the landing procedure with IRCC. This is when an inland applicant receives their COPR.

all you can do is wait. stop trying to find problems where there aren't any.

 

[profiler]

I hope that statement is true. I noticed a Q&A page on the CIC website... not sure what to think of it? Are we going to be okay? Does the COPR letter pretty much confirm/secure our spot for a PR? We are currently waiting for the COPR letter. Does anyone know how much longer it takes for the COPR to arrive in our inbox? We were both approved recently.

You aren't waiting for a COPR letter. You are waiting for a landing invitation letter from IRCC. The letter does not "confirm" or "secure" a spot. If they made the decision, you already have that spot. From what I recall, you are somewhere near Toronto (Etobicoke if I recall correctly). Currently, Etobicoke is way over booked. They are even making appointments for Saturday's now. So, expect the letter in 4-8 weeks from the date of decision. Otherwise, don't worry about it.

 

[pilots]

profiler and CDNPR2014 + everyone else on this community,

Apologies for the mix up in information. You have cleared everything up for us, we really appreciate your responses. That is good to hear. We will stop looking into the situation and wait patiently for our invitation letter for interview. Etobicoke office must be one of their busiest offices I would imagine. Also, how do you know about their volume of traffic? Are you getting that information from people who have recently done their interviews there?

Thanks everyone!