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PR application from the UK

Lyndagiffen

Full Member
Jan 15, 2014
22
0
Hello,
I am a Canadian Citizen living permanently in the UK with my British husband and our 2 children. We want to move to Canada permanently in July this year (2014) - in 6 months time, but I was shocked to discover that to process a PR visa for my husband takes a month at the CIC office in Missisauga then a further 10 months at the embassy in London.

My sisters partner applied a few years back and his application was processed in 3 months, so I'm curious to know - Is it possible to have your application returned earlier? Has anyone had experience of applying outland from the UK and had their visa granted more quickly than the stated processing time?

Also, I know I have to show proof of my intent to live in Canada once the visa is granted, but the forms suggest I send in lease statements, job offers, mortgage letters... things that people would be unlikely to have in place over 6 months before moving anywhere. So, what other evidence can I offer of my intent to move (research into the area I want to live, signed statements from friends I have spoken to about our intentions...?).

Lastly, If I my application does indeed take 10 months, this would postpone our intended move until next summer (we wouldn't want our son to interrupt a school year). How soon after the Visa is granted must we enter Canada?
 

screech339

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2013
7,887
553
Category........
Visa Office......
Vegreville
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
14-08-2012
AOR Received.
20-11-2012
Med's Done....
18-07-2012
Interview........
17-06-2013
LANDED..........
17-06-2013
Outland applications tend to be much quicker than what online timelines listed.

But you don't have to delay the moving time. Your husband can still enter Canada while the application is in process. He can update the address to Canadian address online once he moved to Canada. But remember he can't say he is moving. He is visiting.

Once he is inside Canada, he can keep extending the visitor visa. CIC will mail the COPR to the Canadian address once approved. He can then flagpole at the nearest US border. Enter US and then turn around to Canada and officially become PR.

The only side-effect to this is that he may have to fly back to London for any interviews if any and he can never work in Canada for as long as he stays in Canada.
 

Sweden

VIP Member
Mar 31, 2012
4,186
179
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
12/04/2012
File Transfer...
13/07/2012
Med's Done....
02/02/2012
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
Exempt
VISA ISSUED...
05/11/12, received in Canada 19/11/12
LANDED..........
24/11/12, PR card received 30/01/12
welcome to the forum! in my signature you will see a spreadsheet with the timeline for applicants going through London - a lot of them are done much earlier than 10 months indeed.

Proofs of intents: letters from friends, copy of emails where you're discussing returning to Canada, moving quotes, research into the area - all of that will help, and typically will be enough, unless there is something specific to your file. ALso - check with the school for your son, and include that info.

The visa is valid until one year after your medical - but you can also get the PR, go to Canada to "land as a PR" and then return to the UK to wrap things up if you're not ready to leave when the visa is issued. OR - you could move with your family, and have your husband on a tourist visa waiting for his application to be approve - which means not being able to work, but that might be OK - a lot of people do that.

Good luck,
Sweden
 

zardoz

VIP Member
Feb 2, 2013
13,298
2,168
Canada
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
London
App. Filed.......
16-02-2013
VISA ISSUED...
31-07-2013
LANDED..........
09-11-2013
To the OP, look at my timeline.
 

wowsers

Hero Member
Feb 6, 2013
407
24
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
And mine. What I rashly thought would be a straightforward application has been on the go since May last year and still nothing. Realistically you can forget about July '14 for a visa. First you will need an Acro certificate, which will take about a month and medicals which you ought to be able to do in the same month period. You can start preparing your application in the meantime (it took me several months to prepare, but I was not in any particular hurry). Anywaay, let us assume that you are ready to apply once you get your police clearance from ACRO (ie mid February). Approval of sponsorship from Mississauga will take about another month. So it is now mid March. Then the processing time begins. It need not necessarily take the 10 months which is the on line estimated time for processing in London, but it is going to take several months. My wild guess is that it will take you not less than 6 months ie until about September at the earliest. Sorry for the doom and gloom, but it is best to be realistic. You could of course go first before your husband: you are Canadian and your children will be Canadians also; so you will not need visas. If your husband's earnings are important for you as a family he could stay behind to work and earn and follow later when his visa is granted. That might enable your children to attend school in Canada in the new school year.
 

corbs

Star Member
Jan 15, 2014
121
8
Category........
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
18-03-2013
AOR Received.
02-04-2013
Med's Done....
20-12-2013
ACRO certificate premium service takes 2 working days to complete, not a month.
 

ghunter

Star Member
Feb 4, 2013
192
2
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
18-04-2013
AOR Received.
03-05-2013
File Transfer...
16-05-2013
Med's Done....
05-03-2013
VISA ISSUED...
19-10-2013; re-issued 16-12-2013
LANDED..........
08-01-2014
Lyndagiffen said:
Hello,
I am a Canadian Citizen living permanently in the UK with my British husband and our 2 children. We want to move to Canada permanently in July this year (2014) - in 6 months time, but I was shocked to discover that to process a PR visa for my husband takes a month at the CIC office in Missisauga then a further 10 months at the embassy in London.

My sisters partner applied a few years back and his application was processed in 3 months, so I'm curious to know - Is it possible to have your application returned earlier? Has anyone had experience of applying outland from the UK and had their visa granted more quickly than the stated processing time?

Also, I know I have to show proof of my intent to live in Canada once the visa is granted, but the forms suggest I send in lease statements, job offers, mortgage letters... things that people would be unlikely to have in place over 6 months before moving anywhere. So, what other evidence can I offer of my intent to move (research into the area I want to live, signed statements from friends I have spoken to about our intentions...?).

Lastly, If I my application does indeed take 10 months, this would postpone our intended move until next summer (we wouldn't want our son to interrupt a school year). How soon after the Visa is granted must we enter Canada?
Perhaps take a look at the spreadsheet in my signature for more realistic processing times for the London VO. While some of the previous posters are right, this process can take up to the 10 months, if you have an application without too many 'red flags' and if you provide a concise and straightforward application I think that you should at least have hope that it will be done in less than 6 months (obviously I am not promising anything, but for 2013 the average overall processing (including the time the application is in Mississauga) is currently 5.7 months.
 

taffy7

Champion Member
May 23, 2013
2,482
69
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10th April 2014/June 10th 2014 application complete
Doc's Request.
09 June 2014 same doc's requested again 6th Oct 2014. docs not needed again mistake by cic
AOR Received.
sponsorship approval 05 Aug 2014
File Transfer...
05 Aug 2014
Med's Request
28 July 2015
Med's Done....
30th Dec 2013
Passport Req..
in process 18th July 2015/ DM 5/12/2015
LANDED..........
28/12/2015
Can someone tell me what a signature is and how do i find it Ref: timeframe.
 

ghunter

Star Member
Feb 4, 2013
192
2
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
18-04-2013
AOR Received.
03-05-2013
File Transfer...
16-05-2013
Med's Done....
05-03-2013
VISA ISSUED...
19-10-2013; re-issued 16-12-2013
LANDED..........
08-01-2014
taffy7 said:
Can someone tell me what a signature is and how do i find it Ref: timeframe.
Just at the bottom of where I have written there is a link, which is for a spreadsheet. It's in blue!
 

taffy7

Champion Member
May 23, 2013
2,482
69
Category........
Visa Office......
London
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
10th April 2014/June 10th 2014 application complete
Doc's Request.
09 June 2014 same doc's requested again 6th Oct 2014. docs not needed again mistake by cic
AOR Received.
sponsorship approval 05 Aug 2014
File Transfer...
05 Aug 2014
Med's Request
28 July 2015
Med's Done....
30th Dec 2013
Passport Req..
in process 18th July 2015/ DM 5/12/2015
LANDED..........
28/12/2015
ghunter said:
Just at the bottom of where I have written there is a link, which is for a spreadsheet. It's in blue!
Thank you!