Talk me off the cliff, or encourage me, pick your poison

[saria1]

I contacted an MP and they inquired into my status, since my phone call turned up very little. Here is the response:

"My contact at CIC said that there is no sign of an urgent processing request being filed. This does not mean that they have not received it, it just means that it has not been entered into their system yet. She said to wait for 30 days and then re-enquire.

According to my contact, your file was transferred to the Program Support division, which takes care of cases that involve proof of citizenship for people born outside of Canada to a Canadian parent. Unfortunately, this division has a substantially longer wait period of 24 months due to the sheer number of people who apply for this. That being said, the wait times for this division are an estimate, and it could be much shorter. If your urgent processing request is approved, that would also serve to limit your wait time."

24 months, 24 MONTHS.... My family has fully jumped on board to move to Canada, our move date is summer 2016. This was allowing for the 6 months to process my proof, and then 12-18 months to approve and process the PR for my family.... Seriously though, I'm one day away from directly emailing the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration.

 

[SenoritaBella]

So sorry you are experiencing such a delay. Sounds like your MP was was able to obtain some information, though not what you were expecting. Dealing with CIC requires a lot of patience and no one knows for sure it will actually take 24 months; it could be less. Best to focus on what you can control which is taking care of yourself/family and perhaps re-evaluating your plans for summer 2016.

You are welcome to email the Minister; however, be aware it is a delicate balance. On one hand, you want your file to be processed quickly and on the other hand, you do not want to make too many waves, lest you piss off the officer and your file ends up at the bottom of the pile. Goodluck!

 

[saria1]

So sorry you are experiencing such a delay. Sounds like your MP was was able to obtain some information, though not what you were expecting. Dealing with CIC requires a lot of patience and no one knows for sure it will actually take 24 months; it could be less. Best to focus on what you can control which is taking care of yourself/family and perhaps re-evaluating your plans for summer 2016.

You are welcome to email the Minister; however, be aware it is a delicate balance. On one hand, you want your file to be processed quickly and on the other hand, you do not want to make too many waves, lest you piss off the officer and your file ends up at the bottom of the pile. Goodluck!

You're correct, senoritabella.

The type A in me is now organizing a Plan B. I'm sorting how to still make this move happen in 2016. It's my understanding I can enroll my son in school since I'll be a Canadian citizen (that's if my proof is done by 24-25 months). My husband and son are allowed in Canada for 6 months at a time. How do I get them to cross the border saying their coming to stay with me for 6 months without being turned around. And I need to research how to extend their stay while they're inside Canada while their PR is processed outland. This move will happen...

 

[scylla]

The challenge is that no matter how well you prepare, there is no guarantee what will happen at the border since this decision is entirely up to the immigration officer you encounter. So you'll definitely want to have a Plan C in the event your husband and/or child have issues entering Canada.

For best results they should be entering as visitors. What this means is that they shouldn't pack like they're moving (pack what you would pack for a visit of a few weeks). If you want to bring up more stuff (espeically things like furniture), you should drive all of these items across the border yourself (without them accompanying you) and they should travel separately. Ideally your husband should also be able to show proof that he has ties to his home country (e.g. property, business, employment).

I'm not entirely sure where you husband is from. However if he's from the US you should be aware that outland processing for spouses is taking as little time as 4 months these days.

Good luck.

 

[newtone]

Sorry to hear about your case. Unfortunately emailing the minister of citizenship or even his father will not help cause their emai lis managed by an overqualified secretary being paid minimum wage on temporary contract with no benefits. Solution is just to wait

 

[saria1]

The challenge is that no matter how well you prepare, there is no guarantee what will happen at the border since this decision is entirely up to the immigration officer you encounter. So you'll definitely want to have a Plan C in the event your husband and/or child have issues entering Canada.

For best results they should be entering as visitors. What this means is that they shouldn't pack like they're moving (pack what you would pack for a visit of a few weeks). If you want to bring up more stuff (espeically things like furniture), you should drive all of these items across the border yourself (without them accompanying you) and they should travel separately. Ideally your husband should also be able to show proof that he has ties to his home country (e.g. property, business, employment).

I'm not entirely sure where you husband is from. However if he's from the US you should be aware that outland processing for spouses is taking as little time as 4 months these days.

Good luck.

All great points and right in line with what I was thinking. My thought is along the lines of sending them over the border with a notarized note from me allowing him to take our son over the border. Then a day later, I can go across the border with the uhaul and my car in tow.

My husband will have ties to the US, he owns an American company with his brother. He'll be working remotely for that company in Canada. I'm not sure if our home will be sold, or if we'll have it rented out. That is a possible second tie for him. And our plan C would be to setup residence in Washington until the PR goes through. It's not what I want to do, since Washington's education system is so poor, amongst the worst in the USA and I don't want my son to have struggle to play catch up once we cross into Canada. But, if they are turned away, we'll have no other option.

If they get across, and it's taking longer than the 6 months for the PR. What are the options to extend their stay. I've seen some people on the forum "living" up there while their paperwork was in process and extended their stay by applying to CIC. Does anyone know which extension this is?

Newtone, again correct. I wouldn't want to be in contact with someone who is a bit bitter because of their employment circumstances and personally could care less of my situation.

Thank you for all the advice. All I can do is plan, replan and wait.

 

[IvanP]

All great points and right in line with what I was thinking. My thought is along the lines of sending them over the border with a notarized note from me allowing him to take our son over the border. Then a day later, I can go across the border with the uhaul and my car in tow.

My husband will have ties to the US, he owns an American company with his brother. He'll be working remotely for that company in Canada. I'm not sure if our home will be sold, or if we'll have it rented out. That is a possible second tie for him. And our plan C would be to setup residence in Washington until the PR goes through. It's not what I want to do, since Washington's education system is so poor, amongst the worst in the USA and I don't want my son to have struggle to play catch up once we cross into Canada. But, if they are turned away, we'll have no other option.

If they get across, and it's taking longer than the 6 months for the PR. What are the options to extend their stay. I've seen some people on the forum "living" up there while their paperwork was in process and extended their stay by applying to CIC. Does anyone know which extension this is?

Newtone, again correct. I wouldn't want to be in contact with someone who is a bit bitter because of their employment circumstances and personally could care less of my situation.

Thank you for all the advice. All I can do is plan, replan and wait.

I was also born to a Canadian parent outside of Canada, so our situations are somewhat similar. Processing times were much shorter when I applied for proof of citizenship - around 7 months I think, and we were only toying with the idea of a move when I applied for the proof of citizenship, so didn't feel the same urgency you are now feeling.

But then my family's PR application took a lot longer than expected and we were ready to move because of the kids' school. So, after making arrangements to enroll them in school, we crossed the border from the US to Quebec with a U-Haul full of my family's stuff (which I had (cleverly) declared earlier as goods to follow when I moved the rest of our household stuff a month earlier, so there were no importation issues). We told the border guy that we wanted the kids to start school in September with the rest of the kids their age, so we were planning to wait for the PR in Canada since we expected it soon (which was all true), and he let us through.

This is totally not what anyone will advise you to do, and not necessarily something I'd recommend (because if it doesn't work, you've got a big problem with all of your stuff in a U-Haul at the border, and it was unbelievably stressful not knowing whether we'd get across), but it did work for us. They really don't much care about US citizens going back and forth, but you can always be unlucky and wind up with a border guy who is d*ck.

 

[scylla]

This is totally not what anyone will advise you to do, and not necessarily something I'd recommend (because if it doesn't work, you've got a big problem with all of your stuff in a U-Haul at the border, and it was unbelievably stressful not knowing whether we'd get across), but it did work for us. They really don't much care about US citizens going back and forth, but you can always be unlucky and wind up with a border guy who is d*ck.

Agreed. We've seen a few Americans on this forum end up with one year exclusion orders when they tried something like this. Many are lucky and probably make out just fine - but I think the risk of an exclusion order is something to be avoided at all costs.

 

[IvanP]

Agreed. We've seen a few Americans on this forum end up with one year exclusion orders when they tried something like this. Many are lucky and probably make out just fine - but I think the risk of an exclusion order is something to be avoided at all costs.

On the other hand, it's easy to get trapped in lies at the border if you're not up-front and honest, and that's also a posture you want to avoid. The question "Where do you live and what's the purpose of your visit?" quickly becomes a very complicated question if you have already vacated your house in the States, and you intend to remain in Canada. That's why we ultimately chose to be completely upfront and honest, with the risk of being turned away, so we didn't get trapped in lies.

We had thought - based on average processing times - we'd have the COPRs by March of last year, but we were still waiting in August. At the same time, we were also really, really close to everything being done (we were at Decision Made in ECAS, and we received the COPRs 3 days after arriving), we mentioned at the border that we'd spoken to our MP about what our plans were, made sure that our children were eligible and registered for school, and we had traveler's health insurance lined up for 4 months (for which we were able to get a refund when the COPRs arrived and provincial insurance kicked in).

Still not saying I'd recommend doing this, just that we took a calculated risk that paid off, while entering Canada and lying at the border was not something we wanted to do.

As an aside, the straightforward, honest approach worked for us even at the US Embassy in Moscow. When my (Russian) wife and I decided to get married, we did it in the US while we lived in Moscow. We went to the Embassy, told them we were going to the US to get married, then return to Moscow to continue living and working, and so we'd like a visitor's visa so we could go to the US and get married there. We provided documentation that we both had jobs and that she was still in a graduate program, and we got the visitor visa while intending to get married. When asked why we weren't getting the financée visa, the answer was easy - we had jobs in Moscow and weren't planning to stay in the US, so that wasn't the right kind of visa for us. And they gave us the visa.

 

[alphazip]

You're correct, senoritabella.

The type A in me is now organizing a Plan B. I'm sorting how to still make this move happen in 2016. It's my understanding I can enroll my son in school since I'll be a Canadian citizen (that's if my proof is done by 24-25 months). My husband and son are allowed in Canada for 6 months at a time. How do I get them to cross the border saying their coming to stay with me for 6 months without being turned around. And I need to research how to extend their stay while they're inside Canada while their PR is processed outland. This move will happen...

I'm also a citizen by descent, and I remember having to wait for my proof of citizenship so that I could sponsor my spouse for PR. We applied from outside Canada, but I also know of people who did an inland application. Apparently, it takes a bit longer, but at least the person being sponsored is allowed to remain in Canada during the wait.

I probably missed where you said you're moving to, but since you mention Washington state, I assume it's BC. I just looked at information regarding Vancouver student registration, and it appears that they require knowledge of the child's immigration status...not just the parent's. In Ontario, on the other hand, I believe that a child's immigration status is not taken into consideration when deciding on admission to a public school. http://www.cleo.on.ca/en/publications/rightschool

 

[IvanP]

I'm also a citizen by descent, and I remember having to wait for my proof of citizenship so that I could sponsor my spouse for PR. We applied from outside Canada, but I also know of people who did an inland application. Apparently, it takes a bit longer, but at least the person being sponsored is allowed to remain in Canada during the wait.

I probably missed where you said you're moving to, but since you mention Washington state, I assume it's BC. I just looked at information regarding Vancouver student registration, and it appears that they require knowledge of the child's immigration status...not just the parent's. In Ontario, on the other hand, I believe that a child's immigration status is not taken into consideration when deciding on admission to a public school. http://www.cleo.on.ca/en/publications/rightschool

In Québec (Montréal) they were happy to take the CSQ for the kids' admission to public school (along with proof of residency, etc. etc.). I would guess you'd get different results depending not just on the province, but on the particular school administrator you encounter.

But anyhow, if you go the inland route, there's plenty of advice on this forum about how to submit an application and a work permit application at the same time so you can get a work permit once you get approval in principle (rather than only becoming work authorized after landing). That might be the faster route for you to be an employable resident (or maybe a NAFTA visa if you have the right work qualifications), but with processing times the way they are, it's probably a crapshoot.

 

[saria1]

Wow, lots of great advice here.

I'm also a citizen by descent, and I remember having to wait for my proof of citizenship so that I could sponsor my spouse for PR. We applied from outside Canada, but I also know of people who did an inland application. Apparently, it takes a bit longer, but at least the person being sponsored is allowed to remain in Canada during the wait.

I probably missed where you said you're moving to, but since you mention Washington state, I assume it's BC. I just looked at information regarding Vancouver student registration, and it appears that they require knowledge of the child's immigration status...not just the parent's. In Ontario, on the other hand, I believe that a child's immigration status is not taken into consideration when deciding on admission to a public school. http://www.cleo.on.ca/en/publications/rightschool

I looked at the school district, and yes, the child needs to be legal too, not just the parent. So that eliminates moving across the border until my family is legal.

IvanP and Alphazip, when did you apply for your citizenship by descent? How long did it take you? Where there any issues along the way, further requests made from CIC?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I looked at the school district, and yes, the child needs to be legal too, not just the parent. So that eliminates moving across the border until my family is legal.

I suggest you contact schools in your intended destination directly. As the child of a Canadian citizen, there is a very good chance that he will be able to register while on visitor status. There have been others on this forum who successfully did this with their children and even with their stepchildren.

 

[alphazip]

Wow, lots of great advice here.

I looked at the school district, and yes, the child needs to be legal too, not just the parent. So that eliminates moving across the border until my family is legal.

IvanP and Alphazip, when did you apply for your citizenship by descent? How long did it take you? Where there any issues along the way, further requests made from CIC?

My application was made so many years ago (under a previous rule...expired in 2004...that allowed for a "delayed registration of birth abroad") that it wouldn't really give a clue as to your wait. I did get one request from CIC...a letter asking exactly what years my Canadian-born father lived in Canada "for their files" (which isn't really an issue under the 2009 law). They did say they were expediting my application, due to my wish to move to Canada, and I think the whole process took 4 or 5 months.

 

[IvanP]

My application was made so many years ago (under a previous rule...expired in 2004...that allowed for a "delayed registration of birth abroad") that it wouldn't really give a clue as to your wait. I did get one request from CIC...a letter asking exactly what years my Canadian-born father lived in Canada "for their files" (which isn't really an issue under the 2009 law). They did say they were expediting my application, due to my wish to move to Canada, and I think the whole process took 4 or 5 months.

I sent my application for a citizenship certificate in June 2011 and got the certificate in December of that same year - pretty quick processing. My application was under the 2009 (my father had naturalized in the US before I was born, so the 2009 law reinstated his Canadian citizenship was retroactively reinstated, and mine was retroactively granted). There were no requests for additional information for the citizenship certificate, and I remember it being pretty straightforward: my father's birth certificate (his proof of Canadian citizenship as well as proof of my being the first generation born outside of Canada, my birth certificate with his name listed as my father, and - of course - $75.

We did my family's PR application the following September. We did get follow-up requests from CPP-OTT for the PR application: proof of intent to reside in Canada (which we'd already sent), copies of the CSQs from Québec (which we'd already sent), and photos (which they'd apparently lost) - you might guess that I was not happy to receive that request! At the time, based on other applications in this forum, our application took about 5 months longer in total (11.5 months), and I think that the fact that I'd received my citizenship under the 2009 law perhaps resulted in extra scrutiny, though I really can't know for sure.

Now we're waiting for CIC (again!), but this time for the kids' citizenship applications. As children of a Canadian citizen, they only need to land as PRs to be eligible to apply for citizenship - no need to wait for a few years before applying. The processing time for citizenship grants is 2 years, and we've just past the 10 month mark.

I will say that despite the bureaucratic hassles, moving north from the US was totally worth it, and we're much happier up in Canada. Canadians are surprised when you say that Canada is better than the US (for Canadians the grass being greener - and the shopping being cheaper - to the south), but it's really better north of the border. Life is more relaxed, work-life balance is better, people are nicer, schools are better, university is much more affordable (one of our biggest reasons for immigrating here). It's absolutely worth the effort, and when it's done, you'll probably be very happy you made the move.