jayde said:
Here is a link that details the days/times you can submit your passport to Buffalo in person:
http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca/buffalo/imm/submit_soumettre.aspx?view=d
It basically says:
"Passports may be brought in on Tuesday or Thursday between the hours of 8:00 am and 10:00 am. Bring this email with you when you come. Every effort will be made to have your passports returned the same day."
Yep. If you (whoever this poster is responding to) go to Buffalo to take care of PPR, try to arrive at the parking garage 7:00-7:15am, Tim Hortons inside at the plaza level 7:15-7:20am, at 7:25-7:30am a guard will come to Timmy's (they take you up to the lobby but guards [there's many] get mad if you wander up there alone -- only specific people are allowed access to other floors esp before 7:30, and they card/badge ppl at all times), take you and the other ppl waiting there up to the lobby, they take passports from everyone who is gonna go up to the 30th floor (regardless of nationality), give you a sticker-pass you place on your chest, hand you back your passport, and direct you past two guards to the elevators to go to the 30th floor marked with a Canadian flag.
Once up there, a guard greets you and takes most electronic devices (particularly phones, sometimes things like cameras) the applicant(s) with the PPR wait in line to talk to the first window you'll see, where you show the PPR whether e-mail or snail mail, hand over your passport, and begin a rather arduous wait in the seats or stand. If you arrive as early as you should, there will be plenty of seats to choose from but if you're late, the 50-80 seats fill up quickly, and by 10am they stop accepting people so without a doubt be on that floor before 10am or SOL.
You will be given a number (ours was 11), but don't expect to be called in that order. Most of the people called ahead of us with numbers much higher looked like they were students. There's also a cashier window they will call you to in case you need to make any sort of payment (RPRF for PPR's perhaps, but there's many reasons they collect fees there on the spot for some people, they never called us to the cashier's desk as we paid RPRF with the initial application sent to Mississauga), otherwise it's just a waiting game, as mentioned, and they will call your number, hand over passport and COPR. As soon as they give you this, verify the visa foil thingy in the passport is present, and make sure the COPR matches your personal information before leaving. The lady welcomed me to Canada, as well as the single guard standing there, and we were on our merry way to Queenston-Lewiston bridge to land.
JAYJAY2 said:
can someone help with my questions below please
The sponsorship got approved and now there sending it to Buffalo.
I sent in the application without the FBI results we got them so we have to send them in. Also after we sent in the application my wife received her american citezenship and got her american passport. So should we just go ahead and send that info right away to Bufallo or wait?
Wait for either the request from Buffalo or in your case perhaps ask about it if you need to update your status. In my case, we filed in May, my original FBI document was dated in December 2010. I fully expected a request for a new FBI document, anticipating this, got another which arrived in July around the same time as sponsorship approval, but they ended up not requesting it for some odd reason. Either way if they need it you will know they need it as they will request it.
kayan said:
Is it true that once you land, you cannot leave Canada until your residency card arrives, and this can take anywhere from 4-8 weeks?
Partially true. When landing CBSA warned us about me travelling by air, bus/train, and sea, until I attain the PR card. I can show them my passport with the stapled COPR in it, no prob, if driving across the border by car, and they will admit me without issue or hesitation. However, if by those other (usually commercial-esque) means, there is a very good likelihood (pretty much assured) of denial or them making you file for a travel document at your nearest VO ($50 fee) in order to re-enter. Safest best is wait for the PR card.
