Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[Quince777]

So today we got an envelope in the mail from Detroit, Michigan. It was a Confirmation of Permanent Residence for my partner. I cannot even process that that just happened. We thought we were still going to get a PPR letter or email, so this is just crazy and amazing! I can't believe we really did it.


...I seriously can't process this.

OMG! Congrats!

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

As a wrap up for me I figured I'd briefly share my landing story. Nothing too exciting to report, to be quite honest.

I got my package on Tuesday with my COPR and passport inside. They also sent a document with landing info, as well as the paper I'd sent with height/eye color, my email print out of my PPR and one of the I.D. photos I'd sent in. I couldn't go to the border immediately to land, because I had to go to Montreal that evening (had an interview up there Wednesday morning).

When I got home from Montreal yesterday my husband and I got in his car with all of my documents, and drove down to the U.S./Canada border crossing near us. My husband didn't want to bother going through U.S. customs, so we took the turn that returns you to Canada right before you hit the U.S. border crossing. The Canadian border guard told us we may need to actually get back in the car and physically enter the U.S. before they could process my landing, but then he said we'd have to ask inside since he wasn't an immigration specialist. So we went inside, neither of us mentioned not actually having had a nice chat at the American border, and the immigration officer took my papers and started processing. He was not excited in the least for me (I think he was having a very dull night), but he was friendly enough. Whole process took about 10 or 15 minutes, only because my husband kept asking a million questions. The immigration officer was very patient though and did his best to answer them. He did take my two prepared copies of the B4 goods declarations, only asked about my car and where it was presently located, then stamped them and gave one back to me. He gave me two official copies of my COPR so I can go get my social insurance number and apply for my health insurance. He also stapled an official copy to my passport, and told me to leave it in there until I got my PR card in 6 to 8 weeks. I asked about travel before my PR card arrives, and he said that I didn't need a travel document to go back and forth to the U.S., but that I would need one for travel to and from any other country. He then told me I was free to do everything a Canadian could other than voting, smiled, shook my hand and officially welcomed me to Canada. I almost cried at that point, but I sucked it up.

Then we drove home, where I got a huge shock as my husband had prepared a small surprise party for me. Definitely a great way to be officially welcomed to Canada.

So that's my landing story. Very uneventful, so much so it's hard to believe it's all over! I'm headed to get my social insurance number at Service Canada after lunch, and will likely do my health care insurance application stuff today or tomorrow as well.

My best wishes for everyone still waiting out this process, whether you've been waiting for a long time or have just started. Thanks so much everyone for all of your support over the last few months. It really helped me get through this. I'll definitely stop back from time to time to see how everyone is doing. Cheers!

 

[Quince777]

As a wrap up for me I figured I'd briefly share my landing story. Nothing too exciting to report, to be quite honest.

I got my package on Tuesday with my COPR and passport inside. They also sent a document with landing info, as well as the paper I'd sent with height/eye color, my email print out of my PPR and one of the I.D. photos I'd sent in. I couldn't go to the border immediately to land, because I had to go to Montreal that evening (had an interview up there Wednesday morning).

When I got home from Montreal yesterday my husband and I got in his car with all of my documents, and drove down to the U.S./Canada border crossing near us. My husband didn't want to bother going through U.S. customs, so we took the turn that returns you to Canada right before you hit the U.S. border crossing. The Canadian border guard told us we may need to actually get back in the car and physically enter the U.S. before they could process my landing, but then he said we'd have to ask inside since he wasn't an immigration specialist. So we went inside, neither of us mentioned not actually having had a nice chat at the American border, and the immigration officer took my papers and started processing. He was not excited in the least for me (I think he was having a very dull night), but he was friendly enough. Whole process took about 10 or 15 minutes, only because my husband kept asking a million questions. The immigration officer was very patient though and did his best to answer them. He did take my two prepared copies of the B4 goods declarations, only asked about my car and where it was presently located, then stamped them and gave one back to me. He gave me two official copies of my COPR so I can go get my social insurance number and apply for my health insurance. He also stapled an official copy to my passport, and told me to leave it in there until I got my PR card in 6 to 8 weeks. I asked about travel before my PR card arrives, and he said that I didn't need a travel document to go back and forth to the U.S., but that I would need one for travel to and from any other country. He then told me I was free to do everything a Canadian could other than voting, smiled, shook my hand and officially welcomed me to Canada. I almost cried at that point, but I sucked it up.

Then we drove home, where I got a huge shock as my husband had prepared a small surprise party for me. Definitely a great way to be officially welcomed to Canada.

So that's my landing story. Very uneventful, so much so it's hard to believe it's all over! I'm headed to get my social insurance number at Service Canada after lunch, and will likely do my health care insurance application stuff today or tomorrow as well.

My best wishes for everyone still waiting out this process, whether you've been waiting for a long time or have just started. Thanks so much everyone for all of your support over the last few months. It really helped me get through this. I'll definitely stop back from time to time to see how everyone is doing. Cheers!

What a nice happy end to all the stress related to immigration! I'm hoping one day I'll be able to share my landing story too. So happy for you!

 

[ddobro2]

Congrats on landing, americaninquebec and to all the new PPRs. Hopefully we can get some PPRs for some people who applied before June this week too.

I'll try to update the spreadsheet by today or tomorrow.

 

[throwmyapples]

How long did it take from the time you sent out the passport, to where you got the COPR?

Oh, and congratulations!

We actually never sent the passport, which is why we were confused to get a COPR without any explanation or congratulatory letter. We had sent the medicals at the beginning, as well as photocopies of the biodata portion of her passport, which was apparently enough. So confusing and wonderful! They opened and closed our case on December 23rd. That puts us at about 5 and a half months from start to finish.

Thanks everyone for the congratulations, and congratulations to AmericaninQuebec and everyone else that is landing and/or getting PR right now. To everyone else, thank you for your unfailing support and knowledge, and good luck to everyone who is still waiting to hear back. I'm so grateful for these boards!

And now it's time for us to start a whole new planning process: planning our landing. Ohhhh buddy. Still can't process this.

 

[AmericaninQuebec]

So I really didn't expect to be posting again this soon, but I figure I should share my experience at Service Canada from this afternoon.

Before going downtown I checked on the Service Canada website and confirmed that for PRs from visa-exempt nations you only need your COPR and your passport to get a social insurance number. So I went down to the Service Canada office with just that - my passport and the official copy of my COPR that the border guard had given to me yesterday.

First the receptionist didn't want to let me see anyone, because I didn't have the original COPR. Then the agent I saw didn't want to give me my insurance number, because I didn't have a counterfoil in my passport and she'd never been notified that they were no longer issuing them to PRs from visa exempt nations. She also didn't want to accept the official photocopy of my COPR, but thankfully the immigration officer had stapled the carbon copy of my COPR to my passport and so she accepted that as an official copy (btw they don't keep a copy, they just need to see it). We were still arguing about the lack of counterfoil though, and so I actually had to make her go to the Service Canada website and showed her where it said that PRs from visa exempt nations only need the COPR and their passport. She had to read it in English and French before she believed me, then she had to track down the page that listed what nations were visa exempt (she didn't believe my word that the U.S. was visa exempt). Once she did that she finally believed me and issued me my social insurance number. It took a total of 5 minutes to actually do the registration for the social insurance number, so overall I spent 20 minutes in the office (15 arguing, 5 registering). Now all that's left to do is register for health insurance. Fingers crossed that goes smoothly! Haha.

 

[ddobro2]

*eye roll*, sounds like a typical government employee, especially in Quebec, where apparently you can get a federal job with only a high school diploma. I guess she learned some things today thanks to you.

then she had to track down the page that listed what nations were visa exempt (she didn't believe my word that the U.S. was visa exempt).

 

[Bargeld]

So I really didn't expect to be posting again this soon, but I figure I should share my experience at Service Canada from this afternoon.

Before going downtown I checked on the Service Canada website and confirmed that for PRs from visa-exempt nations you only need your COPR and your passport to get a social insurance number. So I went down to the Service Canada office with just that - my passport and the official copy of my COPR that the border guard had given to me yesterday.

First the receptionist didn't want to let me see anyone, because I didn't have the original COPR. Then the agent I saw didn't want to give me my insurance number, because I didn't have a counterfoil in my passport and she'd never been notified that they were no longer issuing them to PRs from visa exempt nations. She also didn't want to accept the official photocopy of my COPR, but thankfully the immigration officer had stapled the carbon copy of my COPR to my passport and so she accepted that as an official copy (btw they don't keep a copy, they just need to see it). We were still arguing about the lack of counterfoil though, and so I actually had to make her go to the Service Canada website and showed her where it said that PRs from visa exempt nations only need the COPR and their passport. She had to read it in English and French before she believed me, then she had to track down the page that listed what nations were visa exempt (she didn't believe my word that the U.S. was visa exempt). Once she did that she finally believed me and issued me my social insurance number. It took a total of 5 minutes to actually do the registration for the social insurance number, so overall I spent 20 minutes in the office (15 arguing, 5 registering). Now all that's left to do is register for health insurance. Fingers crossed that goes smoothly! Haha.

Communication must be poor, or she's a bad study if she's behind on new gov't policies that were announced ages ago.

Congrats on landing stuff! I still have to wait 8 days before I can get OHIP (3 mos from land).

 

[g-man]

The good: Got our notification of transfer to Buffalo today (officially 1/9/12 ddobro2 for your spreadsheet)!!

The bad: CIC updated their average processing time for Buffalo recently, and it's now up to 11 months.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp

 

[ddobro2]

Actually, that "update" was from October of last year (it has been at 11 months for several such updates). Since they update that date quarterly, I *think* the next one will be February 27, 2012. Unless my math is totally wrong and it's actually January 27th.......

The good: Got our notification of transfer to Buffalo today (officially 1/9/12 ddobro2 for your spreadsheet)!!

The bad: CIC updated their average processing time for Buffalo recently, and it's now up to 11 months.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm/fc-spouses.asp

 

[g-man]

Actually, that "update" was from October of last year (it has been at 11 months for several such updates). Since they update that date quarterly, the next one will be February 27, 2012.

Last I checked it (a few months ago) I recall it being somewhere more in the ballpark of 8 months. My application received date was Oct 27 and coincidentally the site now says they're working on applications received up to that date. Since that is also the date of the update, I figured they back-dated things.

 

[ddobro2]

I've been here for a good while and I've never seen the step 2 processing for Buffalo at 8 monts.

Last I checked it (a few months ago) I recall it being somewhere more in the ballpark of 8 months. My application received date was Oct 27 and coincidentally the site now says they're working on applications received up to that date. Since that is also the date of the update, I figured they back-dated things.

 

[g-man]

I've been here for a good while and I've never seen the step 2 processing for Buffalo at 8 monts.

We're splitting hairs here. 11 more months sucks, any way you hash it.

 

[Quince777]

We're splitting hairs here. 11 more months sucks, any way you hash it.

Wow, g-man you look like you've been waiting for your papers forever since October 2010

 

[g-man]

Wow, g-man you look like you've been waiting for your papers forever since October 2010

nah just last october, but if those numbers are to be believed, then my hopes of a ~6mo turnaround are shot.