Thread for outland Buffalo applicants!

[Francis123]

My express mail tracking number is activated and I should be receiving my passport and visa this afternoon !!!!!!!! (Fingers crossed they're not sending my pics back saying to redo them. Do they do that? Or would they send a seperate letter/email requesting new pics while they hold on to the passport)

 

[ahassa5]

I was just playing around with Sparkle's spreadsheet and came up with the average wait time, from submission to ppr, of 135 days. Approx 4.4 months.

Here's hoping!

 

[kelKel]

My express mail tracking number is activated and I should be receiving my passport and visa this afternoon !!!!!!!! (Fingers crossed they're not sending my pics back saying to redo them. Do they do that? Or would they send a seperate letter/email requesting new pics while they hold on to the passport)

You never know if your pictures are rejected until 2 months after you land. If you dont get your card in the right amount of time sometimes your pics are wrong and then you have to resubmit. Our friends just got their card and it took 49 days.

 

[Atog]

My hubby landed on the 30th in Vancouver airport. the landing process was easy and no problem. e-cas still showing decicioni made today . Thanks everyone in forum for helping us and being with us throughout the process!!!!

and congratz to those who got update from CIC!!
and wish you all luck to those people who are waiting for their good news!!

 

[kerianne]

see you waited less time than me and my wife

congratulation

I was surely worried I was either going to be denied, or had to wait longer. I am so happy, and very surprised that I got it so quickly after I received the IA. Glad it's finally over!

I mailed off my passport today! I keep feeling like I forgot something, but I hope I had it all! I triple checked everything..EEK! Got a tracker for both ways, so the anticipation for the activation is already starting to take affect and it hasn't even been a full day! Oh well, I have good patience now..the one thing CIC helped me learn..lol.

Thank you everybody else as well!! May your time come quickly!


Oh and now that I am landing, I've got the IM 5455 and 5445 pdfs for SIN and PR Card, I do need to apply for a PR card correct? I know that they are making them come with all PR approvals now, but does that mean I still need to apply, or is that what the pictures are for? if that's the case, I'm gonna be mad that I bought twice the amount of photos I needed LOL

 

[kelKel]

Kerianne your PR card is automatically sent to you after you land within 6-8 weeks. So no need to apply for it. Once you land all you need is your COPR to take with you to get your SIN card and health card (or BC equivalent).

 

[kerianne]

dang it! That's what I thought, but I didn't want to have to go back for pictures, so I got a second pair. Could have saved myself $15!! Oh well. Thanks though!

 

[doctorkb]

dang it! That's what I thought, but I didn't want to have to go back for pictures, so I got a second pair. Could have saved myself $15!! Oh well. Thanks though!

I have heard of needing the pictures at the border when you present your COPR, too.

Once you land all you need is your COPR to take with you to get your SIN card and health card (or BC equivalent).

We just got the BC CareCard in the mail, effective Apr 1, expiring June/11. It was approved based on duration of admission to Canada and the sponsorship approval.

 

[kerianne]

doctorkb: Thanks good to know.

 

[TreeLover]

We just got the BC CareCard in the mail, effective Apr 1, expiring June/11. It was approved based on duration of admission to Canada and the sponsorship approval.

You got the CareCard BEFORE you landed? I am just waiting for my passport to be returned so I can land, but I have been in BC since October and have a visitor record good until July 11, 2011. Does that mean I can get health care BEFORE I land?

 

[doctorkb]

You got the CareCard BEFORE you landed? I am just waiting for my passport to be returned so I can land, but I have been in BC since October and have a visitor record good until July 11, 2011. Does that mean I can get health care BEFORE I land?

Yes we did.

Full info:
1. visitor from June to Sept, 2010 (stamped passport)
2. visitor record issued from Oct 16-Dec30 (after wedding -- planned departure in early Dec for trip to Maui)
3. passport stamped Dec30 without an additional date

We applied for Carecard in October per BC MSP call centre rep (falsely) telling me that her immigration status wouldn't matter as soon as we were married. In Nov, we get a request for proof of status in BC. Since we were leaving in two weeks, it made more sense to get the December stamp, then send in details. I submitted the past records and the December 30 stamp in January, along with the receipt of having mailed the package to CIC.
In February, they replied asking for any information we have received from CIC regarding the sponsorship approval. I submitted a photocopy of the sponsorship approval letter.
Nothing more was heard from them until the end of March, when the Carecard magically arrived in the mail. The page it was adhered to mentioned the eligibility date of April 1, while the card itself is has the words "call before expiry" and is stamped with "06/11" below that.

There are no details on how soon before expiry we need to call, nor whether the expiry is June 1, June 31 or somewhere in between. I'm hoping that we have received PR by then and can just submit a copy of the COPR to get it extended indefinitely.

Apparently, they decided her eligibility date was April 1. We're not concerned as there have been no treatment-required medical services in the past while, though we do believe that the eligibility date SHOULD have been Jan 1. If we had any medical expenses during that time, I probably would have appealed it.

 

[janamay1967]

I have a stupid question!

We applied on March 18th 2011. I am currently living in Houston and gave that address on all of the paperwork.

I want to go and live with my husband in Calgary starting in June even if I cannot work.
Am I going to get into trouble if I am living in Canada while waiting for the process to finish?
Can I change my address to a Canadian address for the immigration paperwork?

Do they care where I am living during the process?

I would REALLY appreciate knowing the answer!

Thanks,
J

 

[scylla]

I have a stupid question!

We applied on March 18th 2011. I am currently living in Houston and gave that address on all of the paperwork.

I want to go and live with my husband in Calgary starting in June even if I cannot work.
Am I going to get into trouble if I am living in Canada while waiting for the process to finish?
Can I change my address to a Canadian address for the immigration paperwork?

Do they care where I am living during the process?

I would REALLY appreciate knowing the answer!

Thanks,
J

You can change your mailing address to a Canadian address. We had a Canadian mailing address for my husband (American being sponsored) and this caused no problems.

However you should be aware that you are not actually allowed to "live" in Canada before your PR is approved. You can only come as a visitor. If you plan on driving, make sure you don't arrive with a car packed with your stuff and avoid bringing a uhaul. You need to behave as a visitor when you cross the border because visiting is all you're permitted to do. Bring proof that your PR application has been filed. If you're driving, your husband should ideally cross with you.

 

[janamay1967]

Thanks for the answer. Why should my husband cross with me if he is already in Canada?

We are going to store all of our stuff across the border and move it after landed status is granted.

Can I tell them that I will be staying 3 months or is that too long to be considered "visiting"?

Thanks

 

[TreeLover]

Yes we did.

Full info:
1. visitor from June to Sept, 2010 (stamped passport)
2. visitor record issued from Oct 16-Dec30 (after wedding -- planned departure in early Dec for trip to Maui)
3. passport stamped Dec30 without an additional date

We applied for Carecard in October per BC MSP call centre rep (falsely) telling me that her immigration status wouldn't matter as soon as we were married. In Nov, we get a request for proof of status in BC. Since we were leaving in two weeks, it made more sense to get the December stamp, then send in details. I submitted the past records and the December 30 stamp in January, along with the receipt of having mailed the package to CIC.
In February, they replied asking for any information we have received from CIC regarding the sponsorship approval. I submitted a photocopy of the sponsorship approval letter.
Nothing more was heard from them until the end of March, when the Carecard magically arrived in the mail. The page it was adhered to mentioned the eligibility date of April 1, while the card itself is has the words "call before expiry" and is stamped with "06/11" below that.

There are no details on how soon before expiry we need to call, nor whether the expiry is June 1, June 31 or somewhere in between. I'm hoping that we have received PR by then and can just submit a copy of the COPR to get it extended indefinitely.

Apparently, they decided her eligibility date was April 1. We're not concerned as there have been no treatment-required medical services in the past while, though we do believe that the eligibility date SHOULD have been Jan 1. If we had any medical expenses during that time, I probably would have appealed it.

Thanks doctorkb. I have only 3 weeks now until I land, but next week my partner will be eligible for supplemental insurance through his job and I was hoping to get on it too right away as I have a shoulder injury that has been bothering me for 4 months now and I have been getting massage, acupuncture, physio (trying everything) and that is covered by supplemental insurance, although not the BC care. But I thought maybe I couldn't be added if I didn't have the basic healthcare yet. It might also be helpful to go see a dr. about it as I never did - just went straight to a physio (I only have emergency travel insurance right now). But the bills are adding up and it's getting frustrating. I wish I would have known I could have had it earlier if I wanted to. I'll give them a call anyway and see what they say and I wonder if I'll still have to wait 2-3 months since I've been a resident here since October (temporary resident of course, but still residing here).