aj~ said:
At the risk of being a whiney cry baby, as my applications today hits a month "In Process" with no movement I'm feeling pretty low. I'm genuinely really happy for everyone else getting their COPR's but it's so hard to stay positive when your own one is showing no sign of arriving.
I'm now making the arrangements to go and wait it out in Canada as my partner desperately needs me out there, although I'll leave the actual flight booking as late as possible just in case.
One thing I've just thought of and am struggling to find confirmation about is the situation with police certificate though. Is there a similar one year expiry time frame like the medical? Getting a medical re-done out in Canada should be fine, but if they need a new UK police certificate that's going to be a bit more of an issue what with the photos, endorsements, proof of address etc.
Hey aj~
To answer your question: yes, there is an expiry to the Police certificates, but CIC doesn't always ask for a new one. For the medicals: they need to be valid when you land, and CIC can decide to extend them (and you won't necessary know about it, as they don't inform you about it - they might have extended them already), but the Police Certificates are less an issue usually. They have to be valid when CIC receives them (less than 3 months after they had been issued), and then it's up to CIC to ask for a new one, it's not always the case.
It's also possible to renew your Police checks from outside of the UK - several members have done it without too many issues.
Waiting on CIC and not having a "deadline" is probably the most stressful part of the process, as it's hard to be organized in advance without knowing when you will leave. Quite a few PR applicants have decided to go ahead and move to Canada before the PR is issued, and I did that to. Of course, each situation is different, but for me it was much easier to cope that way: I could organize my move, (work resignation notice, house rent, etc. ), say good bye to friends and family, on my own time, without having to deal with date uncertainty. It's certainly an option and might bring some peace of mind, both to you and your partner.
About the landing part: if you're far from a border, you can always contact the local CIC office, and "land" there. Most applicants choose to go to the border as there is less "waiting" involved - you can just show up at the border and not book an appointment, and most borders are open 24/7, so it's flexible, but if that doesn't work for you because of location, you can call CIC and book an appointment. In the biggest cities, there is a waiting time involved, but if you're in a remote (and not very populated) location, you might be able to get an appointment fairly quickly - maybe have your wife call already the nearest office and enquire about that?
Anyway - I'm not telling you what to do
just offering some suggestions to try and ease the stress a little.
Good luck,
Sweden
