Hello,
My questions are:
1. Is there a time limit between paying your fee for permanent residency and submitting the application package along with the receipt?
2. What is the best way to extend/renew a Visitor Record when it expires?
Background info and elaborating on questions above...
My husband and I have just returned to Alberta after a year backpacking. Prior to that we lived in Calgary for two years. I was living and working here with an IEC visa for both years. My husband is Canadian. I am British. We have been together four and a half years. Married for two.
We didn't apply for my PR earlier as had no fixed address or phone number while we were travelling and always planned to do it when we got back. Although in hindsight there are ways around that, (parents address) and wish we had done it sooner.
We have been back in Canada for three weeks now. We paid the fees for my application (the full $1,040) while we were in Bali, Indonesia, in February. We did this to ensure I would have the receipt when crossing the border so I could get a Visitor Record which allows me health care in Alberta. This was very important to us as there was a chance I could be pregnant. We got the Visitor Record and subsequently my health care number, which was a very good job as it turns out I am pregnant.
What with moving into a new place, doctors appointments, buying a car, new furniture and getting settled, we haven't yet had time to go to the library and complete all the paperwork and printing. We are planning to do that this weekend, or next weekend. (My husband is already working overtime hours which limits us in time available to go through it all together before posting.)
My concern is that there may be a limit between the time you pay the fee and the time the application is submitted? If so, does anyone know how long that time frame is, and what any implications might be?
We also wanted to wait until I had a doctors note confirming my pregnancy and estimated due date (now received) to enclose with the application, and also for my husband to start work, as in the section requiring information on income for the past twelve months he would have to put 'zero' as we have been travelling and spending from our savings with no income at all for the past year. We worried this might concern Immigration Canada, so thought best he has his old job back and in full swing before we apply, and then at least we can add a note to say he is working, with confirmation from his employer. We would also be submitting our tax records from 2013/2014 showing he typically makes 90-100k per year. They also demonstrate that I worked when I had the IEC visa and made 50k per year. We have all the right ingredients and I make a good candidate for residency. But we want to ensure we tick all the right boxes and do everything correctly, as we realise that small errors can make everything go very wrong. We also want to make it as stress free as possible as I'm pregnant!
Additionally, my current Visitor Record document expires in September. What is the best way to renew it at that time? Ought we to just cross a border together into Montana perhaps, and have copies of all my paperwork again and obtain a new Visitor Record for another six months, or is there another way to do this? I will be 7 months pregnant by then and visibly showing. Will that have an impact on the border officers decision? We realise it is usually down to that one border officer alone, which is daunting. When we arrived back in Canada three weeks ago, and saw the border officer in immigration there she said "what do you want?", I replied in a very friendly way "I'd like to get a visitor record today please." She said "well you might like one but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give you one!" And she was quite rude and made me very nervous even though we had an enormous plastic wallet of every conceivable document she might want to see, including the payment receipt for my PR application, marriage certificate, wedding photos, completed forms etc... And despite us being calm, organised and nothing but lovely to her she was still very rude and scary! So we know it's important to be as prepared as possible and never assume it will all be ok. (Even though we have always done everything properly and there's no reason for CIC to deny me or my husband as a sponsor for any reason whatsoever.)
Apologies for the excess of information. Just want to cover everything an receive expert knowledge on my two questions, particularly the first one regarding the time limit.
Thanks in advance for any help, it's much appreciated.
Lucy
My questions are:
1. Is there a time limit between paying your fee for permanent residency and submitting the application package along with the receipt?
2. What is the best way to extend/renew a Visitor Record when it expires?
Background info and elaborating on questions above...
My husband and I have just returned to Alberta after a year backpacking. Prior to that we lived in Calgary for two years. I was living and working here with an IEC visa for both years. My husband is Canadian. I am British. We have been together four and a half years. Married for two.
We didn't apply for my PR earlier as had no fixed address or phone number while we were travelling and always planned to do it when we got back. Although in hindsight there are ways around that, (parents address) and wish we had done it sooner.
We have been back in Canada for three weeks now. We paid the fees for my application (the full $1,040) while we were in Bali, Indonesia, in February. We did this to ensure I would have the receipt when crossing the border so I could get a Visitor Record which allows me health care in Alberta. This was very important to us as there was a chance I could be pregnant. We got the Visitor Record and subsequently my health care number, which was a very good job as it turns out I am pregnant.
What with moving into a new place, doctors appointments, buying a car, new furniture and getting settled, we haven't yet had time to go to the library and complete all the paperwork and printing. We are planning to do that this weekend, or next weekend. (My husband is already working overtime hours which limits us in time available to go through it all together before posting.)
My concern is that there may be a limit between the time you pay the fee and the time the application is submitted? If so, does anyone know how long that time frame is, and what any implications might be?
We also wanted to wait until I had a doctors note confirming my pregnancy and estimated due date (now received) to enclose with the application, and also for my husband to start work, as in the section requiring information on income for the past twelve months he would have to put 'zero' as we have been travelling and spending from our savings with no income at all for the past year. We worried this might concern Immigration Canada, so thought best he has his old job back and in full swing before we apply, and then at least we can add a note to say he is working, with confirmation from his employer. We would also be submitting our tax records from 2013/2014 showing he typically makes 90-100k per year. They also demonstrate that I worked when I had the IEC visa and made 50k per year. We have all the right ingredients and I make a good candidate for residency. But we want to ensure we tick all the right boxes and do everything correctly, as we realise that small errors can make everything go very wrong. We also want to make it as stress free as possible as I'm pregnant!
Additionally, my current Visitor Record document expires in September. What is the best way to renew it at that time? Ought we to just cross a border together into Montana perhaps, and have copies of all my paperwork again and obtain a new Visitor Record for another six months, or is there another way to do this? I will be 7 months pregnant by then and visibly showing. Will that have an impact on the border officers decision? We realise it is usually down to that one border officer alone, which is daunting. When we arrived back in Canada three weeks ago, and saw the border officer in immigration there she said "what do you want?", I replied in a very friendly way "I'd like to get a visitor record today please." She said "well you might like one but that doesn't mean I'm gonna give you one!" And she was quite rude and made me very nervous even though we had an enormous plastic wallet of every conceivable document she might want to see, including the payment receipt for my PR application, marriage certificate, wedding photos, completed forms etc... And despite us being calm, organised and nothing but lovely to her she was still very rude and scary! So we know it's important to be as prepared as possible and never assume it will all be ok. (Even though we have always done everything properly and there's no reason for CIC to deny me or my husband as a sponsor for any reason whatsoever.)
Apologies for the excess of information. Just want to cover everything an receive expert knowledge on my two questions, particularly the first one regarding the time limit.
Thanks in advance for any help, it's much appreciated.
Lucy
