US outland applicants' thread :)

[rhcohen2014]

Hi Tanya,

I'm in your boat too. I'm living in Connecticut and I want to be reunited with my Canadian husband living in Toronto. We submitted our app in early December and received sponsorship approval a little over a month later. We're now playing the waiting game and hoping that I'll be able to get there by late summer or early fall. If things go smoothly.

Where in CT are you??? I also live in CT (near New Haven), and my husband is in Ottawa. Would love to connect to talk immigration experiences.

 

[kateee]

Anyone know if it is ok to do a name change on a passport before doing it with SSA? I am in Canada already and want my PR to reflect my married name, so want to change the name on my passport via expedited mail in. But I don't want to do it if it is going to screw things up to do it before I notify SSA (I believe that needs to be done in person in the US?)

 

[NJ2Canada2013]

I've thought about the same thing. Right now I have kept my married name because I don't want to hand in my passport since I visit my husband in Canada often. So not sure how to go about doing it in the right order without screwing everything up. For now I think I'm going to leave everything, and once I get my PR, I'll take the necessary steps to change everything over, with SS, passport, and PR card. I just feel that is my safest bet.

 

[kateee]

I've thought about the same thing. Right now I have kept my married name because I don't want to hand in my passport since I visit my husband in Canada often. So not sure how to go about doing it in the right order without screwing everything up. For now I think I'm going to leave everything, and once I get my PR, I'll take the necessary steps to change everything over, with SS, passport, and PR card. I just feel that is my safest bet.

I was going to wait also, but then I heard it is easier to have everything in the name you want before landing, so I am trying to do that now. I called the US passport agency and they said that you can change your passport before SSA without a problem. You can also request expedited processing from Canada, BUT they do not express ship the passport back to Canada- - that happens with regular mail (delays and all). The woman suggested that I may want to have my passport delivered to someone in the US and then overnighted to Canada so I think I will probably take that route as I cannot return to the US right now to do it in person. What a pain in the butt!!

 

[computergeek]

I was going to wait also, but then I heard it is easier to have everything in the name you want before landing, so I am trying to do that now. I called the US passport agency and they said that you can change your passport before SSA without a problem. You can also request expedited processing from Canada, BUT they do not express ship the passport back to Canada- - that happens with regular mail (delays and all). The woman suggested that I may want to have my passport delivered to someone in the US and then overnighted to Canada so I think I will probably take that route as I cannot return to the US right now to do it in person. What a pain in the butt!!

When I have things done with my US passport, I hire the services of one of the firms that will do one day processing for it. It's more expensive (since you're paying rush fees for the passport plus the fee to the agency) but I can have a new passport back in just a couple of days. Last time, I sent it on Monday and had the new passport (in this case a second US passport, which is allowed in some circumstances) back in my hands on Wednesday.

That second passport was useful beyond its original purpose: when LA required I send my physical passport to them I took comfort in the fact I had a second (valid) US passport. Otherwise, I'd have been in Canada, living on implied status (work permit renewal was in process) without my passport - that's not a pleasant situation as far as I'm concerned.

In the past I've used Visa Network to deal with this stuff (http://www.visanetwork.com/pspt.shtml). I have no relationship with them other than as a satisfied customer.

 

[NJ2Canada2013]

Thank you that may come in handy. I think I'm still going to wait. I have more important things to worry about such as getting my husband's tax form just so we can send in our application! I'm also going up to visit him and stay for months at a time. My paperwork is already printed out with my maiden name so don't want to mess anything up now. Do you know with SS you do it in person? does that take awhile for it to get turned over to your married name? I'm going back to US in September to have my car inspected and reregister it in NJ, so I could always make a trip to SS, and start the process to change over my passport and have it mailed to a friend in PA who could overnight it to me in Canada, but as mentioned, I'd be scared to be in Canada without my passport!

 

[NJ2Canada2013]

Kateee, let me know how it goes since I'll be going through the same thing. I just went on their website, you can get your passport expedited to come in about 3 weeks! That isn't too bad. Please keep us informed so I can follow how to go about this! lol

 

[kateee]

When I have things done with my US passport, I hire the services of one of the firms that will do one day processing for it. It's more expensive (since you're paying rush fees for the passport plus the fee to the agency) but I can have a new passport back in just a couple of days. Last time, I sent it on Monday and had the new passport (in this case a second US passport, which is allowed in some circumstances) back in my hands on Wednesday.

That second passport was useful beyond its original purpose: when LA required I send my physical passport to them I took comfort in the fact I had a second (valid) US passport. Otherwise, I'd have been in Canada, living on implied status (work permit renewal was in process) without my passport - that's not a pleasant situation as far as I'm concerned.

In the past I've used Visa Network to deal with this stuff (http://www.visanetwork.com/pspt.shtml). I have no relationship with them other than as a satisfied customer.

You were even able to get it back to Canada that fast?? That's pretty impressive. I understand the desire to have your passport while in Canada, but I am still nervous to use any of those agencies... I don't know how one would determine if they are legitimate or not.

 

[kateee]

Thank you that may come in handy. I think I'm still going to wait. I have more important things to worry about such as getting my husband's tax form just so we can send in our application! I'm also going up to visit him and stay for months at a time. My paperwork is already printed out with my maiden name so don't want to mess anything up now. Do you know with SS you do it in person? does that take awhile for it to get turned over to your married name? I'm going back to US in September to have my car inspected and reregister it in NJ, so I could always make a trip to SS, and start the process to change over my passport and have it mailed to a friend in PA who could overnight it to me in Canada, but as mentioned, I'd be scared to be in Canada without my passport!

From what I've seen, you can do SS either in person or by mail. However, if you choose the mail option, you have to mail them all your originals - marriage certificate, passport, birth certificate (or whatever is required), then they send them back to you. It would make me too nervous to mail my passport to the SSA office - I'd be afraid they would lose it!! If I were you, I'd do SSA when in the US anyway... I'll keep you posted with what happens...

 

[Alurra71]

Ss can be done with a simple trip to office. Bring passport or other form of id, birth certificate and marriage certificate. Takes them only a few minutes to change it and it will be sent wherever you wish including your spouses Canadian address.

 

[Saneth]

Hi Everyone,

This morning I received an email from CIC requesting that I provide them with a copy or scanned image of my passport's bio-data page (photo page) and a copy of my sponsor's most recent pay stub.

The email goes on to say

"Passport Copies: You are a citizen of a country [US] that is exempted from obtaining a visa to visit Canada under Regulation 190 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations. You are therefore required to send only a copy or scanned image of the photo page of your passport and of any pages indicating a validity extension or change to your personal information. You must submit these copies/scans for yourself and for all your accompanying family member(s)."

Of course I immediately emailed the requested documents back to them.

My question is - since they are saying I'm a citizen of a country exempted from obtaining a visa to visit Canada and they only asked for a copy of the photo page of my passport -

Is this the same as me getting a PPR??? Or later on will they ask me to mail my passport to them?

I'm hoping that the email means I've made a leap forward. The email also says they've determined an interview is not necessary at this time.

Thanks for your help!

Kim

 

[computergeek]

Is this the same as me getting a PPR??? Or later on will they ask me to mail my passport to them?

Yes, this is a PPR for a visa-exempt passport holder.

Congratulations - you are almost done!

 

[Saneth]

Ok, so I got my PPR, how long can I generally expect to wait between the time I get my PPR and the time I get my . . . COPR? Is that what it's called?

I'm a little concerned because I got the PPR on 4/17, and replied immediately with the requested documents via email.

However, my home is in the process of being sold and is scheduled to close on May 12, about 3 1/2 weeks from now. At that time, my husband is picking me up and we're driving together to Toronto.

I'm not sure whether I should hang on and see of the COPR arrives in the next few weeks or update my address to my husband's Toronto home now. . .

Does the COPR generally follow shortly after the PPR? I've been trying to look at individual people's timelines to get a sense of how long it takes, and it seems it comes within a few weeks for some and much longer for others. Confused about next step!

 

[computergeek]

Ok, so I got my PPR, how long can I generally expect to wait between the time I get my PPR and the time I get my . . . COPR? Is that what it's called?

I'm a little concerned because I got the PPR on 4/17, and replied immediately with the requested documents via email.

However, my home is in the process of being sold and is scheduled to close on May 12, about 3 1/2 weeks from now. At that time, my husband is picking me up and we're driving together to Toronto.

I'm not sure whether I should hang on and see of the COPR arrives in the next few weeks or update my address to my husband's Toronto home now. . .

Does the COPR generally follow shortly after the PPR? I've been trying to look at individual people's timelines to get a sense of how long it takes, and it seems it comes within a few weeks for some and much longer for others. Confused about next step!

Usually seems to take 4-8 weeks. Some are faster, some are slower. It is unlikely it will be back within 3.5 weeks, though. You should arrange for mail forwarding from your old address because even if you update your address, the odds are high that CIC will send it to your old address.

 

[Saneth]

Computergeek, thanks for the advice. I guess I'll change my address to my husband's Toronto address, which is where I'm going after my home closes. However, looking at your side bar, it looks like it was only 2 weeks from the time you got your PPR to Visa.