US outland applicants' thread :)

[Moving to QC]

So I just got married to my husband in Montreal.
I am now back in the US....and preparing my application for PR.

I have a couple questions....when should the CSQ be completed? Should it be handed in with the rest of the packet?
Is it better to do the medical exam prior to the application process?
How much proof do they need for our relationship?
We have cards, photos from the past year together, 20-30 pages of texting and conversations (we have over 1000 pages total)...
Anything else? Any help would be appreciated.
Oh and the FBI check was requested over a month ago.

Thanks! Shannon

 

[Caribou]

Congratulations, WDWgirl2011 and anyone else who recently received good news from CIC!!!

I also just received my COPR in the mail (here in Montreal)!!!

We have successfully navigated our Common-Law Partner sponsorship for PR thanks to the helpful information found on this forum.

Thanks so much to all the senior members and helpful posts!

Here's my timeline to the best of my knowledge (I had trouble trying to update the spreadsheet, so I gave up on that).

It took 10 months from App Filed to COPR.


Meds Done : ___ ?? Sep 2014 (for a visa extension)
App filed : _____ 29 Dec 2014
SA : __________ 09 Mar 2015
CSQ (took 1mon):30 Apr 2015
Doc Request : _ 30 Jul 2015 (proof of sponsor's residence & RPRF)
In Progress : ___ ?? Sep 2015
Decision Made: _ ?? Oct 2015
COPR date: ____ 22 Oct 2015
COPR received: _ 27 Oct 2015
COPR valid until: 30 Sep 2016*

*My medical apparently got automatically extended 1 year? The letter accompanying my COPR stated that:

Not a big deal for me, since I hope to land sooner than later.

Now I just need to discuss with my partner our best plan for when to land vs how to bring over my personal goods from California to Quebec (no car, so driving clear across North America is not an option).

Additional notes:

We only used Canada Post (with tracking/confirmation of receipt). No problems for us.

My COPR has Condition 51, as expected and not a worry at all for us.

My COPR has at the bottom REMARKS: OCTROI REGLEMENTAIRE. Any idea what that means? Customs/importing of personal goods?

For everyone still waiting: I found it better on my nerves not to check ECAS and this website obsessively every day or week. I focused my energies on my life in my new city, finding activities to participate in, working on my French language skills (bonjour Quebec!), making new friends, etc. It helped calm my nerves a lot!

Now I just need to land! <3

Bonne chance tout le monde!
Good luck everyone!

congratulations!
I can't believe they extended medical for 1 yr!
Even though ecas says "medicals received" I booked the appointment for medical in Vancouver just in case cic says "no" to my spouse's medical that expired last month.
when did your file say "medicals received"?

 

[Caribou]

Good luck with the case specific email inqury - if you get a response, I'd love to know about it. I am in a somewhat similar situation, with my medicals set to expire next month. So I sent an email asking about that (and also letting them know that I can land in a hurry if needed) and never heard a word back.

Until they ask for new medicals, I'm not doing them...$400 last time and if I don't need to spend the money, I'm not going to. The doctor where I am is really quick and I know I can get an appointment on a couple of days notice.

I'll keep you updated if I get a response. I booked appointment in Vancouver in middle of next month just in case... It's hard for me to take a weekday off to cross over the water to go to Vancouver, so I thought I'd prepare for the worst. Victoria doc only does on Friday afternoon, and all the blood work and x-ray are way more expensive than vancouver.

 

[NYC2CANADA]

Hello to all:

I was away too busy, but want to share my experience. I received the letter in the mail, about 5 days after the change in the system to DM. I did the landing on Oct 20.
Went to Niagara Fall Rainbow bridge, went to passed to USA, put some gas and went back in. THe process was very easy, The officer review my paperwork and the goods to follow form. no issues.
The next day, went to request my SIN, Medical and dirver license. I am just waiting for the PR card and the driver license.
Have applied to several jobs.,. let see what is next...

 

[ChellyCat]

Hello to all:

I was away too busy, but want to share my experience. I received the letter in the mail, about 5 days after the change in the system to DM. I did the landing on Oct 20.
Went to Niagara Fall Rainbow bridge, went to passed to USA, put some gas and went back in. THe process was very easy, The officer review my paperwork and the goods to follow form. no issues.
The next day, went to request my SIN, Medical and dirver license. I am just waiting for the PR card and the driver license.
Have applied to several jobs.,. let see what is next...

You applied for OHIP (assuming you're in Ontario)? Does anyone know if we can apply for that right away? I was told at the border I can't apply for OHIP until I've been a PR for 3 months, but on the official application, it says nothing about that.

 

[CamL-W]

ChellyCat, I found this on the OHIP website:

Am I eligible for Ontario health insurance coverage?

You may be eligible for the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) if you are included under one of the following categories:
•you are a Canadian citizen, permanent resident or landed immigrant, or are registered as an Indian under the Indian Act;
•you have submitted an application for permanent residence in Canada, and Citizenship and Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for permanent residence in Canada ;
•you have applied for a grant of citizenship under section 5.1 of the Citizenship Act (Canada), and Citizenship and Immigration Canada has confirmed that you meet the eligibility requirements to apply for citizenship (i.e., children adopted internationally by Canadian citizens);
•you are a "protected person" - i.e. a Convention Refugee or a person in need of protection;
•you are a foreign worker who holds a valid work permit or other document issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) permitting you to work in Canada, and you also have a formal agreement in place to work full-time for an employer situated in Ontario which sets out the employer's name, your occupation, and confirmation that you will be working for no less than six consecutive months;
•you are a member of the clergy who is legally entitled to stay in Canada and will be providing services to a religious congregation in Ontario for at least six months;
•you hold a Temporary Resident Permit with case type 80 (for adoption only), 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 or 95;
•you are the spouse, or dependent child (under 22 years old or 22 years and over if dependent due to a mental or physical disability) of an OHIP-eligible member of the clergy or OHIP-eligible foreign worker;
•you hold a valid work permit under the federal Live-in Caregiver Program;
•you hold a valid work permit under the federal Seasonal Agricultural Worker Program;

And
•you make your primary place of residence in Ontario; and generally,
•you are in Ontario for at least 153 days of the first 183 days immediately following the date you establish residence in Ontario (you cannot be absent for more than 30 days during the first 6 months of residence); and
•you are in Ontario for at least 153 days in any 12-month period.

Source: http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/public/publications/ohip/ohip_eligibility.aspx

 

[Panamai]

You applied for OHIP (assuming you're in Ontario)? Does anyone know if we can apply for that right away? I was told at the border I can't apply for OHIP until I've been a PR for 3 months, but on the official application, it says nothing about that.

Even if you do end up having to do the three month wait for OHIP, you can go ahead and apply now. You just need proof of residence and your COPR or landing record.

 

[ChellyCat]

Thanks guys. I'll go ahead and apply for that ASAP then and see what happens

 

[surleplateau]

congratulations!
I can't believe they extended medical for 1 yr!
Even though ecas says "medicals received" I booked the appointment for medical in Vancouver just in case cic says "no" to my spouse's medical that expired last month.
when did your file say "medicals received"?

Currently, on my ECAS (after I click on Decision Made), it states:

Permanent Residence

1. We received your application for permanent residence on December 29, 2014.
2. We started processing your application on March 11, 2015.
3. Medical results have been received.

For the loooongest time it only ever said "Application Received" and just #1 and 3 (the #2 point wasn't added until after my app reached In Progress).

So, my medical was done months before I applied for PR because it was requested months prior for a visa extension. So that might have been a factor? I don't know.

I was half-expecting to be requested for a new medical exam when Sep 2015 (12 months after my exam) came and went. On my GCMS notes that I ordered a few months back, I noticed that my medical exam results were given the "validity date" that was about a month later, 2 Oct, instead of 8 Sep 2015. But when that date came and passed without a Decision Made, I did wonder what was up and ordered a new set of GCMS notes, but before that arrived, I got Decision Made / COPR in the mail.

I'm looking at my COPR, and there's no actual line about an expiration or extension for my medical exam, just that the COPR is valid until Sept 2016 -- which gives me the impression that my medical exam was extended.

Good luck, Caribou. Maybe another medical exam won't be necessary for your husband? I would order GCMS notes and see what it says under Medical > Valid Until: YYYY/MM/DD.

Good luck!

 

[Sunset0505]

Question....Our Case is in LA...we are finding that all the Medical is being requested and sent to Ottawa....Has anyone else had this experience?...I thought the entire case was in the same place....

 

[throwaway555]

Long-time lurker who appreciated the information found on this forum. Recently received DM for my wife and two children (USA), so I wanted to share my information with everyone to help understand their timelines better.

Initial Application received Feb 10, 2015 (everything upfront)
Sponsorship approved around Mayish 2015.
IP on August 8, 2015
Request for Docs around mid-September 2015, sent via email + fax.
DM on October 28, 2015

Good luck for everyone. The whole process of not knowing is so tough on a family, so my heart goes out to everyone. Stay patient and hope for the best.

 

[Ineffable]

Long-time lurker who appreciated the information found on this forum. Recently received DM for my wife and two children (USA), so I wanted to share my information with everyone to help understand their timelines better.

Initial Application received Feb 10, 2015 (everything upfront)
Sponsorship approved around Mayish 2015.
IP on August 8, 2015
Request for Docs around mid-September 2015, sent via email + fax.
DM on October 28, 2015

Good luck for everyone. The whole process of not knowing is so tough on a family, so my heart goes out to everyone. Stay patient and hope for the best.

Congrats on DM, and thanks for your timeline. It helps! Best of luck to you and the start of your new life!

 

[HOTW]

Question about the passport relinquishment. It says that a request will be made for the applicants passport my husband has only a card not a book will that be ok or does he have to get a book one? Wed rather not go thru the expense if we dont have to as his card is still good for 5 mlr years. Also once they ask for the passport how long doe it take to get it back? He visits most weekends

 

[Moving to QC]

HELP....ANYONE FAMILIAR WITH QUEBEC APPLICATIONS??

So I just got married to my husband in Montreal.
I am now back in the US....and preparing my application for PR.

I have a couple questions....when should the CSQ be completed? Should it be handed in with the rest of the packet?
Is it better to do the medical exam prior to the application process?
How much proof do they need for our relationship?
We have cards, photos from the past year together, 20-30 pages of texting and conversations (we have over 1000 pages total)...
Anything else? Any help would be appreciated.
Oh and the FBI check was requested over a month ago.

Thanks! Shannon

 

[Dave4236]

Comments for the OHIP waiting time.

I have been looking closely at this also. Below is the info from the official Ontario site. What I have found elsewhere is that you can make the application at any time during the waiting period. The “when” of an application does not make an actual difference, the counting starts at the start of establishing residency. So it is always better to take care of things sooner rather than later in case of glitches, but it does not need to be the first thing you do when you get to Ontario.

OHIP Coverage Waiting Period
Generally, there is a three-month waiting period for Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) coverage. It applies to most new residents and former residents returning to Ontario.
Is anyone exempt from the waiting period?
Yes; these include, but are not limited to:
• newborn babies born in Ontario;
• OHIP-eligible adopted children under the age of 16;
• protected persons (Convention Refugees and persons in need of protection); and
• people from another province/territory who move directly into a long-term care facility in Ontario, or who require admittance into a long-term care facility within 3 months of arrival in Ontario.