US outland applicants' thread :)

[CDNPR2014]

PR card question:

When I did my landing, they gave me a form that said it would take about 3 weeks to get my card in the mail, but the officer told me it would probably be closer to 5 weeks. Did anyone get theirs in 3 weeks time?

ha! doubtful. it usually takes months, though there's always that group of people who get them quickly. took me 6 months! i wouldn't hold my breath to be honest.

I'm more than likely traveling back to the states for US Thanksgiving and I was wondering if it would be okay to just show my passport and CoPR if the card doesn't come before then.

yes, definitely. if you don't have the pr card, you can use your COPR and Passport. if you are flying, you use your passport to get on the plane, and your COPR to prove your status at immigration in canada. you may actually want to remove the COPR from your passport to avoid issues with the airline. If you are driving, your copr and passport will be fine. i did this many times before getting my pr card without issue.

And also, do I always need to have my PR card with me when I enter Canada?

yes, once you have your PR card, it is advised to use that when entering canada, though technically you will be able to enter with your passport/copr. CBSA may get a bit testy if you are still trying to use your passport and copr if you have your card. when you have your pr card, it is the only thing you need to show to enter. they won't want your passport - i've had mine handed back to me and have been told ONLY my pr card is required.

 

[Sunset0505]

ha! doubtful. it usually takes months, though there's always that group of people who get them quickly. took me 6 months! i wouldn't hold my breath to be honest.

yes, definitely. if you don't have the pr card, you can use your COPR and Passport. if you are flying, you use your passport to get on the plane, and your COPR to prove your status at immigration in canada. you may actually want to remove the COPR from your passport to avoid issues with the airline. If you are driving, your copr and passport will be fine. i did this many times before getting my pr card without issue.

yes, once you have your PR card, it is advised to use that when entering canada, though technically you will be able to enter with your passport/copr. CBSA may get a bit testy if you are still trying to use your passport and copr if you have your card. when you have your pr card, it is the only thing you need to show to enter. they won't want your passport - i've had mine handed back to me and have been told ONLY my pr card is required.

I don't mean to counter your posts...but my Hubby has been asked for his US passport too...he is also asked for his Rehab letter even though he has been rehabbed and has his PR and is living in Canada...

 

[Cath-Toronto]

Is it it weird that my medicals are still in process even though we have received SA and it is in Ottawa? Just seems like most people have their medicals as passed on MyCIC before they get SA.

Also, cannot link ecas with my partner's (the sponsor's) information! Does anyone else have this issue?

Thanks, everyone! All the best on this post-election day

 

[danawhitaker]

Is it it weird that my medicals are still in process even though we have received SA and it is in Ottawa? Just seems like most people have their medicals as passed on MyCIC before they get SA.

Also, cannot link ecas with my partner's (the sponsor's) information! Does anyone else have this issue?

Thanks, everyone! All the best on this post-election day

My medicals showed as Passed the first time I logged in after having AOR, a week before SA. But I'm not sure how unusual that is. I've heard of wonky things with both MyCIC and ECAS not updating properly.

It took quite a while for us to be able to access ECAS at all. This morning our SA e-mail just now showed up, even though we got approval back on the 28th. They had to resend it.

 

[KateChurchill]

CIC received my PR app July 8, 2016
CIC started processing it on Sept. 27, 2016
Received Confirmation of Permanent Residence letter on Oct. 24 (but the letter says it was issued by CIC on Oct. 13, 2016)
Landing date was Oct. 31, 2016

*My story is a bit of a unique one in that I first submitted an inland app (by accident) on July 8. CIC sent a letter informing me that they only process Outland apps and that they were keeping NO record of my submission yet they did not return my application. I immediately sent a retraction letter on July 19 stating that I should have submitted an Outland app, asked them to return my app and informed them I would be mailing the Outland app in the next couple weeks. I redid the entire app, thank goodness I had scanned and saved my previous app, and mailed it in on Aug 9. On Oct 6, I found the entire second app I had mailed in Aug. 9, in my mailbox, returned from CIC. Their enclosed letter informed me they were processing my original app, the one they had written to say they kept no record of. Needless to say, it all worked out and my husband found the PR Confirmation letter in the mailbox Oct. 24. I was in the states visiting my family when it arrived at our TO address Oct 24. Luckily, my spouse joined me on the 28th in the US. We flew back to Toronto on the 31st. Upon landing at YYZ, I cleared Customs and immediately met with an Immigration Officer who interviewed and signed off on my PR paperwork. The officer then directed me to another room where I was assigned a Social Insurance Number. The Immigration staff was very pleasant. I expect I'll receive the official PR card in the next few weeks.
*NOTE: I did not use an attorney or legal counsel. I was very thankful for the helpful tips and advice I received on this forum. I'm thankful, too, that my PR status was approved before the US election results!

QUESTION: Next steps - Do I need to contact the US IRS or any other US government agency about my Canadian PR status?

 

[CDNPR2014]

QUESTION: Next steps - Do I need to contact the US IRS or any other US government agency about my Canadian PR status?

no. however, you do need to continue filing US taxes, even if you are permanently landing in canada. generally, you file you canadian taxes first, then use that information to file you us taxes.

 

[KateChurchill]

no. however, you do need to continue filing US taxes, even if you are permanently landing in canada. generally, you file you canadian taxes first, then use that information to file you us taxes.

Thank you! May I go on and sign up for healthcare benefits now or must I wait until the official PR card arrives? I read that it takes 3 months to be eleiglble for healthcare so I'm wondering if I can register now and have the process started.

Thanks again!

 

[CDNPR2014]

Thank you! May I go on and sign up for healthcare benefits now or must I wait until the official PR card arrives? I read that it takes 3 months to be eleiglble for healthcare so I'm wondering if I can register now and have the process started.

Thanks again!

if you are in ontario, yes you can go to the office at any time, assuming you have all the required documentation (the COPR and your passport count for 2 of the 3 required documents). in ontario, generally the COPR can do anything the pr card can do. the coverage will kick in 3 months after your landing date. you'll receive a paper confirming your application when you apply, and the card will come in the mail after it kicks in.

here's a link to the required document list. you'll have to click on the link and save the PDF file to open it up.

http://www.forms.ssb.gov.on.ca/mbs/ssb/forms/ssbforms.nsf/FormDetail?openform&ENV=WWE&NO=014-9998E-82

 

[graham_crackers]

Hey all,

I submitted our outland spouse application in late October and was able to link the application in myCIC today. I have a file number (that starts with F, if that matters) now because of that. We did not send my husband's FBI clearance letter in with the original application as we had not received it yet and others said it is fine to send later. In another thread a very nice member named Ponga gave me the following advice:

You can't really do much until you have your file number. Once you have it, submit a Case Specific Enquiry (CSE) and upload a scan of the IHSR letter. Let them know that you will also be sending the original, my mail/courier. You'll find the address for sending additional documentation to CIC on their website.

For those of you with experience, is there any elaboration you can give on this? Is the file number the only info that I need? What should I be sending in the mail along with the original FBI clearance letter? How do I address it and to who exactly?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm very worried about sending it in and them not receiving it properly because it is the original and so we do not have another one in case this one gets lost

 

[CDNPR2014]

Hey all,

I submitted our outland spouse application in late October and was able to link the application in myCIC today. I have a file number (that starts with F, if that matters) now because of that. We did not send my husband's FBI clearance letter in with the original application as we had not received it yet and others said it is fine to send later. In another thread a very nice member named Ponga gave me the following advice:

For those of you with experience, is there any elaboration you can give on this? Is the file number the only info that I need? What should I be sending in the mail along with the original FBI clearance letter? How do I address it and to who exactly?

Sorry for all the questions. I'm very worried about sending it in and them not receiving it properly because it is the original and so we do not have another one in case this one gets lost

I would highly recommend waiting until you receive the sponsor approval letter. this will have instructions for sending the PCC to the appropriate visa office. it's really best to send it to the visa office, not just to CIC in mississauga. sending it to CIC before the application is actually transferred to the visa office is risking it getting lost. as long as CIC receive the report within 6 mo. of it being issued, there is no problem. it is nothing to worry about at this point. wait for the sponsor approval letter and instructions for contacting the visa office.

 

[graham_crackers]

I would highly recommend waiting until you receive the sponsor approval letter. this will have instructions for sending the PCC to the appropriate visa office. it's really best to send it to the visa office, not just to CIC in mississauga. sending it to CIC before the application is actually transferred to the visa office is risking it getting lost. as long as CIC receive the report within 6 mo. of it being issued, there is no problem. it is nothing to worry about at this point. wait for the sponsor approval letter and instructions for contacting the visa office.

Ah ok, this is very helpful, thank you!

 

[graham_crackers]

I would highly recommend waiting until you receive the sponsor approval letter. this will have instructions for sending the PCC to the appropriate visa office. it's really best to send it to the visa office, not just to CIC in mississauga. sending it to CIC before the application is actually transferred to the visa office is risking it getting lost. as long as CIC receive the report within 6 mo. of it being issued, there is no problem. it is nothing to worry about at this point. wait for the sponsor approval letter and instructions for contacting the visa office.

Sorry for the double post, but does being a sponsor from QC change that at all? Will the application still be transferred to the visa office when I get an SA or will it wait until after I deal with the Quebec immigration process? QC makes everything more complicated ??? ;D

 

[CDNPR2014]

Sorry for the double post, but does being a sponsor from QC change that at all? Will the application still be transferred to the visa office when I get an SA or will it wait until after I deal with the Quebec immigration process? QC makes everything more complicated ??? ;D

the only thing that's different about a QC application is that there is an extra step with extra paperwork involved, so no this does not change how/when/where you need to send the PCC report. the application will be transferred to the appropriate visa office after the sponsor is approved, regardless of if you are living in QC or not. it is after the sponsor approval is given that the QC specific stuff is requested. i'm not sure if the instructions for that are provided in the sponsor approval letter or sent to the applicant later on.

 

[graham_crackers]

the only thing that's different about a QC application is that there is an extra step with extra paperwork involved, so no this does not change how/when/where you need to send the PCC report. the application will be transferred to the appropriate visa office after the sponsor is approved, regardless of if you are living in QC or not. it is after the sponsor approval is given that the QC specific stuff is requested. i'm not sure if the instructions for that are provided in the sponsor approval letter or sent to the applicant later on.

Awesome! Thank you so much!

 

[hmks]

Hello everyone,

A couple of questions. I'm waiting for my last background check from Japan but my application is in Ottawa. I believe everything else is complete and we've paid the final fees. We're planning to move sometime between February and May depending on when we find a house in Canada. My questions are these:

1) Is it possible to get at SIN once I have my papers but before we cross the border into Canada? We are planning to buy a home before we move and if I don't have a SIN only my husband can be on the property title as a Canadian citizen or at least we would face some kind of tax penalty. I'm guessing this is not possible but just thought I would ask.

2) Once I get a SIN will it start with a 9? Our mortgage broker wanted to know.

3) With regards to vehicle importation, we have two vehicles with both our names on the titles. My husband as the Canadian citizen will import the less valuable vehicle and I'll import the more valuable one. Is it OK that both names are on both titles or do we need to change that? I want to avoid him paying duty as a Returning Canadian.

Many thanks for any answers/advice.