Already in Canada, passport requested... what do you do when you get it back?

[fnts]

Hi! I sponsored my boyfriend through the Santiago office (we're both Chilean, and I've been a PR since 2008), although we've both been in Canada for almost a year now. We went for the Outside route even though he was in Canada with a visitor visa, because it was quicker. I'm assuming we're approved, since they asked for his passport already (although ECAS still says "In Process", I guess it just hasn't been updated) after 9 months. My question is, what do you do with the passport once they return it to you with the visa? What office do you go to? Does he have to go out of the country (to Buffalo, for instance) and re-enter? They know we're in Toronto, they even aknowleged that in their email (they asked for a FedEx number "for the return of your documents to Canada"). Has anybody been through this? Thank you!!!

[Leon]

They will mail the passport back to you.  At that point, you can ask your local office in the city where you are living if it is possible to land there.  You may have to wait a few weeks to get a landing appointment.

Another options would be to land on entry to Canada.  For example, you could drive to the US border and flagpole, that is you tell the US you don't want to enter and they turn you around and you go back to the Canadian side and land there or you could leave by plane, go on vacation somewhere and then land as you return.

[fnts]

Thank you very much, that was quick! I didn't know the name of those processes (landing, flagpoling, etc.), but now that I know, I could do some research. Apparently you can ask for an appointment with the CIC office here in Toronto (St. Clair), but it takes a couple of months, so they suggest people to cross the border and re-enter. Luckily, we both have US tourist visas, so we will probably go to Buffalo or Niagara Falls (the US side) for the day and return. Thanks again!