please help, need some expert advise

[mmmadni]

I had my interview on May 11, 2011 last wednesday at Buffalo NY. visa officer was satisfied with the application and she said as I had not paid RPR fees, she cant issue visa that time. As my wife(my sponsor) is 9 months pregnant she asked me if I was in hurry, I could get temporary visa and go to Canada right away. She said that once they receive the RPR fees, she would ask me to mail my passport to stamp the visa or I could do this at canadian embassy, Buffalo in person too.

But heres the situation, if I go to Canada on temporary visit visa, I can not re-enter into USA to complete the immigration process as I just finished my studies.

If I stay in canada on temporary visit visa, and if they ask for my passport to stamp the immigration visa, and if I get it stamped by mail, do I have to exit and re-enter canada to start living on PR?

please advise me as I am very confused and tensed in just waiting and waiting and waiting.

[awor]

I might be misunderstanding.

Go to Canada, enjoy the birth of your new little one. Pay the fees. Then either mail the passport in, or go to Buffalo. If you aren't a US citizen, the border may let you through if you show proof what you are doing on this visit - going to Buffalo and going home. You do need to leave and then come back, which you should be able to do at any border - someone else should be able to tell you if a non-US citizen would be let through the US border if you told the border officer you were just flagpolling.

[canadianwoman]

It sounds like he needs a visa to get into the USA, and he won't be able to get one, most likely. So they won't let him in to go to the consulate in Buffalo. But he could get them to mail the passport back to him in Canada.

[mmmadni]

thanks to both of you for replying me back. Actually I am not US citizen, I am on student visa and its not expired yet, but I have finished my studies so border officials will not let me enter US.

but my concern is that if I stay in Canada on visit visa and get me immigration visa stamped on my passport by mail, what would be next step. Do I have to leave canada and re-enter to start living as PR?


someone told me that If I get immigration visa while staying in Canada, I'll have to go to CIC office in Canada, and they will prepare landing documents etc. is it true? I just wonder how inland applicants do get their visa.

[RobsLuv]

Normally when you're an outland applicant you'd be coming to a border crossing to complete your landing from outside of Canada.  When you're already in Canada, you have to physically leave Canada and then re-enter - that used to be the only option.  Some crossings would let you "flagpole", but others wouldn't.  When I landed a few months ago, I had to physically enter the USA and then turn around and come back to Canada - so you never know for sure.  

However, it is now possible for an outland applicant to land at an in-Canada, local CIC office.  Your wife should try to contact her local CIC office (she may have to go through her Member of Parliament to get the contact info) to see whether they handle landing interviews for outland applicants and what the timeline is.  It's important to know that your Confirmation of Permanent Residence will have an expiration date - you have to land before that date, which will coincide with either the one year anniversary of your immigration medical examination or the expiry date of your passport, whichever comes first.  So, if you plan to do your landing interview in Canada (which would eliminate the need to leave Canada and try to "flagpole" to the USA), just make sure that the local office that would be handling your landing interview would be able to get you in for an interview before your COPR expires.

My question would be whether or not you could actually even get a TRV before your wife delivers.  It might be a mute point.

[PMM]

Hi

Normally when you're an outland applicant you'd be coming to a border crossing to complete your landing from outside of Canada.  When you're already in Canada, you have to physically leave Canada and then re-enter - that used to be the only option.  Some crossings would let you "flagpole", but others wouldn't.  When I landed a few months ago, I had to physically enter the USA and then turn around and come back to Canada - so you never know for sure.  

However, it is now possible for an outland applicant to land at an in-Canada, local CIC office.  Your wife should try to contact her local CIC office (she may have to go through her Member of Parliament to get the contact info) to see whether they handle landing interviews for outland applicants and what the timeline is.  It's important to know that your Confirmation of Permanent Residence will have an expiration date - you have to land before that date, which will coincide with either the one year anniversary of your immigration medical examination or the expiry date of your passport, whichever comes first.  So, if you plan to do your landing interview in Canada (which would eliminate the need to leave Canada and try to "flagpole" to the USA), just make sure that the local office that would be handling your landing interview would be able to get you in for an interview before your COPR expires.

My question would be whether or not you could actually even get a TRV before your wife delivers.  It might be a mute point.

1.  For inland "landing" you phone the call centre 1-888-242-2100 and you make the appointment through them for the local CIC.