Super Visa update - anyone who's followed my other posts may recall that this took 2 applications, misinformation from ircc, change of criteria requiring biometrics and resulting processing of the first application after 25 months (processing at the time of application was 5 months).
However....the Super Visa was finally approved after I returned to Calgary back in July so I waited until I went back for a couple of weeks to the UK to activate it on return. This happened on the 1st Dec - This is what happened at the airport...
I began by putting 1500 days (approx 5 years as was left on my passport) into the self declaration machine in the arrivals hall in YYC, then I was directed to a kiosk to chat with a border officer. They advised to collect baggage from the baggage reclaim hall and on exiting into the main concourse, to tell the border officers there at the exit that I needed to go to 'secondary'. I was seen after about a 2 hour wait in secondary, showed the letter and medical insurance cover printout to the border officer and my passport got stamped for the 5 years. SO all was good!
As it happens, my Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship to Permanent Residency has come through as of Dec 22, so I've been able to cancel the rest of the 12 months medical insurance (obviously there's forms to fill in and a copy of CoPR or eCoPR is required as evidence that my Visa status had changed) but on the whole a straightforward process doing that and my refund of a good few hundred pounds sterling is heading back onto my credit card! Hurrah!!
There were times I have despaired during this whole process. It has not been stress free or straightforward, but I do acknowledge that eventually I have been lucky in eventually having the Super Visa approved (horrendous experience) and the star prize of getting PR confirmed much earlier than anticipated. So try and be patient, do everything that's required as timely as possible. I wish you all a positive outcome and all good wishes for the New Year ahead.....
However....the Super Visa was finally approved after I returned to Calgary back in July so I waited until I went back for a couple of weeks to the UK to activate it on return. This happened on the 1st Dec - This is what happened at the airport...
I began by putting 1500 days (approx 5 years as was left on my passport) into the self declaration machine in the arrivals hall in YYC, then I was directed to a kiosk to chat with a border officer. They advised to collect baggage from the baggage reclaim hall and on exiting into the main concourse, to tell the border officers there at the exit that I needed to go to 'secondary'. I was seen after about a 2 hour wait in secondary, showed the letter and medical insurance cover printout to the border officer and my passport got stamped for the 5 years. SO all was good!
As it happens, my Parent and Grandparent Sponsorship to Permanent Residency has come through as of Dec 22, so I've been able to cancel the rest of the 12 months medical insurance (obviously there's forms to fill in and a copy of CoPR or eCoPR is required as evidence that my Visa status had changed) but on the whole a straightforward process doing that and my refund of a good few hundred pounds sterling is heading back onto my credit card! Hurrah!!
There were times I have despaired during this whole process. It has not been stress free or straightforward, but I do acknowledge that eventually I have been lucky in eventually having the Super Visa approved (horrendous experience) and the star prize of getting PR confirmed much earlier than anticipated. So try and be patient, do everything that's required as timely as possible. I wish you all a positive outcome and all good wishes for the New Year ahead.....
