Short, out of province landing, PR card query

[Hot2Cold]

Hi,

I have applied for an got my PPR via SINP. I am now waiting for the CoPR from my LVO. I have a couple of doubts that I would like cleared.

1. Since I am SINP, I understand I have to land in Saskatchewan. However, I am not finding direct flights to an airport in the province. Most flights are via Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary. Since one of these cities will be my first PoE in Canada, I understand that my landing will occur there. I will have to show the IO the proof of onward flights to the province of nomination. This will demonstrate my intent to reside in my province of nomination. Is this understanding Correct?

2. I am planning a short stay of 3 weeks in Canada initially. In this time it is unlikely that I will get my PR card. Besides, I will not have an address in Sask. to supply as I do not know anyone there as yet. I have friends in Toronto, but many on the forum advise against providing an out of province address at least at PoE. Question: Can I inform the IO that I will provide an address later, and then provide an out of province address? Or should I invest in a mailbox service like UPS and have my mail forwarded to my current address?

3. In case I want to return to Canada before I get my PR Card, will I be able to apply for a PR Travel Document from outside Canada - while my PR card is getting processed? Or do I have to wait for my PR Card to reach me?

Request anyone who has an idea to help.

TIA

 

[jc94]

Hi

Few thoughts, firstly you do NOT have to land when you actually land.

For me for example, I am flying into Ottawa... but I won't land (because I have 1.5h to make a domestic connection) until later that day when I will cross the US border.
This all depends on your status, but if you are able to enter Canada on your passport that should not cause an issue.

I'm not aware of the limitation to land in a specific province - not beyond Quebec specifically.

On the same basis, you could simply not land for 3 weeks... But if you are needing to work and get a SIN etc.. that would be complicated. There is little to no chance of a PR card in 3 weeks I fear.
You can get the PRTD ... but I've heard it's a pain. Another option is to cross the US/Canada border by yourself - non-commercial transport. As that does not require a PR card.

I'm not too sure on the address but you can change it after landing. In fact you have tell them if you move within 6 months (not too sure if this has to be done if you get it within 2 months though), so you will likely have to give the address you are staying in that night, even if it's a hotel. Most hotels would, I am sure, be able to forward post on too (for a cost). But depends on the quality of the hotel I would say.

 

[Hot2Cold]

Hi

Few thoughts, firstly you do NOT have to land when you actually land.

For me for example, I am flying into Ottawa... but I won't land (because I have 1.5h to make a domestic connection) until later that day when I will cross the US border.
This all depends on your status, but if you are able to enter Canada on your passport that should not cause an issue.

I'm not aware of the limitation to land in a specific province - not beyond Quebec specifically.

On the same basis, you could simply not land for 3 weeks... But if you are needing to work and get a SIN etc.. that would be complicated. There is little to no chance of a PR card in 3 weeks I fear.
You can get the PRTD ... but I've heard it's a pain. Another option is to cross the US/Canada border by yourself - non-commercial transport. As that does not require a PR card.

I'm not too sure on the address but you can change it after landing. In fact you have tell them if you move within 6 months (not too sure if this has to be done if you get it within 2 months though), so you will likely have to give the address you are staying in that night, even if it's a hotel. Most hotels would, I am sure, be able to forward post on too (for a cost). But depends on the quality of the hotel I would say.

Thanks for the response jc94,

When you say you do not have to LAND when you land, I thought that was a given. As even if I transit, I have to go through Immigration and customs. As the only visa I will have is the single entry visa, I understand that my landing will b eat the first PoE in Canada.

While there is no limitation to land anywhere in Canada except Quebec as you rightly said, I have the burden of proof of Intent to Reside to demonstrate. That is an integral part of granting my PR.

As for PR Card I will most probably have to provide an In-Province (SK) address at landing, or provide it later. The choice then would be a friends address in Toronto, or a mailbox in SK.

In case I need to travel earlier, I suppose I will have to deal with the pain of getting a PRTD.

Using the US is not an option due to the lack of a visa as I am not from a visa exempt country.

 

[jc94]

From a visa required country I think this does make things a little harder unfortunately.
As you say you can't land in SK directly, everything is going to go via a major immigration port like Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary so I think with the onward ticket you will be fine - just make sure you have a few hours to make the connection, it might be 10 minutes, more likely to be 1-2 hours. I've had to wait 30 minutes at Toronto for them to find a machine to take payment!

Getting a B1/B2 for the US may be easier than a PRTD though I can't claim first hand knowledge.
You can at least one get in advance that way, PRTD can only be requested once you have left and can take some time (weeks). Depends where you apply of course.

 

[Hot2Cold]

From a visa required country I think this does make things a little harder unfortunately.
As you say you can't land in SK directly, everything is going to go via a major immigration port like Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary so I think with the onward ticket you will be fine - just make sure you have a few hours to make the connection, it might be 10 minutes, more likely to be 1-2 hours. I've had to wait 30 minutes at Toronto for them to find a machine to take payment!

Getting a B1/B2 for the US may be easier than a PRTD though I can't claim first hand knowledge.
You can at least one get in advance that way, PRTD can only be requested once you have left and can take some time (weeks). Depends where you apply of course.

Getting a PRTD should not be too much of a problem, as I will get it well in advance of my return. My main concern is getting the PR card.

Anyways, thanks for the inputs, and I will keep these in mind when I plan. Using a US visa sounds like the easiest way to go about it.

 

[vinodm06]

Hi,

I have applied for an got my PPR via SINP. I am now waiting for the CoPR from my LVO. I have a couple of doubts that I would like cleared.

1. Since I am SINP, I understand I have to land in Saskatchewan. However, I am not finding direct flights to an airport in the province. Most flights are via Toronto, Vancouver or Calgary. Since one of these cities will be my first PoE in Canada, I understand that my landing will occur there. I will have to show the IO the proof of onward flights to the province of nomination. This will demonstrate my intent to reside in my province of nomination. Is this understanding Correct?

2. I am planning a short stay of 3 weeks in Canada initially. In this time it is unlikely that I will get my PR card. Besides, I will not have an address in Sask. to supply as I do not know anyone there as yet. I have friends in Toronto, but many on the forum advise against providing an out of province address at least at PoE. Question: Can I inform the IO that I will provide an address later, and then provide an out of province address? Or should I invest in a mailbox service like UPS and have my mail forwarded to my current address?

3. In case I want to return to Canada before I get my PR Card, will I be able to apply for a PR Travel Document from outside Canada - while my PR card is getting processed? Or do I have to wait for my PR Card to reach me?

Request anyone who has an idea to help.

TIA

Hello,

I have the same dilema as you were. I see that you have landed. I am a SINP nominee. I want to do a short landing. I have already booked flights but the landing point will be toronto. I am going to settle in SI when I re enter. Please advice how you did the landing. Is landing in toronto for a week and mentioning it that I will be back is safe? Did you show proof of funds? Is it mandatory to have onwards flight ticket to SI since its a short landing? My friends sister is in toronto and I dont know anyone in SI so is it ok if I give her address for recieving PR. Please advice

 

[Hot2Cold]

Hello,

I have the same dilema as you were. I see that you have landed. I am a SINP nominee. I want to do a short landing. I have already booked flights but the landing point will be toronto. I am going to settle in SI when I re enter. Please advice how you did the landing. Is landing in toronto for a week and mentioning it that I will be back is safe? Did you show proof of funds? Is it mandatory to have onwards flight ticket to SI since its a short landing? My friends sister is in toronto and I dont know anyone in SI so is it ok if I give her address for recieving PR. Please advice

Dear Vinod,
1. You can 'land' in Toronto. That is not an issue at all.
2. When I landed, I actually had onward bookings to Saskatoon, and did physically visit as I wanted to scope the place out fir the future
3. When landing, your intent to settle in SK may be in question if you do not show that you will be going there. Officially, there is no such thing as a 'soft' landing, and Immigration Officers will always assume that you have come permanently. You will have to convince the IO that you will indeed proceed to SK. The best way to do this is to have an onward booking.
4. While there is technically no reason to not accept an out of province address for mailing of PR cards, some IOs will not accept an out of province address. Again this is a matter of showing your intent. You can always inform the IO that you do not have a permanent address currently, and will update them when you do. They will give you a form with details of how to update the address later via fax, phone or online. Use one of these options to update the address at a later date. You can then give your friend's sister's address. Remember that she will then have to mail/courier the PR card to you wherever you are.

Hope this helps.

 

[hkr2canada]

Hello,

I have the same dilema as you were. I see that you have landed. I am a SINP nominee. I want to do a short landing. I have already booked flights but the landing point will be toronto. I am going to settle in SI when I re enter. Please advice how you did the landing. Is landing in toronto for a week and mentioning it that I will be back is safe? Did you show proof of funds? Is it mandatory to have onwards flight ticket to SI since its a short landing? My friends sister is in toronto and I dont know anyone in SI so is it ok if I give her address for recieving PR. Please advice

Dear Vinod,
Can you pls share your landng experience if you have done so already. I am also in similar situation ( SINP nomination with no relatives or address in SK ). How long did you stay in SK after 1st landing and did u manage local address or provide your friend's sister address of Toronto. How about then receiving your PR card.

Appreciate your help.

 

[hkr2canada]

Dear Vinod,
1. You can 'land' in Toronto. That is not an issue at all.
2. When I landed, I actually had onward bookings to Saskatoon, and did physically visit as I wanted to scope the place out fir the future
3. When landing, your intent to settle in SK may be in question if you do not show that you will be going there. Officially, there is no such thing as a 'soft' landing, and Immigration Officers will always assume that you have come permanently. You will have to convince the IO that you will indeed proceed to SK. The best way to do this is to have an onward booking.
4. While there is technically no reason to not accept an out of province address for mailing of PR cards, some IOs will not accept an out of province address. Again this is a matter of showing your intent. You can always inform the IO that you do not have a permanent address currently, and will update them when you do. They will give you a form with details of how to update the address later via fax, phone or online. Use one of these options to update the address at a later date. You can then give your friend's sister's address. Remember that she will then have to mail/courier the PR card to you wherever you are.

Hope this helps.

Dear Tia,

Can you pls share your landng experience in bit detail as I am also in similar situation ( SINP nomination with no relatives or address in SK. However i do have my aunt in Toronto ). How long did you stay in SK after 1st landing and did u manage local address or provide address of Toronto. How about then receiving your PR card.

I am based in Dubai, UAE and am planning for a short visit with family for 1 week or so as have to return back to UAE for job and settling other things. Will it be fine if i explain this situation to the IO upon arrival and tell him clearly that i am going to stay for 1 week only and then returning back to come after 6 months or so.

Will the IO object to this and can i provide my aunt's Toronto address and infor the IO that on receiving she will courier it to me in UAE. How did you manage this.

Appreciate your help.

 

[rockytg]

Dear Tia,

Can you pls share your landng experience in bit detail as I am also in similar situation ( SINP nomination with no relatives or address in SK. However i do have my aunt in Toronto ). How long did you stay in SK after 1st landing and did u manage local address or provide address of Toronto. How about then receiving your PR card.

I am based in Dubai, UAE and am planning for a short visit with family for 1 week or so as have to return back to UAE for job and settling other things. Will it be fine if i explain this situation to the IO upon arrival and tell him clearly that i am going to stay for 1 week only and then returning back to come after 6 months or so.

Will the IO object to this and can i provide my aunt's Toronto address and infor the IO that on receiving she will courier it to me in UAE. How did you manage this.

Appreciate your help.

Ensure from your side that you do not give the address of your relative who lives outside of Saskatchewan at port of entry. At POE just let the immigration officer know that you do not have an address in Saskatchewan. He would then give you a form which you need to fill in (later) with the address where you would like the PR card to be sent to. This form then needs to be faxed ( form can be filled online too)
You can have the following options for receiving the PR card
- In case you are staying in Airbnb, you can have that address for PR card delivery. The drawback is your trust level and the Airbnb owner living upto it. Remember he is a stranger for you.
- buy a postal address. UPS store provides one with a postal address the cost of which is 80 Canadian dollars (approximately and can change, a month old rate it is) for three months. You can give this address for PR card delivery. The drawback of this is you need to call/email the UPS store to know whether you have received any mail or not.
- give address of your relative who is in Toronto. Have read about it in forum here that an outside address can be given for PR card once you are through with POE formalities. However, would like someone to confirm on it.

All the above then require the PR card to be couriered. The way out for this is to get a PRTD for entry the next time into Canada and collect the card yourself.

Was in Saskatoon for 10 days last month. My situation was also similar to yours, no one in Saskatchewan and a relative in Ontario. As of now have given the address of mailbox for PR card delivery. Though the option of giving the relative's address was there but did not go with it because of it being an out of Saskatchewan address. Have to wait and see how it goes from here.

 

[hkr2canada]

Ensure from your side that you do not give the address of your relative who lives outside of Saskatchewan at port of entry. At POE just let the immigration officer know that you do not have an address in Saskatchewan. He would then give you a form which you need to fill in (later) with the address where you would like the PR card to be sent to. This form then needs to be faxed ( form can be filled online too)
You can have the following options for receiving the PR card
- In case you are staying in Airbnb, you can have that address for PR card delivery. The drawback is your trust level and the Airbnb owner living upto it. Remember he is a stranger for you.
- buy a postal address. UPS store provides one with a postal address the cost of which is 80 Canadian dollars (approximately and can change, a month old rate it is) for three months. You can give this address for PR card delivery. The drawback of this is you need to call/email the UPS store to know whether you have received any mail or not.
- give address of your relative who is in Toronto. Have read about it in forum here that an outside address can be given for PR card once you are through with POE formalities. However, would like someone to confirm on it.

All the above then require the PR card to be couriered. The way out for this is to get a PRTD for entry the next time into Canada and collect the card yourself.

Was in Saskatoon for 10 days last month. My situation was also similar to yours, no one in Saskatchewan and a relative in Ontario. As of now have given the address of mailbox for PR card delivery. Though the option of giving the relative's address was there but did not go with it because of it being an out of Saskatchewan address. Have to wait and see how it goes from here.

Dear RockyTG,
Thanks for your quick reply. Well can you also let me know if you used UPS service for the mail box for address or some other. Moreover can i get this UPS service done before i land or post i land and then update the address online.

Also did u clearly inform the IO at POE that you are on short visit for 10 days and will came back later for good. Did he raise any concerns or object to it.

Also how did you manage the accommodation. Hotel booking (AirBNB)? or something else.

Moreover what all formalities you feel i should complete during this short visit and how much time you feel is enough. If nothing much i plan to leave in 1 week or so as i have job commitments.

Appreciate your guidance as you have been through it and want to make most of this short visit to avoid issues later.

Any major thing i should keep in mind with regards to documents or something else.

Also if you don't mind are u based in UAE or some other country. I am in Dubai, UAE.

Thanks

 

[rockytg]

Dear RockyTG,
Thanks for your quick reply. Well can you also let me know if you used UPS service for the mail box for address or some other. Moreover can i get this UPS service done before i land or post i land and then update the address online.

-- UPS mail box. I, too was looking for an online option of availing UPS services, however, could not find one. Address can be updated anytime after first landing.

Also did u clearly inform the IO at POE that you are on short visit for 10 days and will came back later for good. Did he raise any concerns or object to it.

-- I was not asked this question. Moreover, i had thought of not telling the IO about my short landing. Had my return tickets booked so had ensured from my side that i just show him one side of the journey and not the return one. Legally there is no restriction on one returning the next flight but i wanted to avoid unnecessary hassles lest i encountered one.(chances of which were remote)

Also how did you manage the accommodation. Hotel booking (AirBNB)? or something else.

-- I was to go with AirBnb but ended up booking a hotel from my place(India) online as i got it pretty cheap. When booking one, check for reviews and locality.

Moreover what all formalities you feel i should complete during this short visit and how much time you feel is enough. If nothing much i plan to leave in 1 week or so as i have job commitments.

-- you can do the following
- Get SIN. You need to go to Service Canada centre for that. For some this activity is completed at POE. 5 minute activity it is. Give your self two hours as there can be a queue.
- Opening of bank account. Went there the first day late in the evening, was given an appointment for next day. Took an hour as they would walk you through every detail pertaining to the account. Debit card i got the same day itself. Credit card took 5 days, however by that time i had left. So, if it is just opening of bank account give yourself two days else 10 so that you get the credit card too. Why i am saying that is you can use that card and start making credit history.
- Mail box if u have to buy one
- Medical insurance. I did not apply for it as i was to return. Would keep this open as most advice not to apply in case of short landing.

All of the above was hassle free. Still give yourself a little buffer.

Once i had my hotel booked and was aware of the place, i searched(google maps) for all of the above which were near to my place. So, i got an approximate idea about the time it would take to reach the above places. Also, once you know about the starting and ending points, you can use google transit. That would tell you about the Bus to reach the destination. I had used cab only the first day, rest i had internet and maps with me so i could go from one place to another by bus.

Appreciate your guidance as you have been through it and want to make most of this short visit to avoid issues later.

Any major thing i should keep in mind with regards to documents or something else.

Also if you don't mind are u based in UAE or some other country. I am in Dubai, UAE.

-- India

Thanks

 

[rockytg]

i am pretty much active on this forum. PM me in case you have any questions.
Would be glad if i can be of any help.

 

[hkr2canada]

i am pretty much active on this forum. PM me in case you have any questions.
Would be glad if i can be of any help.

Dear,
Thanks and appreciate your help. Can you also suggest which bank to go for. Did some search and am thinking to go for one of below.

Royal Bank of Canada
Bank of Nova Scotia

Moreover did the IO ask for and check all other documents as well like Education / IELTS / POF / Birth certificates etc, though will be carrying them along.

Also will the POE formalities be done in Toronto airport or in SK as there are no direct flights to SK.

Also where you suggest to live in SK - Saskatoon, Regina or elsewhere. Am bit concerned as both are having high crime rate.

THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN CANADA 2016
Listed by Crime Severity Index, here are the Top 10 dangerous cities last year:

1. Grand Prairie, AB
2. Red Deer, AB
3. Prince George, BC
4. Victoria, BC
5. Surrey, BC
6. Chilliwack, BC
7. Saskatoon, SK
8. Regina, SK
9. Kelowna, BC
10. Edmonton

Regards

 

[rockytg]

Dear,
Thanks and appreciate your help. Can you also suggest which bank to go for. Did some search and am thinking to go for one of below.

Royal Bank of Canada
Bank of Nova Scotia

Did not do much research on this. Went with RBC saving account for new immigrants. Once I am back in Canada then would open a new account if not happy with the existing one.

Moreover did the IO ask for and check all other documents as well like Education / IELTS / POF / Birth certificates etc, though will be carrying them along.

I was not asked for any document other than COPR. From the documents you have listed ensure that you have sufficient documentation for POF. The definition for sufficient is different for different folks. I went with last 6 months bank statement and a letter from my bank.

Also will the POE formalities be done in Toronto airport or in SK as there are no direct flights to SK.

POE formalities are done at first port of entry. So it is OK even if SK is not the POE. For me it was Calgary

Also where you suggest to live in SK - Saskatoon, Regina or elsewhere. Am bit concerned as both are having high crime rate.

Not sure if you are left with any place to live in SK then. Can't answer this question

THE TOP 10 MOST DANGEROUS CITIES IN CANADA 2016
Listed by Crime Severity Index, here are the Top 10 dangerous cities last year:

1. Grand Prairie, AB
2. Red Deer, AB
3. Prince George, BC
4. Victoria, BC
5. Surrey, BC
6. Chilliwack, BC
7. Saskatoon, SK
8. Regina, SK
9. Kelowna, BC
10. Edmonton

Regards