A few URGENT landing questions!

[eshbhav]

I will be doing a soft landing next week and have a question regarding POF.
My current savings A/C is with CITIBank and my Debit Card is an International Debit card with which I can withdraw cash in Canada too.
I am planning to get a statement along with a covering letter stating the balance (INR & CAD) along with my Debit Card number.
Will this be good for POF document?

Thank you.

 

[Musikwala]

I will be doing a soft landing next week and have a question regarding POF.
My current savings A/C is with CITIBank and my Debit Card is an International Debit card with which I can withdraw cash in Canada too.
I am planning to get a statement along with a covering letter stating the balance (INR & CAD) along with my Debit Card number.
Will this be good for POF document?

Thank you.

Any bank statement in your name, whether showing Canadian funds or foreign funds, as long as it is above the minimum threshold, is fine.

 

[eshbhav]

Any bank statement in your name, whether showing Canadian funds or foreign funds, as long as it is above the minimum threshold, is fine.

Great...thanks

 

[SecularFirst]

What makes you say that? I haven't found it written any where ever. And a CBSA officer cannot determine by street address and postal code whether its commercial or home address. Nor have i heard if any one was specifically asked for RESIDENTIAL address.

The official statement only says

"We will only send PR cards to addresses within Canada. There is another process for permanent residents outside Canada without a PR card."
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/pr-card/apply-how.asp

I am curious if there is anything that i missed.

Update:
Okay i also found this under the section "After you apply"

If you have filled out your application properly and meet all the requirements, we will mail your card to you. We will only mail PR cards to residential addresses in Canada.

In some cases, we may ask you to pick up your card at a local office. If so, bring your passport and the original documents you sent when you applied. If you do not pick up your card within 180 days, the card will be destroyed and you will have to re-apply.

We will contact you if there are problems with your application.

But again, the way its written, if they can ask you to come and collect it from a local office, they might very well send it to a commercial address. The emphasis as it appears to me is on Canadian address. Lastly, the way CBSA asks you to fill the address, i have doubts it could distinguish a residential vs commercial address

I did my landing last week at Vancouver CIC Office. They didn't cross out my old valid Canada visa and also didnt cross out PR visa. So I believe if you have a need to travel before receiving PR card, go to CIC Office. You may be able to travel and board a plane with existing valid visa.
Also, I gave my workplace address for PR card delivery as i will be changing my current residential address soon. I told this to immigration officer and he said its absolutely fine. They just need an address where Canada post can deliver post. Doesn't necessarily has to be home address.

Good luck all who are waiting.

 

[fkl]

I did my landing last week at Vancouver CIC Office. They didn't cross out my old valid Canada visa and also didnt cross out PR visa. So I believe if you have a need to travel before receiving PR card, go to CIC Office. You may be able to travel and board a plane with existing valid visa.
Also, I gave my workplace address for PR card delivery as i will be changing my current residential address soon. I told this to immigration officer and he said its absolutely fine. They just need an address where Canada post can deliver post. Doesn't necessarily has to be home address.

Good luck all who are waiting.

Good so we got one confirmation of commercial address.

I am still a bit skeptical about using TRV to come to Canada when one has already landed as an immigrant but doesn't have a PR card.

The reasons are follows:

a) CBSA usually crosses the immigrant visa upon landing. Even if they didn't do that, it isn't valid any way because it is already single entry so cannot be used for subsequent entries.

b) When some one queries about not having a PR card and entering Canada, CIC has listed the options on their official references where they say either you need a PR card or you need a PR travel document which you can obtain from local Canadian embassy if you are outside Canada or you can even get that from inside Canada before leaving.

I am not absolutely sure, but what i conclude from this is, Visa or Work permit isn't a valid document for a permanent resident. If it was, CIC might have suggested getting a TRV to enter Canada for a PR when they don't have PR card. So i doubt this would be possible.

Still this is just an opinion and not some concrete information.

Personally i would never try this (i have been in this situation, in fact i still have a valid multiple entry TRV for another 2 years in my passport, which was issued with my last work permit). CBSA never cancels other TRVs, they only cancel the immigrant one upon landing.

 

[SecularFirst]

I believe you only need a valid visa to show at the airport outside Canada to board the plane. Once you land in Canada, you can show your signed COPR to CBSA. They may cross check and establish that you are indeed permanent resident. You will be allowed to enter country as you have the right to enter Canada as PR. Isn't it?

 

[fkl]

I believe you only need a valid visa to show at the airport outside Canada to board the plane. Once you land in Canada, you can show your signed COPR to CBSA. They may cross check and establish that you are indeed permanent resident. You will be allowed to enter country as you have the right to enter Canada as PR. Isn't it?

I think that used to be true, but doesn't hold any more.


Permanent residents
Permanent residents (immigrants living in Canada who are not yet Canadian citizens) need a valid permanent resident card to return to Canada. Check the expiry date on your card.

Note that a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is not a travel document. See Canadian Citizenship for further details.

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/entering-canada

UPDATE:
Besides, even if this works (and we are not talking about driving in private car from US land border), it makes a suspicious / risky case.

What are you going to tell the airline? That you are a visitor / worker etc with TRV. Obviously you will not say i am a permanent resident since you would need to show PR card in that case.

If you say visitor, they might insist on return ticket. If you say student or worker, then the TRV type will not match (a student or worker TRV is S-1 or W-1 type).

The last discussion i remember on the forum concluded that it is up to the airline and you cannot count upon being able to come, unless you have a PRTD or a PR card.

 

[SecularFirst]

I think that used to be true, but doesn't hold any more.


Permanent residents
Permanent residents (immigrants living in Canada who are not yet Canadian citizens) need a valid permanent resident card to return to Canada. Check the expiry date on your card.

Note that a Certificate of Canadian Citizenship is not a travel document. See Canadian Citizenship for further details.

https://travel.gc.ca/returning/customs/entering-canada

UPDATE:
Besides, even if this works (and we are not talking about driving in private car from US land border), it makes a suspicious / risky case.

What are you going to tell the airline? That you are a visitor / worker etc with TRV. Obviously you will not say i am a permanent resident since you would need to show PR card in that case.

If you say visitor, they might insist on return ticket. If you say student or worker, then the TRV type will not match (a student or worker TRV is S-1 or W-1 type).

The last discussion i remember on the forum concluded that it is up to the airline and you cannot count upon being able to come, unless you have a PRTD or a PR card.

The link only tell citizens of visa exempt countries to apply eTA. PRs, Canadian citizens and persons who have valid visa are exempt from eTA. Only when we board a plane outside Canada, they only check for valid date on visa. Once we land in Canada, CBSA would establish if you are PR or not, even if they dont consider your COPR as valid Travel document, they can't send you back as you are PR and PR grants you right to enter the country whenever you want. PR card is not a requirement to have on you to prove your status. Its not even required when you apply for citizenship.

 

[SecularFirst]

I need to go to Dallas for 2 days for a school interview and its not possible to drive all the way to Dallas. Plus i can't apply PRTD coz it will take 7 days to get it, i am only going for 48 hours. I don't know what other option i have.

 

[fkl]

You should go through some relevant threads. My memory is a bit hazy on this and there was too much detail to verify.

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/no-pr-card-need-to-travel-t359795.0.html

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/can-you-not-enter-canada-with-expired-pr-card-on-passport-statusmerit-t248825.0.html

This says you need a PR card when boarding a flight. It doesn't say if you manage to board without having PR card, would you be able to enter Canada or not. It was the case previously but now they say entry requirements are changing (not just the ETA ones, but for PRs too as it states here)

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=605&top=10

 

[fkl]

I need to go to Dallas for 2 days for a school interview and its not possible to drive all the way to Dallas. Plus i can't apply PRTD coz it will take 7 days to get it, i am only going for 48 hours. I don't know what other option i have.

Why don't you cross border in a rental car, return it there and then take domestic flight from there. E.g. if you were in BC, you might take a flight Seattle -> Dallas.

This looks safer option to me than the other one

 

[devnill]

Why don't you cross border in a rental car, return it there and then take domestic flight from there. E.g. if you were in BC, you might take a flight Seattle -> Dallas.

This looks safer option to me than the other one

I doubt you would be able to rent a car in Canada and return it to the US.

 

[fkl]

I doubt you would be able to rent a car in Canada and return it to the US.

You are probably right. I meant it as an example and didn't think much around it. A few real alternates could be

a) Since he needs to go for a couple days to Dallas, just fly Seattle->Dallas->Seattle and then take the same Canadian rented or personal car back.

b) Find a friend who can drive you instead