Application for a Verification of Status (VOS), prove current status?

[Oki911]

I need to prove my current status as a landed immigrant quickly, before my PR Card arrives which I applied for.

I've come across an application for a "Verification of Status" at the CIC that I have a question about.

From the CIC site, 5545ETOC:
"A Verification of Status document will contain information that appeared on your original Record of Landing...
can be used when you must provide proof of historical immigration information, such as the date and place of entry to Canada....
Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing (IMM 1000)/Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)"

I'm not fully understand it. I have my original IMM1000 Record of Landing document. I don't need a replacement for it. It already states *when* I entered and became a landed immigrant.
The Record of Landing does not state that I am currently still a landed immigrant.
However, what is the "confirmation of Permanent Residence" about? Confirming what? Confirming that I became an immigrant like the IMM 1000 already provides? Or does it also confirm that right now I am still a landed immigrant?

I suppose I should call the CIC call center about this, but does anyone know anything about this? Can a VOS be used to obtain proof that right now I am still an immigrant?

 

[dpenabill]

I need to prove my current status as a landed immigrant quickly, before my PR Card arrives which I applied for.

I've come across an application for a "Verification of Status" at the CIC that I have a question about.

From the CIC site, 5545ETOC:
"A Verification of Status document will contain information that appeared on your original Record of Landing...
can be used when you must provide proof of historical immigration information, such as the date and place of entry to Canada....
Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing (IMM 1000)/Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)"

I'm not fully understand it. I have my original IMM1000 Record of Landing document. I don't need a replacement for it. It already states *when* I entered and became a landed immigrant.
The Record of Landing does not state that I am currently still a landed immigrant.
However, what is the "confirmation of Permanent Residence" about? Confirming what? Confirming that I became an immigrant like the IMM 1000 already provides? Or does it also confirm that right now I am still a landed immigrant?

I suppose I should call the CIC call center about this, but does anyone know anything about this? Can a VOS be used to obtain proof that right now I am still an immigrant?

The Confirmation of Permanent Residence, usually referred to as the CoPR, is the document which replaced the Record of Landing more than a decade ago. I forget the date, but before that date landing immigrants received the Record of Landing. After that date, landing immigrants were given a copy of their CoPR, the document which was completed at the time of landing confirming that the individual landed.

That is, both are official documents officially showing the individual landed and became a Permanent Resident. One is the older version; the CoPR is the more recent version.

I am not sure what the verification of status for a PR entails, but it is indeed my impression that it merely verifies the landing information, that is essentially the fact of landing and becoming a PR, and does not address or evidence current standing.

The problem is that IRCC/CIC is not concerned with provincial proof of status requirements or similar requirements by other parties or entities. Thus, for example, to obtain health care coverage in a province, some provinces (perhaps in one respect or another all the provinces) require a PR to present a valid PR card (with some variations; for example, last I looked Ontario allows a PR to present an expired PR card so long as it expired within the last five years).

Bottom-line: it is the party/entity/organization who is requiring proof of PR status which determines what is adequate proof of current status for their purposes.

You do not say why you need this . . . but that is the crux of it. Some parties, like a Provincial government department, might be inflexible. Other parties may be more flexible.

You probably need to explore this relative to the party or entity for whom you need proof of status to determine what you can provide while your application for a PR card is in process.

 

[Oki911]

Thanks for the reply. Very informative. I had a feeling that verification doesn't show anything beyond what was available at the time of landing.

The reason is, I'm desperate for official documentation that proves that I'm a PR right now. Or rather, to prove that I am not a Canadian citizen. My Dutch passport expired, and the embassy will not let me renew my passport unless I prove to them that I have not become Canadian. (I should have, a long time ago, but that's another matter).

I have a PR Card application showing "In Process" since Feb 12th. It's "URGENT" and included is an E-Ticket for a return flight and proof of payment (Paypal receipt). Flight is 7 weeks from now.
The Dutch embassy apparently needs two weeks to produce a Dutch passport.

I also have a "Search of Citizenship" application, also marked "URGENT" and includes that flight information as well. That application arrived on Feb 15th. But there appears to be no way to verify the status of that application on the CIC site.

I'm desperately looking for all options to get that darn Dutch passport. I've expressed my dismay at the Embassy and on the phone with The Hague, how the Dutch government is leaving me hanging like this. Can't they just have me sign a legal document or something, stating that I swear I do not have any other nationality?
Why does the Dutch government make me depend on a foreign system?

And here's something else funny. The Dutch government has no problem PRs in Canada renewing their passport without asking any questions, so long as the passport didn't expire. So in my case, because I was stupid enough to let it expire, they're asking questions. But if someone wanted to cheat, they could just keep on renewing, even though they're no entitled to (if they became Canadian), and just play the game that "oh, I didn't know, oops".

I'm literally at risk of losing my ticket and missing a very important family event, plus an important family member is has a medical problem. I'm urged to "come over NOW"...
I'm literally physically ill over the whole thing.

 

[dpenabill]

Sorry for your trouble.

This really is mostly about what the Dutch require.

If it is any consolation, your Canadian applications should probably be processed fairly quickly. I am surprised that the citizenship search takes much time at all. Is there a process by which you could obtain a temporary travel document from the Dutch faster than it would take to obtain the full passport, that is once you have sufficient documentation from Canadian authorities? You might have to take this down to the wire.

One would certainly like to see one's country step up on behalf of its citizens better than that. One can easily imagine being in a far more challenging situation, such as in a dangerous country and potentially facing imminent harm, in which case one would expect one's country to come to one's aid and offer some way out.

Your query may be of help to others since it serves as a reminder how important it is for people outside their home country to maintain a currently valid passport, since you are essentially grounded without one. Even when one is from one of the more modern, so-called advanced countries.

By the way, I have a number of acquaintances who have been PRs for many, many years, some approaching a half century, more who have been PRs for decades, without ever becoming a Canadian citizen. So a long time PR not becoming a Canadian citizen is not so unusual as you might apprehend But they all tend to keep their home country passport current.

Good luck.

 

[Oki911]

Thanks for the reply. I'm hoping that either the Search-of-Citizenship or PR Card arrives in under 5 weeks. If only I could remove that snail mail time by paying extra and have them use an overnight courier...
Normal mail service is fairly unreliable as well. Some mail simply doesn't arrive, and we get mail from neighbors and far away streets even, all the time, from time to time.

The normal wait times are 10 and 6 months respectively. The PR Card in urgent mode used to be 3 weeks from what I remember seeing a few months ago, which changed to 6 weeks, according to what it shows now on the CIC site.
It is not mentioned at the CIC if the search-of-citizenship can be done urgently, but my Member of Parliament who I've been in contact with, told me that CIC said to try that. He suspects that the search will finish before the PR Card does, and that *maybe* the PR Card will not arrive in time. In that case I'd have to go to The Hague in person when I'm there to ask for permission to return to Canada. Or perhaps there is time to courier it there if it arrives with enough days left.

About that MP. Rumor has it that an MP can somehow "arrange" a document that the Dutch embassy will accept. But all my MP was able to do is direct me to a CIC form. I'm afraid that my MP, or rather, the assistant in his office, is new at all of this. My last email asking him to contact another MP to ensure that this is really all he can do for me, went unanswered.
It's a tooth pulling experience all around.

Your suggestion to ask for a Dutch temporary travel document I have to consider. But wouldn't that cause problem to return to Canada? Next thing you know I can't get a return document from the Canadian embassy in The Hague, because they might not accept anything other than a regular passport.
Or another scenario. Bad weather redirecting the plane to land in Brussels instead of Amsterdam, and the travel document stating it's only good for travel to Amsterdam. I have no experience with temporary travel documents like this.
I've sent email to the Dutch embassy, but there's no answer to my questions there either. It seems I have to make an appointment to ask questions at their counter. Having to yell through bullet proof glass to be heard.

Where have the old days gone... I remember having to come to the Canadian embassy for an interview in The Hague before I left Holland. It was like being invited for coffee. It was in a living room setting. I sat down in a comfortable chair and was offered coffee in a nice china cup. It was a jolly interview, very friendly and easy going. Just a quick probe if I could hold a conversation in English. I was really funny with my super heavy Dutch accent at the time (something that will never fully go away, lol). Then a quick form from a drawer, stamp, and poof, ready to go. At the border, an officer said hello and welcome. Papers look good, stamp, and on my way I went.
And now... counters with bullet proof glass, bureaucracy everywhere, form this, form that, beg, plead, contacting MPs (an MP I would never vote for), having to throw oodles on money around for multiple forms and courier fees, and gamble on a ticket. At the mercy of officials denying urgent requests ("oh, you didn't actually *prove* that your family member is sick..." - didn't happen yet, but I'm afraid they could say that).
For instance, the Verification of Status application, not that I need that one apparently, it states that in order to be considered as urgent, you have to actually prove a medical problem with a letter from a doctor.
I am definitely not comfortable having to ask the people in Holland for a doctor's letter. I was urged to come to Holland, but I do not know the full story of the medical problem yet. It's an extremely uncomfortable topic, and all very emotional.

What a horrible experience, and what stress. Yes, I was stupid to let my documents expire. I will definitely make an effort to help others not fall into this same trap. Knowing that a PR Card takes like 6 months to renew, people should apply for a new one like 9 months before their current one expires for instance. And never ever let a foreign passport expire.
But what can I say? Life is busy. I haven't had the need to travel for a long time. The daily hustle bustle and the paper work is just locked away. You literally have to buy a 5 year calendar and mark the date. I suppose one could use Google calendar which would result in an email notification of sorts...