Canada Visitor Visa for entire family while PR application in process

[shy456]

Hi,

I know this topic has been addressed in a few threads but I think my situation is a little unique so am hoping some of you might be able to share your opinions about this.

I am currently based in the US with my family and my US work visa expires on Feb 5 2020. My PR application is still being processed and over 3 months have passed since my AOR. I was earlier under the misconception that if you are based in the states, the Canada PR application gets processed fast and had made elaborate plans on trying to move our household items from here to Canada before the expiry of my US visa. I have now realized the unrealistic optimism on my part in this matter as the approval process has slowed down considerably especially if the application goes to a visa office like Sydney, NS.

I know some threads have mentioned scenarios where people have joined their spouses on a visitor visa while their PR application was being processed but I am in a situation where I am hoping to move my whole family to Canada on visitor visas and then if the PR gets approved, I will finish the process for that while in Canada and then start looking for jobs. My questions are as follows.

1. Can I apply for Canada visitor visas for my entire family from the US while our PR application is in process?

2. I don't really have an itinerary for this nor relatives/close friends in Canada so if I just mention in the letter to the Visa Officer that we would like to see the country a bit while waiting for the PR, is that an acceptable reason or is there a strong chance of my application getting rejected with such a reason?

3. I have heard that visitor visas for people based in the US do get approved within 14 days or so and the timeline on the IRCC website seems to state the same as well. Is this true or is this again a long drawn out process like the PR application?

4. If the visitor visa for our family does get approved after all the above and we do move to Canada, what is the process once the PR application is approved. Can I ship the passports to the Visa Office from within Canada and get the same back there? Also, in this process, does another one time visa get stamped on the passport even though we would already have visitor visas? Post COPR, how does the landing process work in such a case? Do I need to leave Canada and then re-enter?

5. If the visitor visa gets rejected, does it impact the PR application?

 

[scylla]

Hi,

I know this topic has been addressed in a few threads but I think my situation is a little unique so am hoping some of you might be able to share your opinions about this.

I am currently based in the US with my family and my US work visa expires on Feb 5 2020. My PR application is still being processed and over 3 months have passed since my AOR. I was earlier under the misconception that if you are based in the states, the Canada PR application gets processed fast and had made elaborate plans on trying to move our household items from here to Canada before the expiry of my US visa. I have now realized the unrealistic optimism on my part in this matter as the approval process has slowed down considerably especially if the application goes to a visa office like Sydney, NS.

I know some threads have mentioned scenarios where people have joined their spouses on a visitor visa while their PR application was being processed but I am in a situation where I am hoping to move my whole family to Canada on visitor visas and then if the PR gets approved, I will finish the process for that while in Canada and then start looking for jobs. My questions are as follows.

1. Can I apply for Canada visitor visas for my entire family from the US while our PR application is in process?

2. I don't really have an itinerary for this nor relatives/close friends in Canada so if I just mention in the letter to the Visa Officer that we would like to see the country a bit while waiting for the PR, is that an acceptable reason or is there a strong chance of my application getting rejected with such a reason?

3. I have heard that visitor visas for people based in the US do get approved within 14 days or so and the timeline on the IRCC website seems to state the same as well. Is this true or is this again a long drawn out process like the PR application?

4. If the visitor visa for our family does get approved after all the above and we do move to Canada, what is the process once the PR application is approved. Can I ship the passports to the Visa Office from within Canada and get the same back there? Also, in this process, does another one time visa get stamped on the passport even though we would already have visitor visas? Post COPR, how does the landing process work in such a case? Do I need to leave Canada and then re-enter?

5. If the visitor visa gets rejected, does it impact the PR application?

1. You can certainly do that. Assuming the TRV is approved, all this will allow you and your family to do is visit Canada. You won't be able to "move" here and you won't be able to bring your household belongings here. You can't do that until you have approved PR visas. Make sure you take out private insurance to cover you for medical emergencies. You will have to pay for non-emergency care out of your own pocket. If you have kids, they may not be eligible to attend school while you wait for PR (this will largely depend on their age).
2. Sure - you can say you are coming for tourism purposes.
3. It's very individual. It can take as little as a few days to several months. Unfortunately very hard to predict.
4. Again, you can't move to Canada on a visitor visa. You need to avoid having it look like this is what you're doing. If you show up at the border with your household belonging, you'll be at high riks of a refused entry to Canada. If the officer is really displeased with what you've done, there's a small chance you could even end up with a one year exclusion order - which will certainly complicate your PR plans. When you come to Canada as visitors, you should only bring what visitors normally bring (e.g. one suitcase or bag - normal tourists don't bring household items) - the rest will have to remain in the US (in storage or with friends). You will be able to bring everything else here once you have approved COPRs. Yes - you can ask that your passports be stamped within Canada. To land and officially become PRs, you will either need to exit Canada - or make an appointment to land at an IRCC office within Canada (the downside of this second option is that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months to get an appointment).
5. No impact.

 

[shy456]

1. You can certainly do that. Assuming the TRV is approved, all this will allow you and your family to do is visit Canada. You won't be able to "move" here and you won't be able to bring your household belongings here. You can't do that until you have approved PR visas. Make sure you take out private insurance to cover you for medical emergencies. You will have to pay for non-emergency care out of your own pocket. If you have kids, they may not be eligible to attend school while you wait for PR (this will largely depend on their age).
2. Sure - you can say you are coming for tourism purposes.
3. It's very individual. It can take as little as a few days to several months. Unfortunately very hard to predict.
4. Again, you can't move to Canada on a visitor visa. You need to avoid having it look like this is what you're doing. If you show up at the border with your household belonging, you'll be at high riks of a refused entry to Canada. If the officer is really displeased with what you've done, there's a small chance you could even end up with a one year exclusion order - which will certainly complicate your PR plans. When you come to Canada as visitors, you should only bring what visitors normally bring (e.g. one suitcase or bag - normal tourists don't bring household items) - the rest will have to remain in the US (in storage or with friends). You will be able to bring everything else here once you have approved COPRs. Yes - you can ask that your passports be stamped within Canada. To land and officially become PRs, you will either need to exit Canada - or make an appointment to land at an IRCC office within Canada (the downside of this second option is that it can take anywhere from a few weeks to a couple of months to get an appointment).
5. No impact.

Thank you so much for your detailed response ! I did intend to leave the household stuff here in storage in the US if the TRV visa is granted and only bring it over once the PR is approved.