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currently planning for COPR; what about my 10 year visa?

KLM2308

Member
Feb 19, 2016
11
0
I have a question regarding a 10 year visa's validity while making travel arrangements for a granted COPR...

here's my situation:
- need to arrive in Canada for COPR early Jan.2019; already made travel arrangements to arrive in Nov.2018; meaning I should be expecting my PR card to arrive in the mail by Jan.2019? (factoring in Christmas and such)...

- for work reasons, I will need to leave Canada in Dec.2018 before Christmas, so like most people here I am planning to have the PR card FedEx-ed to me. Can I apply for my PRTD now? Even before showing up in Canada for my COPR?

- I'm also holding a Chinese passport with a 10 year tourist visa; does this granting of my PR status void/cancel my visa? (techincally, I guess I'm still not "granted" PR status since I still haven't shown up for my "confirmation"... but after I'm "confirmed/granted" and am waiting for my PR card, I suppose this means I'm not a tourist anymore thus making my 10 year visa invalid?)


thanks for your help/replies in advance!
 

Bs65

VIP Member
Mar 22, 2016
13,190
2,419
Initial cards take on average 6-8 weeks to arrive at a Canadian address so January might be a reasonable assumption.

You cannot apply for a PRTD either before you have landed or from inside Canada. Plus there is no published processing time for PRTDs.

The theory is that any non PR visas should be cancelled once you have landed although people have reported here that there has been a time lag for the system to catch up. You cannot rely on that though in a public forum same as not relying on any statement on any social media given may have been more a case of luck than fact..

Given there could be almost 3 months between your landing and returning the odds seem likely that any visa would be cancelled in the system and when you come to board a plane you will show as a PR needing a card or PRTD. If you have a US visa that as you can read is always a backup plan to cross via a US/Canada land border with your COPR.
 

KLM2308

Member
Feb 19, 2016
11
0
Thanks for your reply Bs65

There has been a slight change in our travel plans which directly affect the validity of my 10 year visa...

I will be traveling to Canada at the end of the month, stop over for a few days and then need to immediately travel to Los Angeles for a work meeting for 1 week before returning back to Canada...

I was wondering if I would be able to still use my 10 year visa on my Beijing > Toronto > LA leg of my trip (I also have a 10 year US visa)

Then upon my return to Canada, I can then proceed to use the COPR visa.... can I request to do this when arriving at immigration?

Or will I be forced to begin the processing of my COPR when I first arrive in Toronto?
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
53,092
12,816
Thanks for your reply Bs65

There has been a slight change in our travel plans which directly affect the validity of my 10 year visa...

I will be traveling to Canada at the end of the month, stop over for a few days and then need to immediately travel to Los Angeles for a work meeting for 1 week before returning back to Canada...

I was wondering if I would be able to still use my 10 year visa on my Beijing > Toronto > LA leg of my trip (I also have a 10 year US visa)

Then upon my return to Canada, I can then proceed to use the COPR visa.... can I request to do this when arriving at immigration?

Or will I be forced to begin the processing of my COPR when I first arrive in Toronto?
Yes that would be possible. TRV gets cancelled once you land.
 

KLM2308

Member
Feb 19, 2016
11
0
Yes that would be possible. TRV gets cancelled once you land.
Can I arrange my trip now and tell a supervisor/border agent when I land in Toronto about my case?

As long as I process my COPR before the mentioned expiry date, I'm still good right?
If I have prior work engagements that requires me to travel in and out of Canada before that, it's my right to continue to use my 10 year visa... no?

Due to the notoriously slow response time for the IRCC web forms (for which I already made the same inquiry as I'm doing here)... I'm afraid I can't wait for them to respond, I'll need to start making travel arrangements now...
 

SoniaJav

Star Member
Sep 19, 2014
138
11
Not sure about your 10yr visa...i believe you wont be able to use it once your copr is stamped.
But you can enter canada by road from usa...using just your copr...as long as its stamped.
 

canuck78

VIP Member
Jun 18, 2017
53,092
12,816
Can I arrange my trip now and tell a supervisor/border agent when I land in Toronto about my case?

You don't even have to mention that you plan on landing later. Just explain the reason for your current visit and show your TRV.

As long as I process my COPR before the mentioned expiry date, I'm still good right? YES

If I have prior work engagements that requires me to travel in and out of Canada before that, it's my right to continue to use my 10 year visa... no? Yes you can use it before you land.

Due to the notoriously slow response time for the IRCC web forms (for which I already made the same inquiry as I'm doing here)... I'm afraid I can't wait for them to respond, I'll need to start making travel arrangements now...