Enter as a visitor while visa office outside of Canada is processing my PR appli

[CariocaDaGema]

Thanks for your response.
My visa office is Tel-Aviv. hopefully i'll be able to do so because othervise it means ofcourse to fly all the way back just for that and get back to Canada - which is quite expensive...

Did someone did it (sent his/her passport) to the visa office back home and succeed?

I`d been successful sending my passport overseas and receiving it back with my visa stamped!
I had been visiting my wife in Toronto since December 2011 as a visitor, when we received the PPR (April 2012) I used FedEX to send my passport, the package included:
- Passport
- Passport request letter
- Cover letter asking for the VO officer in Brazil to kindly send my passport back to my address in Toronto, since i`d been visiting my wife.
- Pre-paid airway bill (You need to open a FedEX account - Bill filled up with their address and mine)
- extra FedEX envelope for return of passport

After 2 weeks, I noticed the return protocol was active at FedEX.
I received my passport 3 days later.
The passport was held by CBSA for only a few extra hours for verification, but released with no problems at all.

Yesterday me and my wife traveled to Niagra Falls to the port of entry (Rainbow Bridge) and I successfully landed as a PR.

The best piece of advice I can give you is: check your country`s laws and find out if is legal to send passports before you end up sending it. Losing a passport and having to wait more is not something you want to do!

Good Luck!

 

[waikiki]

Boaz, you ar from a visa-exempt country, right? So you don´t have to send your passport anymore, since you will receive COPR.

 

[waikiki]

I have a question as well: Me and hubby have kids, PR is in process, I want to move back in couple of months. What if HUbby doesn´t get PR by that time, do you think he will have problems entering Canada with us as a tourist? I will be working again, so we planned that he takes care of the kids meanwhile. if they deny him entry, then I don´t know what to do.

 

[canadiangirl78]

What country is your hubby from? If the US, his chances are good.

 

[boaz]

Thanks Cariocadagema for sharing your experience, it's sounds like a very usefull advice. from what you said I understand that you DO need to go to port of entry of canada and enter as a PR (whice means you can't simply get your passport bace without showing yor PR at a canadian port of entry...).

yes, i'm from a visa exempt country (Israel), but what is a COPR?

 

[waikiki]

COPR is what you will get if you own a passport from a visa-exempt country (I believe it means Copy Of PR, not sure). In any case, it´s a new rule since last December, that the VO won´t ask you anymore to send your passport once PR has been given, instead they send you COPR, a paper with which you will land.

 

[CHANZ.DREW]

When my husband was still process his paper he also applied for a Temporary Visitors Visa while waiting for his Spousal Permanent Visa. Most people had been denied but my husband had a different experience. He did not get denied instead they gave him his permanent visa without interview, without PPR (cause they already have his passport).....yeah got is one of the lucky ones....we are so blessed.

 

[GOGOGO]

COPR = Confirmation of Permanent Residence.

 

[boaz]

Thanks for this information.

I'm still not sure about one thing. should we leave Canada and come back through the Canadian border (any border?) to "validate" the PR or CORP we'll get?

 

[missmini]

Thanks for this information.

I'm still not sure about one thing. should we leave Canada and come back through the Canadian border (any border?) to "validate" the PR or CORP we'll get?

yes u should cuz in the moment she'll enter initially she'll enter as a visitor and she won't b automatically PR just by getting that paper....that paper (COPR) has a validity too...so in order to make her PR status active she needs to exit and re-enter Canada....since she would probably b already inside the most frequent and fastest way is by driving to the closest US border, exit and return (no need to enter in US unless u want to go for a visit )

 

[GOGOGO]

And there is another option... if the applicant is already in Canada and have valid temporary status, s/he has a choice of obtaining the PR status IN Canada by calling CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 to schedule an appointment at a nearby CIC office. (Note: This is mentioned in my COPR.)

yes u should cuz in the moment she'll enter initially she'll enter as a visitor and she won't b automatically PR just by getting that paper....that paper (COPR) has a validity too...so in order to make her PR status active she needs to exit and re-enter Canada....since she would probably b already inside the most frequent and fastest way is by driving to the closest US border, exit and return (no need to enter in US unless u want to go for a visit )

 

[boaz]

That's very good news...!! it means one DO NOT have to leave canada in order to validate his/her PR.. I was'nt aware of such an option and it's great to see it is availble.. I just wonder why no one mention it before? is it new policy by CIC ?

 

[OhCanadiana]

That's very good news...!! it means one DO NOT have to leave canada in order to validate his/her PR.. I was'nt aware of such an option and it's great to see it is availble.. I just wonder why no one mention it before? is it new policy by CIC ?

It is a relatively new option (with GCMS).

Few people use the option because first of all you need to be from a visa exempt country (this is new as of Dec 1 2011 so that you can mail your passport copy since no counterfoils are issued for visa exempt countries) or be able to mail your passport (illegal in some countries) so not everyone has the option. Second, for those that do have the option, there can be significant wait times in order to land at a visa office. Therefore, since most people live a few hours from the US border they choose to drive to the US, turn around, and instead the border at their convenience instead of waiting 10 weeks or so to land at an inland CIC office. However, it is worth exploring as folks have gotten appointments in a week or two also.

There are additional details available in the Operational Bulletin at http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/bulletins/2012/ob402.asp

 

[missmini]

And there is another option... if the applicant is already in Canada and have valid temporary status, s/he has a choice of obtaining the PR status IN Canada by calling CIC Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100 to schedule an appointment at a nearby CIC office. (Note: This is mentioned in my COPR.)

oooh really i didn't know either....i thought that option is just for inland applicants : good to know u!!! thank u