Okay, so I'm an academic (US citizen) set to move to Montreal for a temporary (1-3 year) job at McGill University in mid august.
I've found an apartment, and am about to sign a lease (to begin in mid august)
Unfortunately the people at McGill has been rather slow in providing the necessary documents. I've only just last week received my invitation letter, and I am still waiting for them to submit my "offer of employment" through the Canadian "employer portal". When they do this, they will get an "offer of employment number" which they will pass onto me. I need this number in order to begin my application for an "employer-specific work permit", which is what McGill said I should get.
Now the issue is - I'm guessing I won't receive this number for another few days, and the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) website estimates around 3 weeks for a work permit application, plus up to another 10 days of buffer time.
My question is - if, come august 15th, I have an invitation letter in hand, and a work permit being processed (but not yet granted), will it be possible to move into my new apartment (ie, driving a uhaul across the border)? As a US citizen, I don't need a visa to visit Canada temporarily, but an earlier post on this website said that I would encounter some issues crossing the border with a uhaul and no work permit. I'm just wondering if an invitation letter would be sufficient to cross the border?
My greatest frustration with all this is how difficult it is to find a number to call on the IRCC or CBSA websites. The only number listed seems to only work if you're currently in Canada.
I've found an apartment, and am about to sign a lease (to begin in mid august)
Unfortunately the people at McGill has been rather slow in providing the necessary documents. I've only just last week received my invitation letter, and I am still waiting for them to submit my "offer of employment" through the Canadian "employer portal". When they do this, they will get an "offer of employment number" which they will pass onto me. I need this number in order to begin my application for an "employer-specific work permit", which is what McGill said I should get.
Now the issue is - I'm guessing I won't receive this number for another few days, and the IRCC (Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada) website estimates around 3 weeks for a work permit application, plus up to another 10 days of buffer time.
My question is - if, come august 15th, I have an invitation letter in hand, and a work permit being processed (but not yet granted), will it be possible to move into my new apartment (ie, driving a uhaul across the border)? As a US citizen, I don't need a visa to visit Canada temporarily, but an earlier post on this website said that I would encounter some issues crossing the border with a uhaul and no work permit. I'm just wondering if an invitation letter would be sufficient to cross the border?
My greatest frustration with all this is how difficult it is to find a number to call on the IRCC or CBSA websites. The only number listed seems to only work if you're currently in Canada.
