How do you extend your required time of entry?

[Berti]

Hi all,

I am currently sponsoring my wife to Canada, she has finally received her notification to send her passport in so that a Canadian visa may be issued to her for immigrating to Canada, which states she would need to enter Canada before this November (because we sent in our Medicals with our application to avoid the hassle). However, due to some unexpected circumstances with work and university, she would need to stay in our home country until January, but because her medicals expire this November and the letter she received states she must enter Canada before that date (which is the date of when the Medical Exams were done).

How can I extend this period? are we risking a lot, possibly losing our entire application in the process? Yes, it is important that she stay there until January. Whom do I contact for this or get information about the possibilities. Since she was approved, i don't see why an extension for when she should enter Canada wouldn't be allowed.

Please leave you suggestions, comments and advice below.

Thanks in advance.

 

[suenim]

You cannot extend the PR visa. If it says she needs to land by November and if she does not, it will become invalid and she will have to apply for PR again. She can always come and land in November then leave right after to go finish wrapping up other businesses.

 

[britincanada]

Thats weird CIC usually gives PR applicants 6 whole months to land! I got my PPR Request 26 Aug 10 and have been given until 22 March 2011 to land!!

 

[Leon]

It depends on how long the application takes how long you get to land. Usually it is a year after medicals. If the processing drags on until the medicals have expired, the visa office will request new medicals but in some cases, the PR visa is issued with a very short time to land. I heard of one case where they had only 4 days.

 

[britincanada]

Wow 4 days thats ridiculous

 

[Siouxie]

She could contact the embassy processing her application and ask if it is possible to re-do her medical, thus extending her "landing date". This would delay the issuing of the COPR Visa, but it would buy her time.

They may not agree to it (given that you still have 2-3 months before her medical expires) but it would be worth asking.

Send a case specific enquiry, making sure that you give all the details.

 

[rjessome]

She could fly to Canada and "land", then return back to her home country to complete here work/university obligations. She doesn't have to move and settle in Canada when she lands. She just needs to complete the landing procedures before the expiry of the visa. If this is possible it would be my first choice.

Second choice would be to redo the medical and send the form she receives from the doctor WITH the passport when you submit it for visa stamping. Attach a letter stating the reasons for the new medical. This will delay the return of her passport as the visa post will have to wait for the results of the new medical but it should do the trick, assuming she's still in good health. You DO NOT need permission from the visa post to redo the medical.

 

[iarblue]

At the interview my wife was told she has to land before nov 9th when the medical expires.And they ask you if you can,if you cant you will have to redo the medicals to get a longer stay on the landing,but seeing as its four days i dont think you have enough time so you better land.

 

[lynw]

I'd get her to "land" if at all possible, and get it all finalised, even if it is just for a very short visit to Canada.

 

[ftgpmb]

So are there any conditions to completing landing other than having an address for the PR card to be sent to in Canada? What if I need to finish up some things in my home country before completing the move but am running out of time to enter while the medical is still valid. I might like to use the land and then leave again option. Anyone see any drawbacks?

Are there any conditions on how many months must be resident in Canada to retain PR status?

 

[Leon]

So are there any conditions to completing landing other than having an address for the PR card to be sent to in Canada? What if I need to finish up some things in my home country before completing the move but am running out of time to enter while the medical is still valid. I might like to use the land and then leave again option. Anyone see any drawbacks?

Are there any conditions on how many months must be resident in Canada to retain PR status?

You don't even have to have an address in Canada to land. If you don't have one, they will not issue your PR card until you are back in Canada to stay. Then you can ask for it. If you want to set up an address at your landing to get your PR card, you can do it for example through UPS.

You can leave again the day after you land to take care of business in your home country. There are no drawbacks except that you will not have your PR card when you want to go back to Canada. If you use a friends address or set one up through UPS, you can have your PR card mailed to you where you are and use it to enter Canada next time. If not, you would have to apply for a PR travel document through the Canadian embassy where you are unless you are visa exempt, then you can enter on your landing documents.

You must stay in Canada for a total of 730 days in your first 5 years as a PR (that's 2 years) and in any rolling 5 year period after that.

 

[Berti]

Yeah, we tried to send in an explanation letter about our situation, which was unsuccessful. But what we can do is, come into Canada sign the PR papers and leave right the next day, if we wanted to.. mind you, flights don't come cheap when boarding overseas.

@ftgpmb there's no drawbacks other then what I mentioned above, cost of travel. As for the how many month you would need to reside in Canada in order to retain your PR status, if I'm not mistaken you're entitled to 6months absence within a year until you are qualified to apply for citizenship.

 

[Leon]

6 months absence within a year were the old rules, prior to 2003 or so. The new rules are no more than 3 years absence total in a 5 year period. Those are the PR residency requirements.

The residency requirements to apply for citizenship are a bit different. There it is 3 years in Canada in the previous 4 years before you apply. If you never leave Canada after you land as a PR, the earliest you can apply is after 3 years.

 

[waitingintz]

One other factor to consider is just that you won't be able to apply for medical in Canada until they've properly landed (or at least I know that's true for most provinces though the exact requirements differ). It's an issue for some, not for others...

There are also residency requirements for the medical going forward (ie. in BC you can only be out of province for 2 years before your Medical Service Plan is revoked).

 

[Leon]

In some provinces including BC, ON and Quebec, you have to live there for 3 months before you get health care. In ON, you must live there for 5 months out of the first 6 months you have health care. In most other provinces, you have to live there for 6 months out of 12 to keep your health care but you may be allowed up to 2 years absence under certain circumstances.