MARCH 2014 OUTLAND APPLICANTS

[spaceexp]

COPR issued 2014/12/22 finally arrived to me in Canada today. I'm going to head to the border today to land as a resident as there is a 1 month wait for doing it downtown Vancouver. Also I found out there is a 176 day wait for PR cards to be issued

I think you are mistaken. 176 days is for people renewing their cards etc, and 48 days for new permanent residents:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

"If you are immigrating to Canada, you do not need to apply for a permanent resident card (PR card). We will mail your card to you after you get to Canada. "

Good luck with your landing, I am still waiting for them to send me new CoPR (I received someone else CoPR by mistake)...

 

[Grum]

Yep, wrong information, i was on the phone and heard them mention 176 days for PR processing, assumed it was for new PR as that was where i was in the phone system.
Landing at Peace Arch was very easy and everyone very friendly. No wait either side to entire process took 30 - 35 minutes.

 

[O_guy]

I think you are mistaken. 176 days is for people renewing their cards etc, and 48 days for new permanent residents:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

"If you are immigrating to Canada, you do not need to apply for a permanent resident card (PR card). We will mail your card to you after you get to Canada. "

Good luck with your landing, I am still waiting for them to send me new CoPR (I received someone else CoPR by mistake)...

It is surprising that you got someone else' COPR. Can you share with is the name on that COPR?

 

[spaceexp]

Yep, wrong information, i was on the phone and heard them mention 176 days for PR processing, assumed it was for new PR as that was where i was in the phone system.
Landing at Peace Arch was very easy and everyone very friendly. No wait either side to entire process took 30 - 35 minutes.

Good, you scared me there for a second, since I was planning to visit my home country after I get PR card

Since I will hopefully be landing at the Peace Arch, can you just tell me a few things, like did you flagpole (I need a US visa, so I am intending to get an administrative refusal to enter US) and was your spouse with you?

 

[spaceexp]

It is surprising that you got someone else' COPR. Can you share with is the name on that COPR?

Actually, it was quite a mix-up, since first page is mine, and the second page is for another person. She is US citizen, but older, so I don't think she is using this forum. I assume the mistake happened because both CoPR were approved in Ottawa on the same day, so I think the officer printed them at the same time and they got mixed up at the printer or something like that. Or it could be those students that people mention are working at CIC :

Instead of admitting mistake that THEY made (which I didn't really expect), call agents first told me to return just the CoPRs without my passport, but they didn't sound sure, so we again contacted our MP. Funny thing, their liaison first told them I should return the original CoPR of the other applicant and a copy of mine and copy of visa in my passport. Luckily I didn't send it the same day, since the day after MP called me to say they changed their mind and wanted both originals, a copy of passport and another two photos. MP was so surprised and said it never happened to her that they do that (say one thing and then another). I told her we are kind of used to that when we call the agents.

Good things about contacting MP were:

• I learned that every time you call agents at the call center, they make a note in your file of what you asked.
• MP got more information about my file in just a day (information I would never get.
• If landing time comes close, and I don't receive my CoPR, MP will contact them again on their own and try to make them do it faster.
• I got the direct address (stating floor etc) and officers number to have it addressed directly to them - this was the most important, since I have it signed by someone else, hopefully the officer on the case, not our friend Bud Jamal

They received my mail (I have a signature), and now I am waiting for the regular CoPR, since I have to land by February 3rd. Although it's urgent, 3 days after receiving it they still didn't send me a new one. Not that I am surprised.

Sorry for an extensive post, but maybe it can help someone if this happens again. Plus I am venting a little bit


In any case, I don't want to name the other applicant because I am not sure of any privacy laws that are applicable, maybe only initials: N.A.W.

 

[Grum]

Good, you scared me there for a second, since I was planning to visit my home country after I get PR card

Since I will hopefully be landing at the Peace Arch, can you just tell me a few things, like did you flagpole (I need a US visa, so I am intending to get an administrative refusal to enter US) and was your spouse with you?

I did flagpole and no my spouse was not with me.

 

[spaceexp]

I did flagpole and no my spouse was not with me.

I will have my husband with me, that's why I asked. Thanks anyways, and good luck with the Canadian documents...

 

[angryrectangle]

We're in Alberta, and they told my husband (who also has an international license) he'd have to do the knowledge test, then submit his license, wait 2 weeks THEN do the road test. In BC apparently he can just go straight to the road test for the full license.

Just a lesson learned for folks to keep in mind...

We did my wife's SIN, Medicare, etc., last week; it was uneventful except for the SIN name. They have to use what is on the visa sticker in the passport for the SIN records. This was annoying as the sticker didn't match her passport name, nor what we had used in the application paperwork. They left out her middle name. This is something that you might want to keep in mind for processing and correct if it isn't the way that you want it.

Also, a paperwork shortcut - in order to get on Medicare you need to prove proof of residency, which is hard to do for those of us who have just come from overseas. A workaround was to add my wife to our vehicle registration, which costs about $100 (I don't know the cost in other provinces), then the registration can be used as proof of residency for Medicare. I don't know the rules in other provinces, but it might be something to look into.

Also, (and again this may vary by province), while my wife's home country drivers license couldn't be swapped for a NB license, her international license could be. All told, it took about an hour all told at Service Canada and Service NB to get a SIN, on the waiting list for Medicare (there is a 90 day wait, so make sure you have private health insurance for this time) and a drivers license. We then did a trip to the TD for a newcomer's package which took about an hour. Anyway, getting her settled in and as a resident only took a morning.

Check the requirements for residency for your province, I would imagine that it is similar - copies of utility bills, rental agreements, etc. This can take a while to get, but putting your spouse's name of a mortgage, vehicle registration, or rental agreement seems to be a quick way of getting residency proof. It may cost a bit, but it is quick.

 

[spaceexp]

We're in Alberta, and they told my husband (who also has an international license) he'd have to do the knowledge test, then submit his license, wait 2 weeks THEN do the road test. In BC apparently he can just go straight to the road test for the full license.

I'd like to hear from someone in BC if they managed something differently, because as I've seen online, to get a full BC license I will need to take both knowledge and road tests, because my country does not have anything to issue that can prove my driving experience. In rare cases they may accept the international license from another country and just give a BC one without tests (which I am hoping since I have my license for more than 7 years).

It seems to me that rules in Alberta and BC are similar...

 

[BunnyB]

An update here. Landed Dec 01 2014, children got their PR card today but I haven't received it yet. So 6 weeks is about the timing for PR card.

 

[O_guy]

An update here. Landed Dec 01 2014, children got their PR card today but I haven't received it yet. So 6 weeks is about the timing for PR card.

Congrats. Welcome to Canada.

 

[O_guy]

I'd like to hear from someone in BC if they managed something differently, because as I've seen online, to get a full BC license I will need to take both knowledge and road tests, because my country does not have anything to issue that can prove my driving experience. In rare cases they may accept the international license from another country and just give a BC one without tests (which I am hoping since I have my license for more than 7 years).

It seems to me that rules in Alberta and BC are similar...

I believe every providence and territory in Canada accepts international license.

 

[spaceexp]

I believe every providence and territory in Canada accepts international license.

Without a test?

 

[O_guy]

Without a test?

International license is only good for up to a year (http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/Pages/International-driving-permits.aspx). My advice to you is to call ICBC driver licensing office (1-800-663-3051) and ask them if you require knowledge and road test.

 

[spaceexp]

International license is only good for up to a year (http://www.icbc.com/driver-licensing/getting-licensed/Pages/International-driving-permits.aspx). My advice to you is to call ICBC driver licensing office (1-800-663-3051) and ask them if you require knowledge and road test.

International licence is valid in BC only 90 days after landing, regardless of validity of the document itself (which is 2 years for the one I have). I am hoping I will get my CoPR and land soon, then I'll just walk into a ICBC office I have close by and ask. I was just trying to get some information here if someone else managed to get their licence in BC without testing. Not that important at the moment, I just like to thing ahead Thanks anyways!