Question! - Passport Request?

[meltete85]

hey guys,
not sure if i'm doing the right thing by posting here, as i'm pretty new. i have a few questions!

i have been approved as a sponsor! woot woot! so this has got me thinking. my spouse and i are going to manila in december (he is flying from the toronto airport with me) and afterwards he will have an extended visit instead of going back to the US. we have applied outland.
1) will there be any issues, for example, with the passport request? what is the purpose of the passport request?
2) will he have issues at the border when he comes to visit me?
3) if let's say he receives the passport request while he is here in Canada during his visit BEFORE we leave for manila, does he have to give it right away?
4) how will he be notified that they are requesting for his passport?
5) if he receives the passport request while he is here in Canada during his visit AFTER manila, will he have to leave Canada and go back to the US then send the passport from the US? How long will it take until he gets his passport back?
6) Or would he be able to just drive over to the border, present his passport then get his visa?
7) OR have i gotten this all wrong?

thanks so much everyone!

 

[Sweden]

hey guys,
not sure if i'm doing the right thing by posting here, as i'm pretty new. i have a few questions!

i have been approved as a sponsor! woot woot! so this has got me thinking. my spouse and i are going to manila in december (he is flying from the toronto airport with me) and afterwards he will have an extended visit instead of going back to the US. we have applied outland.
1) will there be any issues, for example, with the passport request? what is the purpose of the passport request?
2) will he have issues at the border when he comes to visit me?
3) if let's say he receives the passport request while he is here in Canada during his visit BEFORE we leave for manila, does he have to give it right away?
4) how will he be notified that they are requesting for his passport?
5) if he receives the passport request while he is here in Canada during his visit AFTER manila, will he have to leave Canada and go back to the US then send the passport from the US? How long will it take until he gets his passport back?
6) Or would he be able to just drive over to the border, present his passport then get his visa?
7) OR have i gotten this all wrong?

thanks so much everyone!

Hey,

It's not completely clear where your partner is from but I would assume US because of the details you gave. Sorry if it's not the case!

So - first of all welcome to the forum and congrats on your sponsorship approval!

to answer your questions:
1-if he is from the US, then visa exempt, normally they don't request passports anymore (they don't do it anymore for european passports), normally they only request the scan of the passport, and the purpose is that they will use that to issue the COPR ( Confirmation of Permanent Residence - a paper with passport number etc that confirms that your PR has been approved).
2- that's always a guess. Nobody can tell you anything for sure. It really depends how many times he has been over to Canada, if he has been warmed before etc. THe best you can do is prepare - tell the officer that you have applied for PR, have the sponsorship approval with you, explain that he is coming on an extended visit, and hope that the border officer will be happy with that. Most are, but it can always happen that for a reason entry is refused. If your partner has some links to the US, then bring them to show that he will not overstay.
3-if you are visa exempt you should not be request to give your passport, so it should solve itself!
4-normally email request.
5-if passport is requested, he can send it over to the US, he doesn't have to go himself. no idea how long it will take - but from what I could see for US citizen, there is approximately 3 to 4 weeks between the "passport request" ( which is actually a request of a scan of the passport) and the moment where the COPR is sent.
6-yes - it's called flagpoling and it's very common for people already in Canada. He has to exit Canada, and re-enter right away. He can just tell at the border that he is here to land as a PR, and he will be driven to the immigration office where he will complete immigration procedures (around 10 to 15 min most of the time, but even less sometimes).
7- I think most of it right

I would recommend following the US thread, outland applicants, you will have a lot of people in a similar situation, so it will also give you a better idea of when to expect passport request, etc.
here is the link : http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/thread-for-outland-buffalo-applicants-t41886.12870.html

Good luck!
Sweden

 

[meltete85]

wow thank you so much for your reply!

does this mean that since he is from the US (and yes, he is from the us, sorry for not being clear!) they won't need him to send in his passport? all he needs to do is to exit canada back to the US and then he can get his COPR at the border (Buffalo, in this case)?


and just in case - once the passport request is sent, how many weeks/months before the applicant must send it in?

 

[Sweden]

wow thank you so much for your reply!

does this mean that since he is from the US (and yes, he is from the us, sorry for not being clear!) they won't need him to send in his passport? all he needs to do is to exit canada back to the US and then he can get his COPR at the border (Buffalo, in this case)?


and just in case - once the passport request is sent, how many weeks/months before the applicant must send it in?

Yes - most likely they won't need his passport. They will only need the scan of it ( you might have sent it with your application already, but they want to make sure that it's the same passport so they don't have to issue the COPR twice). What he needs to do is wait to get the passport request email ( still called passport request but only the scan), then wait until the COPR arrives. If he is going to stay in Canada with you for a while, and you get the request while he is in Canada, I recommend updating his address on ecas so that the COPR is sent to his address in Canada - then he can just exit, re-enter and land right away... the address in the US is OK too, but you need to make sure somebody is there to send it over to him afterwards.

For how long you have to send your passport - it really depends. Some VO ask for the passport right away ( new Delhi, Manilla) and they hold the passport the whole time of stage 2. Some ask for it at the end of the process (London for example, where my application went through, but didn't get asked for passport - they only ask non visa exempt nationals, but resident in the UK), so it's really difficult to say.

If for any reason, he is asked for his physical passport and he is unable to send it (because he is in the Philippines for example), I think that as long as you answer to the VO and explain why you can not submit it right away, it should be fine. Most VO have a deadline of 30 to 60 days to submit passport, so in any case, you have time.

Also - since he is from the US, your VO is actually Ottawa and not Buffalo as it has been closed a few months ago... your file might still be handled somewhere in the US after Ottawa has done the initial review though - CIC is confusing!

best of luck for your process, I hope you hear soon enough - but be aware that the update for Ottawa that just came up today (quarterly update) says average processing is 12 months... of course you might be done sooner than that ( hope for you) but you should be fine going to Manilla in December - I don't think you will hear from CIC before a few months, judging from the experiences of other US/Canada couples.

Enjoy your trip!
Cheers,
Sweden

 

[Isometry]

wow thank you so much for your reply!

does this mean that since he is from the US (and yes, he is from the us, sorry for not being clear!) they won't need him to send in his passport? all he needs to do is to exit canada back to the US and then he can get his COPR at the border (Buffalo, in this case)?


and just in case - once the passport request is sent, how many weeks/months before the applicant must send it in?

Just want to clarify a point:

Your husband will not be able to drive to the border, present his passport, and get his PR visa. He will need to present his COPR as well. When he gets his passport request, he will most likely be able to send in scans or photocopies of his passport, rather than the actual physical passport. When the VO gets these, he will be mailed the COPR along with any documents the VO is returning (they'll sometimes return photos, birth certificates, etc)
When he has the COPR, he can then go to the border and flagpole to land by presenting his passport with the COPR.

 

[truesmile]

Hey meltete85, I know it's a long shot but what day in December do you fly out of Toronto? Is it on a Saturday by any chance? I am headed there myself.

 

[blueangel371115]

Just want to clarify a point:

Your husband will not be able to drive to the border, present his passport, and get his PR visa. He will need to present his COPR as well. When he gets his passport request, he will most likely be able to send in scans or photocopies of his passport, rather than the actual physical passport.

Is there a specific place we have to go to get the photocopies or can we go anywhere?

When the VO gets these, he will be mailed the COPR along with any documents the VO is returning (they'll sometimes return photos, birth certificates, etc)
When he has the COPR, he can then go to the border and flagpole to land by presenting his passport with the COPR.
[/quote]

Can we literally leave and drive two blocks away, wait five minutes and drive back? Can my husband and or parents drive me either 'leg'? Without causing trouble.

 

[Isometry]

Is there a specific place we have to go to get the photocopies or can we go anywhere?

I got mine done at an Office Depot. It was the closest place to my apartment that did both copies and passport photos. The photocopies are just normal photocopies and don't need to be notarized or anything, so you can do them anywhere.

Can we literally leave and drive two blocks away, wait five minutes and drive back? Can my husband and or parents drive me either 'leg'? Without causing trouble.

I think the landing procedures for an inland application are a bit different, but assuming you applied outland, then yes. Double check that the border crossing you're going to does landing procedures and the hours they do them in, especially if it's a smaller crossing, but yes, you can flagpole. Your husband or parents can drive you either or both legs without causing trouble. You'll need to explain to the border officer what you plan to do, and you'll get instructions from there.

Good luck!

 

[blueangel371115]

Thank you!!!

 

[meltete85]

Hey meltete85, I know it's a long shot but what day in December do you fly out of Toronto? Is it on a Saturday by any chance? I am headed there myself.

hey truesmile! we are actually flying out on december 26, 1:00 am! how about you?

 

[truesmile]

Oh, sounds like you are on Cathay Pacific, that's a great departure time. Am departing much earlier in the month on December 8th.