REPLACING COPR - ANY ISSUES?

[NkiruA]

Hello All,
I am a Permanent Resident who had been out of status, having not been to Canada since I landed in 2004. I followed the very useful advice on this forum to enter Canada via the US border at Buffalo. The Immigration Officer asked me a few questions but essentially waived me in and did not stamp anything in my passport. Now I understand that my best bet to regularize my status is to stay in Canada for at least 730 days and then apply to renew my PR card. My issue is that it is difficult to do much without showing a valid PR and the only other document that is often asked for instead of a PR card is the COPR, which I cannot find. I have gone online and it seems pretty straightforward to apply for a replacement COPR, although it does take 6 months. My question is whether it would be risky - drawing attention to myself - if I apply for a COPR? Will immigration start looking into my case and then get in touch with me? Please your advice is very welcome, thank you.

 

[Bs65]

Regardless of the PR card issue do you have a valid SIN ?

 

[NkiruA]

Regardless of the PR card issue do you have a valid SIN ?

Well I haven't checked with Service Ontario but I came across a website yesterday for the Canadian Payroll Association and it had a tool called SIN Number Verification (it is for Employers to check SIN numbers of their employees). I put in mine and it came back as Valid.

 

[rish888]

SO you have your SIN card which is great. Your SIN number doesn’t expire. (Unless you’re a foreign worker which is a different story.) It is likely after all these years there is a dormant flag on it. A quick trip to service Canada with some ID and a little paper work should fix it.

As far as the CoPR goes obtaining it shouldn’t be a problem. Since it is about historical immigration information they don’t ask for RO compliance. While technical processing time is 6 months, it can also come a lot quicker. (Even as early as 3 weeks.)

When you apply use the info from the passport you had when you applied for PR. This allows them to pull out the info faster.

A quick request if you wouldn’t mind.

Can you detail your crossing experience? Also have your kids crossed yet? If so how did it go for them. Finally, for university what documents did they accept for domestic fees? Thanks

 

[NkiruA]

SO you have your SIN card which is great. Your SIN number doesn’t expire. (Unless you’re a foreign worker which is a different story.) It is likely after all these years there is a dormant flag on it. A quick trip to service Canada with some ID and a little paper work should fix it.

As far as the CoPR goes obtaining it shouldn’t be a problem. Since it is about historical immigration information they don’t ask for RO compliance. While technical processing time is 6 months, it can also come a lot quicker. (Even as early as 3 weeks.)

When you apply use the info from the passport you had when you applied for PR. This allows them to pull out the info faster.

A quick request if you wouldn’t mind.

Can you detail your crossing experience? Also have your kids crossed yet? If so how did it go for them. Finally, for university what documents did they accept for domestic fees? Thanks

I hope there is no dormant flag on it as from what I can see online I need to show either a valid PR or a COPR to get a SIN reactivated. But yes I can apply for COPR , gosh I hope it does come quicker than the 6 months.

Re crossing experience, my kids experience was incredibly straightforward. They were in the UK and they simply filled out and submitted the form for a Permanent Resident Travel Document. The form asked for evidence of residency in Canada which they were not able to show because they had not been to Canada since 2004! But in the section asking about Humanitarian & Compassionate grounds, they basically wrote that they were removed as minors and it was not their choice to leave Canada and they were now wanting to return at the earliest opportunity. My daughter turned 18 in May so she made the claim that it was only now that she was of age to leave. She applied and got hers first. The London visa office returned her passport in 4 days. Once she was given her PRTD, my son put his in on the basis that he wanted to join his sister and that he too had no say in when he left Canada. He was given a multiple entry PRTD, also in 4 days.

I flew to New York with my daughter, we took the bus to Buffalo then a Canadian friend came to pick us in his car. When we got to the border, my Nigerian passport stood out like a sore thumb next to my friend's Canadian passport and my daughter's US passport with Canadian PRTD. They asked me where my visa was, I said I didn't have one and that I was a PR. They asked for my PR, I said my card had expired and showed it to them. They asked us to go to a building to meet with the Border immigration officers. We waited about 45 minutes then they called me forward, asked me questions, determined that I was completely out of status since I had not been to Canada since 2004, asked me why I was coming. I explained that I was bringing my daughter to start university. They looked at the PRTD stamp in my daughter's passport and told her "Welcome back to Canada." As for me, they said there was no way I would be able to reinstate my residency as I had been gone for so many years and they said when I returned to the UK, I should apply to renounce my permanent residency, then apply for regular visitor's visas. They then handed me back my passport and told me to be on my way. They did not stamp or write anything in my passport, nor did they prescribe how long I could stay in Canada. I think they just believed I was genuinely not interested in living in Canada and that once I settled my daughter down I would leave the country. But they didn't seem concerned whether I stayed here for one month or one year.

 

[rish888]

This is very interesting. While you breached your RO there is no need for you to reinstate your residency. You remain a PR until it is taken away. If the officer wanted to take away your PR he could have given you the option between a departure order or renouncing at the border and entering as a visitor. Sounds like he wanted to give you a chance. Key thing now is to stay put for 2 years then apply for a PR card. You can now get citizenship in 3 years, so that’s something to look at.