Hi,
I am flying to Canada in about 1 week to complete the so-called "short-landing" in Vancouver. Of course, it would be much more desirable to land permanently at the first time. However, like many others, it makes sense to accumulate more savings in our existing job before making the permanent move. Hence, this arrangement.
My dilemma is the PR Card. I have already done the research, and have concluded that it is relatively safe to have the PR Card mailed outside Canada by a courier service. However, my problem is that I do not have any relatives/family/friends in Canada who can receive this card for me (and subsequently courier it to my home country). I have 3 options in mind, and was wondering if people can let me know what they think:
1. Use a commercial mail forwarding service.
There are commercial services (I am not talking about Canada Post or UPS) that provide a street address for the client to use as a mailing address in Canada. After receiving the client's letters, the service provider can forward the letters to the client using courier services. I have been looking at two such service providers, but there are two problems:
a. One of them can only provide a Quebec address (the other uses a Vancouver address)
b. Both of their addresses are commercial street addresses (not residential ones). I was able to find this out using google map (Canada).
Questions
1) Is providing CIC a commercial addresses for the sending of PR Card going to cause any problems for first-time short-landers like me?
2) Regardless of the nature of the address (commercial or residential), is it a must that the address has to be in the city in which you land (ruling out the Quebec-based service)?
2. Declare honestly to the immigration officer that I will not be staying long enough for this trip to receive my PR Card
This means that I will apply for the PR Card later when I come to settle in Canada for good (which will be about 1-2 years from now). At that time, I will be using a PR Travel Document to enter Canada.
Question
Is not having a PR Card going to cause problems if, during my absence from Canada, I decide to look for jobs or apply for university/college admission in Canada, or in any other situation where proof of PR status is required? Will the signed COPR suffice for this purpose?
3. Ask acquaintances from a long-time ago to help, and pay them for the help
While I do not have any friends or family in Canada, I do have several acquaintances from before who, if not living in Canada, almost certainly have family in Canada. These include: a Canadian roommate from almost 9 years ago (have not been in contact at all), a Canadian classmate from more than 4 years ago (have not been in contact, nor were we close), a Canadian professor from more than 4 years ago (I was a doctoral student; she would most certainly remember me; but again, we have not been in contact).
I am not sure if is appropriate to now suddenly contact these people after so many years of silence, solely because I need their help. BUT, I will pay them (I propose to pay C$300 for the assistance, and another C$100 for courier fees). However, I am not sure if this is appropriate to approach them from a social / inter-personal relationship point of view (so this is not a question about technicality any more).
I would very much appreciate if people could let me know what they think about the above 3 options, and please feel free to give me other suggestions. I am sure there are many others in my situation too. Thank you!
I am flying to Canada in about 1 week to complete the so-called "short-landing" in Vancouver. Of course, it would be much more desirable to land permanently at the first time. However, like many others, it makes sense to accumulate more savings in our existing job before making the permanent move. Hence, this arrangement.
My dilemma is the PR Card. I have already done the research, and have concluded that it is relatively safe to have the PR Card mailed outside Canada by a courier service. However, my problem is that I do not have any relatives/family/friends in Canada who can receive this card for me (and subsequently courier it to my home country). I have 3 options in mind, and was wondering if people can let me know what they think:
1. Use a commercial mail forwarding service.
There are commercial services (I am not talking about Canada Post or UPS) that provide a street address for the client to use as a mailing address in Canada. After receiving the client's letters, the service provider can forward the letters to the client using courier services. I have been looking at two such service providers, but there are two problems:
a. One of them can only provide a Quebec address (the other uses a Vancouver address)
b. Both of their addresses are commercial street addresses (not residential ones). I was able to find this out using google map (Canada).
Questions
1) Is providing CIC a commercial addresses for the sending of PR Card going to cause any problems for first-time short-landers like me?
2) Regardless of the nature of the address (commercial or residential), is it a must that the address has to be in the city in which you land (ruling out the Quebec-based service)?
2. Declare honestly to the immigration officer that I will not be staying long enough for this trip to receive my PR Card
This means that I will apply for the PR Card later when I come to settle in Canada for good (which will be about 1-2 years from now). At that time, I will be using a PR Travel Document to enter Canada.
Question
Is not having a PR Card going to cause problems if, during my absence from Canada, I decide to look for jobs or apply for university/college admission in Canada, or in any other situation where proof of PR status is required? Will the signed COPR suffice for this purpose?
3. Ask acquaintances from a long-time ago to help, and pay them for the help
While I do not have any friends or family in Canada, I do have several acquaintances from before who, if not living in Canada, almost certainly have family in Canada. These include: a Canadian roommate from almost 9 years ago (have not been in contact at all), a Canadian classmate from more than 4 years ago (have not been in contact, nor were we close), a Canadian professor from more than 4 years ago (I was a doctoral student; she would most certainly remember me; but again, we have not been in contact).
I am not sure if is appropriate to now suddenly contact these people after so many years of silence, solely because I need their help. BUT, I will pay them (I propose to pay C$300 for the assistance, and another C$100 for courier fees). However, I am not sure if this is appropriate to approach them from a social / inter-personal relationship point of view (so this is not a question about technicality any more).
I would very much appreciate if people could let me know what they think about the above 3 options, and please feel free to give me other suggestions. I am sure there are many others in my situation too. Thank you!
