cat_herder said:
Hi all,
I got my COPR last month, and I have to travel to Canada before the end of March to get it signed etc at immigration, to get my PR card issued. I just have a couple of questions...
I've just booked my flight over to Vancouver for March. I only booked for myself, though. My wife (sponsor) won't be coming out with me, as we're desperately trying to save money for our move and this trip to get the COPR sheet signed is already an unexpected/unwanted expense. I couldn't see anything on the paperwork to suggest this is going to be an issue, but I just wanted to see if anyone else has had problems with this. I'd hate to turn up at the airport after a 10hr flight and be told that they won't sign my form because my sponsor isn't with me or whatever. Ultimately, I'm only going to be staying in the country for a couple of days, before returning back to the uk to prepare for the actual move in the summer.
Secondly, what's the procedure for getting it signed? Do I just roll up at YVR, get to immigration, and ask to see someone about getting my PR card? Do I need to make an appointment? How long does the process take from arrival to getting out of the airport?
Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hey!
Congrats on getting the COPR and everything done!
You can travel without your sponsor, no problem. The main thing you need is your passport, and your COPR, and that's about it. If you're married, it's best to travel with a copy of your marriage certificate, although I haven't seen anybody been asked for it yet!
The process is really simple. Once you get to an immigration officer, tell him you need to land as a PR. He will either complete the procedures there at the same immigration booth (you standing etc), or most likely take you aside / send you to a different office with an officer. The process itself is super simple : checking that information on the COPR is correct (DOB, place of birth etc, mine only had the country, no town, so he added that), then checking your address in Canada - that's where you will have to receive the PR card, so make sure you have an address with you, can be at family, friends etc, it doesn't matter, and making you sign ( don't sign anything in advance). Then that's it! the process itself only takes 10 min more or less, but of course, it depends on how many people are in front of you!.
Then - with the signed COPR and your passport, if you want, you can go to Service Canada and get a SIN ( social insurance number), it's done the same day. There again, you'll need an address, and that's it! they will give you a paper with your actual SIN. The card comes about 10 days later.
The PR card comes about 2 months later, so you won't have it when you go back to the UK, but it doesn't matter. You have 2 choices: either you get the person receiving it to send it to you in the UK ( just make sure it's not too obvious that it's a PR card as Canada Post and most courriers have been instructed not to send PR cards overseas), OR, as you are from a visa-exempt country, when returning, you can just travel on your UK passport when you board the plane ( don't tell them you are a PR of Canada etc because you won't have proofs and it will create more headache than anything), and when you arrive in Canada, tell them you are a PR already ( and have your passport + COPR with you), returning - by then, you will be in the system so they'll be able to see it.
Also - you can land anywhere, it doesn't need to be your final destination... so if you have a stopover in Canada somewhere else, you'll do the landing procedures there.
Good luck,
Sweden
