Hi,
My Express Entry application was approved in March 2020 and the COPR is valid until Feb 25th, 2021. I am planning to relocate to Toronto from USA next month. However, I've come across some confusing verbiage on Canada Immigration portal about the travel eligibility(https://www.canada.ca/). I am a novice to the immigration process and any inputs in this regards on this forum are much appreciated!
Since I do have a currently valid COPR which is set to expire on Feb 25th , 2021, am I eligible to book flights and land in Canada to have my COPR stamped and proceed to apply for PR Resident Card? Or is my travel to Canada with unstamped COPR considered non-essential and therefore requires me to wait for Canadian immigration team to send me further instructions on the next steps before traveling?
The following verbiage from the immigration portal says -
"If you got your COPR, but haven’t landed
If we sent you a COPR, but you haven’t been able to go to one of our offices in Canada to validate it, we’ll contact you to tell you what to do. Use the web form if you need to update your contact information.
You should not travel to a port of entry to validate your COPR. This is not considered essential travel and you won’t be able to validate it this way."
On the contrary, the verbiage below states that if COPR was issued before March 18th, I should be eligible to travel. Does holding a COPR translate to having an approved permanent resident application? Or is permanent resident application different from holding a COPR? If having an approved permanent resident application different from having a valid COPR, then I guess I should wait for the immigration team to tell me when I can be travel ready.
If we already approved your permanent resident application
If you’re outside Canada
You won’t be allowed to enter Canada right now if you’re coming to validate your COPR and become a permanent resident, unless you are exempt from the travel restrictions.
You are exempt from the current travel restrictions and can come to Canada if you have a valid COPR, and
Thanks,
Abhinay
My Express Entry application was approved in March 2020 and the COPR is valid until Feb 25th, 2021. I am planning to relocate to Toronto from USA next month. However, I've come across some confusing verbiage on Canada Immigration portal about the travel eligibility(https://www.canada.ca/). I am a novice to the immigration process and any inputs in this regards on this forum are much appreciated!
Since I do have a currently valid COPR which is set to expire on Feb 25th , 2021, am I eligible to book flights and land in Canada to have my COPR stamped and proceed to apply for PR Resident Card? Or is my travel to Canada with unstamped COPR considered non-essential and therefore requires me to wait for Canadian immigration team to send me further instructions on the next steps before traveling?
The following verbiage from the immigration portal says -
"If you got your COPR, but haven’t landed
If we sent you a COPR, but you haven’t been able to go to one of our offices in Canada to validate it, we’ll contact you to tell you what to do. Use the web form if you need to update your contact information.
You should not travel to a port of entry to validate your COPR. This is not considered essential travel and you won’t be able to validate it this way."
On the contrary, the verbiage below states that if COPR was issued before March 18th, I should be eligible to travel. Does holding a COPR translate to having an approved permanent resident application? Or is permanent resident application different from holding a COPR? If having an approved permanent resident application different from having a valid COPR, then I guess I should wait for the immigration team to tell me when I can be travel ready.
If we already approved your permanent resident application
If you’re outside Canada
You won’t be allowed to enter Canada right now if you’re coming to validate your COPR and become a permanent resident, unless you are exempt from the travel restrictions.
You are exempt from the current travel restrictions and can come to Canada if you have a valid COPR, and
- the COPR was issued on or before March 18, 2020, or
- the COPR was issued after March 18, 2020, and you are an immediate family member sponsored by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident (note that grandparents are not considered immediate family members and cannot come to Canada at this time), or
- you’re currently living in the U.S. and will be coming to Canada directly (transiting through the U.S. to Canada doesn’t apply)
Thanks,
Abhinay