US outland applicants' thread :)

[Isometry]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

I thought the $490 PR fee wasn't due until after you were approved? Our application didn't require it, the site mentioned something about how we'll be contacted at a later date to pay the PR fee.

You can pay the $490 up front if you want, though it's not required at the start. It may make an application quicker to do so, as you don't have to wait for a second payment to be processed.

 

[computergeek]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

I thought the $490 PR fee wasn't due until after you were approved? Our application didn't require it, the site mentioned something about how we'll be contacted at a later date to pay the PR fee.

It's not required, but waiting until they request it adds a couple of months to the process so some people pay it up front to avoid the delay. I know that's what we did.

 

[epilobium]

We could really use some advice. My American husband just got an engineering job in Vancouver and needs a car to use that is nice enough to use to see the company's clients, etc. His current car is a US leased car that would cost him $5000 to buy out - and he is not supposed to be driving it in Canada. He would like to buy the car from the title holder (which would save him a lot of money), but it's not at all obvious how to do that. Our idea was for me to get a line of credit secured against my home, based on his income - that way he could buy out the car ($25,000) and import it for his use. Unfortunately, the bank refused because they would not consider his new job income because he is just starting and doesn't have PR yet (the same bank that is holding on to a LOT of his cash just for the privilege of him having a bank account and low-limit credit card) . Are there any Canadian lenders that would facilitate buying the car from the US title holder and selling it to my husband (financed)? His US credit is IMPECCABLE.

 

[OhCanadiana]

We could really use some advice. My American husband just got an engineering job in Vancouver and needs a car to use that is nice enough to use to see the company's clients, etc. His current car is a US leased car that would cost him $5000 to buy out - and he is not supposed to be driving it in Canada. He would like to buy the car from the title holder (which would save him a lot of money), but it's not at all obvious how to do that. Our idea was for me to get a line of credit secured against my home, based on his income - that way he could buy out the car ($25,000) and import it for his use. Unfortunately, the bank refused because they would not consider his new job income because he is just starting and doesn't have PR yet (the same bank that is holding on to a LOT of his cash just for the privilege of him having a bank account and low-limit credit card) . Are there any Canadian lenders that would facilitate buying the car from the US title holder and selling it to my husband (financed)? His US credit is IMPECCABLE.

Congrats on the new job!

Some people have reported successfully negotiating with a US lienholder to grant permission to take the car to Canada - it may be worth making a few (lots) of calls to see if you can find a US-based institution that will give him a loan based on his US-credit and will allow him to export the car.

On the Canadian front, I have found different banks and different bank branches to have different 'willingness' levels to help foreigners. Perhaps once he has the work permit in his passport (assuming he's doing this through a NAFTA visa, for example) he can engage Canadian banks further.

 

[epilobium]

Thanks very much OhCanadiana! My husband is very frustrated with this whole situation where we have income, collateral, good credit ratings, etc...yet this is turning out to be so complicated to resolve.

 

[computergeek]

Thanks very much OhCanadiana! My husband is very frustrated with this whole situation where we have income, collateral, good credit ratings, etc...yet this is turning out to be so complicated to resolve.

Congrats on the job!

My spouse and I bought a car here in Vancouver last year and I was on a WP (spouse is a Canadian citizen). It did take work to arrange financing and the rate was higher (6.9%). So it is definitely possible to do, but you may need to shop around. Ultimately, it was RBC that wrote the loan - and they are one of the two banks that seems to do cross-border well (HSBC being the other).

In my experience, the only time they look across the border at your credit is when you are applying for a mortgage.

 

[epilobium]

My spouse and I bought a car here in Vancouver last year and I was on a WP (spouse is a Canadian citizen). It did take work to arrange financing and the rate was higher (6.9%). So it is definitely possible to do, but you may need to shop around. Ultimately, it was RBC that wrote the loan - and they are one of the two banks that seems to do cross-border well (HSBC being the other).

In my experience, the only time they look across the border at your credit is when you are applying for a mortgage.

OUCH - that's a brutal rate to pay when car loans have such low interest rates these days. Thanks for the tips though - we will investigate.

 

[santoki]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

It's not required, but waiting until they request it adds a couple of months to the process so some people pay it up front to avoid the delay. I know that's what we did.

Does it really add a couple of months? If I had known that (or was told by my consultant) I would have most certainly paid up front. As it stands, my file changed to "in process" the same day I received the letter to pay for the RPRF. I paid it within two business days. Can I really expect to have a couple of months tacked onto my process for this?

Also, is it normal for you to call CIC, go through all the security prompts, have your call transferred to an agent, and then receive a message like this "Sorry, all of our agents are busy. Please call back another time." and then have the call cut out????

 

[epilobium]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

Does it really add a couple of months? If I had known that (or was told by my consultant) I would have most certainly paid up front. As it stands, my file changed to "in process" the same day I received the letter to pay for the RPRF. I paid it within two business days. Can I really expect to have a couple of months tacked onto my process for this?

from here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3900ETOC.asp#pay-fee

Note. We strongly recommend paying the Right of Permanent Residence Fee along with your processing fees. By doing so, it will reduce the processing time of your application.

 

[santoki]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

from here:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/3900ETOC.asp#pay-fee

Damn it, I really despise my consultant...

 

[OhCanadiana]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

santoki - don't worry. You can pay it online now if you wish and then e-mail a scanned copy to CPC-M through the link toward the bottom of http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-after.asp

The reason it can delay processing is that the VO don't process the online payment so it takes a while for CPC-M to register it in the system. Some VOs allow folks to pay in local currency in which case it doesn't really introduce a delay but in other cases you just need to wait for CPC-M to process it and reflect the payment in the system. Thus, if you send the payment to CPC-M before it's requested you should be fine and avoid delays.

 

[santoki]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

santoki - don't worry. You can pay it online now if you wish and then e-mail a scanned copy to CPC-M through the link toward the bottom of http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/immigrate/sponsor/spouse-apply-after.asp

The reason it can delay processing is that the VO don't process the online payment so it takes a while for CPC-M to register it in the system. Some VOs allow folks to pay in local currency in which case it doesn't really introduce a delay but in other cases you just need to wait for CPC-M to process it and reflect the payment in the system. Thus, if you send the payment to CPC-M before it's requested you should be fine and avoid delays.

It's already been paid. The RPRF was sent in a letter around the same time my online status changed to "in process". They said I had 60 days to pay the fee or my file could be delayed a lot. I sent a certified cheque by courier, through my consultant, a day or two later. This was back in late August. No update on file since August 21.

 

[OhCanadiana]

Re: Fees & Receipts: US outland applicants' thread

It's already been paid. The RPRF was sent in a letter around the same time my online status changed to "in process". They said I had 60 days to pay the fee or my file could be delayed a lot. I sent a certified cheque by courier, through my consultant, a day or two later. This was back in late August. No update on file since August 21.

Got it. Good luck!

 

[hsquared]

Hey all, had a question, i believe the timeline has changed for US outland? If so can someone tell whats the approximate months now? Also, its gonna be a year today, and i believe my processing time would be up. Would it be wise to contact cic now about the status of an application, because everytime i did before they would reply " you are processing time is still in progress due to that we cannot answer that question".

 

[parker24]

Hey all, had a question, i believe the timeline has changed for US outland? If so can someone tell whats the approximate months now? Also, its gonna be a year today, and i believe my processing time would be up. Would it be wise to contact cic now about the status of an application, because everytime i did before they would reply " you are processing time is still in progress due to that we cannot answer that question".

Depends on where your file is. Is it in LA? It's 11 months. Seattle is 11 months as well and Detroit is 10 months. (I am 100% sure on LA, not so sure on the other two) Also, these are just the average times.