Waiting for PR Card after landing - add your case here

[waitingforfsw]

I have entered Canada on a rental car and they didn't even ask me if the car was rental or not. Although I was just entering on a work permit at that time. However, I am planning to go to India via United States because I don't have my PR card and I am going to drive in my car to Seattle. Park it there at a rental parking spot for 2 months and then come back to Seattle and drive back in my own car. It is cheaper and safer that way. So what I am saying is: Drive in your own car. Find a parking place off kijiji or craigslist and that way you can just drive back in your own car. Hope it helps. Good luck.

PS I have old car so I am not too worried about it. I would make sure to find a safe spot if I had a good car.

Hi Karan,
This is very encouraging.Can you please tell what kind of rental vehicle you took to enter Canada first time on work permit.Was it a one way rental from US to CA and were the licence plates from US or Ca on that?

 

[ashikn]

Can you please share , what types of documents you had to provide to get the health card?

Fill up the Health Card Form and show your Canadian bank statement or the rental agreement where you are staying. If you are staying with your relatives, pls ask them to prepare a rental agreement for you. The main purpose of these documents are to verify your address in Canada, as they will post the card to that address. thanks

 

[mono_co]

Those of you who are visa exempt countries and will try to cross the border without PR card; couple suggestions, as I did that 3 times already using both land borders and airports:

1- You may or you may not have problems depending on the officer, there is a lot of subjectivity on their actions. But eventually you will be let in.

2- The major problem that may arise is they can send you to the secondary, and you may have to wait an hour over there. ( It did happen to me)

3- They may refuse to use your COPR claiming it is not a travel document as it is written on that document (It did happen to me)

4- DO NOT SHOW YOUR COPR TILL THEY ASK YOU if you are using airports or crossing land borders using bus. First show your passport to the officer, he/she will find out your visa on your passport, while doing that, explain him/her you are waiting for your PR card, he/she may simply let you in after finding you in the system, or he/she may ask you to show her COPR, then show it. Be prepared to answer "What are you going to do today?" type of questions.

5- If you use your own vehicle or rental car, PUT YOUR COPR INSIDE YOUR PASSPORT and give it to the office and be prepared to explain your purpose. There are cars behind you, and they don't want you to slow down the traffic. Be prepared to document your intention of visit. For instance, if you want to search for apartments to rent, have couple of them printed next to you so you can show it (It did happen to me)

6- If you use your own vehicle not rental, they may tell you need to import the vehicle otherwise they cannot let you in. That is not true as long as you confirm him/her the vehicle will be returned right away or within 45 days you are fine.

7- If your trip to Canada once again temporary; be prepared to answer "When are you moving in Canada permanently" type of questions. Even though, they are not supposed to question your intention as it is not part of the PR requirements; they can/and they do.

8- Don't book connecting flights just after your landing within 1 hour. You may need up to 2 hours since they can send you secondary as they wish to do.

9- Don't use a foreign address in your customs form, use the address you gave when you land at first time. Otherwise they can claim your visit will not be counted against your required 2 year stay out of 5 years. And they will admit you as visitor. (It did happen to me, I am not sure if it is even possible)

 

[mono_co]

Hi Karan,
This is very encouraging.Can you please tell what kind of rental vehicle you took to enter Canada first time on work permit.Was it a one way rental from US to CA and were the licence plates from US or Ca on that?

Budget and Avis, and Hertz. No Enterprise usually. Couple more rental companies may let you take their vehicle to Canada.

1 way rental from US to CA is going to be expensive. Licence plates have nothing to do, it was used to be more important, looks like not anymore.

 

[faisal83]

faisal bhai bu r here to. hehe i m saj 7923 i still did not receive my pr card remember when we were waiting our pp

sorr i didn't remember. when u land in canada ?

 

[yulialake]

Landed on April 24. Got my card yesterday. ;D

 

[ashikn]

great man congrats.....I landed on 25th at Pearson Int Airport....fingurecrossed did you land at the same airport?

 

[ip000073]

9- Don't use a foreign address in your customs form, use the address you gave when you land at first time. Otherwise they can claim your visit will not be counted against your required 2 year stay out of 5 years. And they will admit you as visitor. (It did happen to me, I am not sure if it is even possible)

I'm confused. What does it mean - "they will admit you as a visitor"?
Are you going to lose your PR status because of entering w/o PR card?
Also, I don't really understand how time spent in Canada could be not counted for required 2 years if you can prove that you was in Canada.

 

[mono_co]

I'm confused. What does it mean - "they will admit you as a visitor"?
Are you going to lose your PR status because of entering w/o PR card?
Also, I don't really understand how time spent in Canada could be not counted for required 2 years if you can prove that you was in Canada.

No you definitely don't lose your PR status. For some reason, first officer told me before sending me to the 2ndary, he is gonna admit me as visitor and thus will not count against 2 years. He marked the customs document as visitor. I m not still sure if I will able to use that day or not. He may be wrong, he may be right; most likely he is wrong.

 

[07YUSO]

Those of you who are visa exempt countries and will try to cross the border without PR card; couple suggestions, as I did that 3 times already using both land borders and airports:

1- You may or you may not have problems depending on the officer, there is a lot of subjectivity on their actions. But eventually you will be let in.

2- The major problem that may arise is they can send you to the secondary, and you may have to wait an hour over there. ( It did happen to me)

3- They may refuse to use your COPR claiming it is not a travel document as it is written on that document (It did happen to me)

4- DO NOT SHOW YOUR COPR TILL THEY ASK YOU if you are using airports or crossing land borders using bus. First show your passport to the officer, he/she will find out your visa on your passport, while doing that, explain him/her you are waiting for your PR card, he/she may simply let you in after finding you in the system, or he/she may ask you to show her COPR, then show it. Be prepared to answer "What are you going to do today?" type of questions.

5- If you use your own vehicle or rental car, PUT YOUR COPR INSIDE YOUR PASSPORT and give it to the office and be prepared to explain your purpose. There are cars behind you, and they don't want you to slow down the traffic. Be prepared to document your intention of visit. For instance, if you want to search for apartments to rent, have couple of them printed next to you so you can show it (It did happen to me)

6- If you use your own vehicle not rental, they may tell you need to import the vehicle otherwise they cannot let you in. That is not true as long as you confirm him/her the vehicle will be returned right away or within 45 days you are fine.

7- If your trip to Canada once again temporary; be prepared to answer "When are you moving in Canada permanently" type of questions. Even though, they are not supposed to question your intention as it is not part of the PR requirements; they can/and they do.

8- Don't book connecting flights just after your landing within 1 hour. You may need up to 2 hours since they can send you secondary as they wish to do.

9- Don't use a foreign address in your customs form, use the address you gave when you land at first time. Otherwise they can claim your visit will not be counted against your required 2 year stay out of 5 years. And they will admit you as visitor. (It did happen to me, I am not sure if it is even possible)

Great advice. There CAN be number of troubles but eventually you will enter Canada (most likely as a PR or possibly as a visitor) since it is legal to do this for people from visa exempt countries.

Detach the COPR from passport, when asked your status in Canada at airport check-in abroad, just say you are at the end of the PR process but still flying as a visitor this time.

Of course if you can apply for travel document or can use private vehicle to enter Canada, those options are always preferred, however, there are times when those options are very difficult. We don't have to change our travel plan just because of this.

 

[Diplomatru]

Landed on April 24. Got my card yesterday. ;D

Congrats. Where do you live?

 

[Diplomatru]

Great advice. There CAN be number of troubles but eventually you will enter Canada (most likely as a PR or possibly as a visitor) since it is legal to do this for people from visa exempt countries.

Detach the COPR from passport, when asked your status in Canada at airport check-in abroad, just say you are at the end of the PR process but still flying as a visitor this time.

Of course if you can apply for travel document or can use private vehicle to enter Canada, those options are always preferred, however, there are times when those options are very difficult. We don't have to change our travel plan just because of this.

CBSA can access GCMS with one click of a button and find the person with his name and date of birth if they have any doubts. Then the officer will find out that this person is a PR despite his claims. And misrepresentation at the border can have criminal consequences (fine up to 70.000 CAD).

 

[spaceexp]

CBSA can access GCMS with one click of a button and find the person with his name and date of birth if they have any doubts. Then the officer will find out that this person is a PR despite his claims. And misrepresentation at the border can have criminal consequences (fine up to 70.000 CAD).

I believe he mentioned to say you are a visitor to the airline company, not CBSA.
Anyways, to clarify, for anyone who is visa-exempt: DO NOT say you are waiting for your PR card to the AIRLINE (you have to lie, so do this only if you are comfortable with it), but you have to tell the truth to CBSA when you arrive to Canada.

 

[07YUSO]

I believe he mentioned to say you are a visitor to the airline company, not CBSA.
Anyways, to clarify, for anyone who is visa-exempt: DO NOT say you are waiting for your PR card to the AIRLINE (you have to lie, so do this only if you are comfortable with it), but you have to tell the truth to CBSA when you arrive to Canada.

Yes, that's exactly what I meant. CBSA will know you're PR with a click of a button and that's why you can enter Canada legally eventually even if you're faced with difficult agent.

My question is though, can we say to the airline that we are in the process of PR?

 

[nivola]

I landed on April 29. Hopefully I will get my PR next week.

Once I crossed the border with my COPR (I am visa exemption country), the officer asked me so many questions but it was fine.