stuartm

Hi all

my envelope arrived yesterday and now I need some clarification;

1. I need to activate my visa within one year of medicals right?

2. Does the 5 year period start from activation or Meds date?

3. What is the procedure for activation?

4. Is it 2 years out of 5 to maintain validity?

Thanks in advance for your help! Stuart

cornmatthew

The 'activation' process is better known as 'landing'. I don't think it's a technical term any more, but it persists.

You need to land before the expiry date printed on your PR visa. That's usually a year from your medical, but may not be -- for instance, if your passport expires sooner.

You land by arriving in Canada with your passport, visa, and paperwork. There's a wiki page at http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Landing_as_PR-Canada that gives more details.

Before you land, you should prepare two lists of goods that you want to import tax free: one listing the items you are bringing with you, and the other listing those that you intend to ship or bring at a later date. See http://britishexpats.com/wiki/Goods_To_Follow for more information.

The residency obligation of two years out of five starts when you land. Time outside Canada before landing does not count against you.

ETA: people post their landing experiences here from time to time. Search the forum for 'landing experience' to get an idea of what to expect.