4d32ftw

got a nightmare at the moment..

Parents have arrived in BC on the super visa, went through customs in Vancouver etc.. with goods to follow list etc.. no issues.

now a few weeks later there container has arrived here and customs are stating they cant bring in there furniture as they are only visiting and refuse to release the container, even though in theory they could be here for up to 10 years on this visa.

my question.. can they bring in there furniture and if so where do I get info to take to our customs, I cant find anything on cic to state they cant bring there stuff, customs are claiming they need to own a house in the uk to keep there "ties" then they would let them bring there furniture in.

any help is greatly appreciated

Former Lancastrian

I was expecting this scenario to eventually pop up when CIC introduced this visa Im wondering if they even consulted CBSA.
The visas are initially issued for up to 2 years with extensions up to 10 years.
Its a visitor visa.
If you look at the Customs D Memorandum a visitor is described as the following
"visitor" means a person who is not a resident or a temporary resident and who enters Canada for a period not exceeding 12 months. (visiteur)
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...-1-eng.html#a4

In relation to their personal goods the following applies
4. (1) Subject to subsection (2), the baggage that a person who is not a resident of Canada may temporarily import under tariff item No. 9803.00.00 consists of any goods that the person imports for their personal use and that are appropriate for their needs and consistent with the purpose, nature and duration of their intended stay in Canada,

CBSA have no way of knowing if extensions are going to be sought or how long the goods will remain in Canada.
What items are in the container?
They should speak to a supervisor at the Customs office and explain that they have been issued a super visa. Im assuming they were issued a visitor record when they arrived in Canada so they should show them that as there will be an expiry date on the visitor record.
The super visa is CIC legislation and not all CBSA (Customs) officers are familiar with this super visa and what it entails.
Worse case scenario they end up paying a security deposit.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/publicati...-1-eng.html#a4

4d32ftw

thank you, i'd been looking at that, and to see if they "qualified" under the seasonal visitor but that didn't look likely. They have the visitor record - even though that was hard enough to obtain at the time.

As far as I can see the deposit thing seems likely or even worst case duty on the container.

It contains all their furniture and personal belongings. It seemed the Customs officer may not have been aware of the full aspects of the visa and what it entails. I may take a trip down there and see if I can have a chat with them to fill in any blanks.

I'm sure it can be sorted out.

nikki dreaming

Hi,

My mum is due to arrive on the Supervisa in a few weeks, I am seeing various situations come up with respect to this Visa and it being new and people still understanding the ins and outs of it!

Can I ask how the process was for your parents on arrival at the airport, I know we need to get visitor record, but you mentioned this caused some issues, could you please provide info of your parents experience to help others?

Were your parents approved for the 2 years? is this date noted anywhere??

I read somewhere on the CIC website that if arriving with approved super visa letter and no specific date is amended by the CBSA that this means they have the 2 years, but I am not 100% sure on this!

Luckily we have no container in tow, just a couple of boxes, good luck getting sorted, I'm sure, like you say it will all work out!

Former Lancastrian

If you would like to stay in Canada for up to two years, you may obtain a Parent and Grandparent Super Visa by applying for a temporary resident visa. You will also need to meet some specific requirements.

If they are not asking for the 2 years then they won't get it. If their passport expires before the 2 years then CBSA are quite within their rights to issue a visitor record only for the validity of the passport expiry date.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/supervisa.asp

BriSue39

We are the said parents !
When we arrived in Vancouver, we told the Passport Control Officer who we were, what we were doing there and showed him the Approval Letter from CiC.
He stamped our passports with a leaving date 2 years away, but when we requested the Visitor Record, he was adamant that as we were visitors (sic) we didn't need one, when we mentioned that we had also had our pet dog on the plane, and that we had Goods to Follow ( in a container arriving later ) he pointed to the customs hall and said "they will deal with you".
In the customs hall, they were only interested in the dog!
Again, we asked for the Visitors Record and again we were told that we didn't need one.
After paying the $35 for the dog to be inspected, we went to our hotel, arranged for a taxi ( $25 ) and then went to the Cargo Village to collect the dog. ( another $65 )
Next day, we returned to the customs office in the airport and again requested a Visitors Record.
The officer there was quite annoyed that everything that should have been done the night before , was not done. We got our visitor records.
SO, DON'T LET THEM GET AWAY WITH IT? INSIST THAT THEY GIVE YOU YOUR VISITORS RECORD.
We were fortunate that we had a day to kill in Vancouver and were able to sort it out.
Now, when we went to our local Customs office to sign for our container, we were told that as Visitors, we could not bring our furniture into Canada.
That was Tuesday. Today (Friday) we paid Customs the required duty plus GST and PST to be able to then go to the shipping agents and arrange for delivery.
The Customs Officer has contacted CiC and explained that THEY should make it clears to holders of the Parent and Grandparent Supervisa that they are visitors and as such must abide by certain restrictions, especially regarding exactly what can be imported duty free.
More later.

nikki dreaming

Thanks for the update , it's a shame that clear guidelines have not been set down in respect of some of the practical issues related to the super visa, I hope you enjoy your stay

nikki dreaming

Following another thread I have a question re the declaration card you filled in on the flight prior to landing. As a visitor what duration of stay did you put? 2 yrs? Also what did you enter for home address? Uk or Canadian one ?? Thanks

BriSue39

As far as I can remember, I put down 2 years and our sons Canadian address

nikki dreaming

Great thanks very much, that's what I thought makes sense, but wanted to check, I just want to try and get as much info as possible to give to my mum to try to ensure a smooth process at the airport, thank you

Former Lancastrian

You should be putting 730 days and your address in the UK on the form.
Even though staying at an address in Canada your normal home address is still the UK.

nikki dreaming

Thanks FL, sorry for being dumb, but the Supervisa is a form of Temporary Resident Visa, is it not? If so, then wouldn't the home address be the Canadian address?, I appreciate where your coming from though, until they are through, they are not "in" Canada.

I saw the previous poster noted their sons Canadian address. Some Parent's have sold their houses etc so technically dont have a current address in the UK??

Is there a big issue if my address is noted, the parent could explain they misunderstood?

Just trying to get as much info out there for people with this being a new visa and more and more people applying for it, thank you!

Former Lancastrian

This is the official definition of a Temporary Resident
Temporary resident
Related terms:
Visitor
Tourist

Status of a foreign national who is in Canada legally for a short period. Temporary residents include students, temporary foreign workers and visitors, such as tourists.
See temporary resident visa.

If they have sold their house and have no address in the UK then this could become a more involved matter.
Taken from the CIC website

Parents and grandparents of Canadian citizens and permanent residents have a new option for visiting Canada. As of December 1, 2011, you may be eligible to apply for the Parent and Grandparent Super Visa – which is valid for up to 10 years and allows an applicant to remain in Canada for up to 24 months at a time without the need for renewal of their status.

So what happens if they stay for the 2 years and apply for an extension and it is refused? They will then have to leave Canada and return to the UK.
As this is a fairly new visa option I cant really comment on how CIC/CBSA will deal with these situations as it hasn't been in long enough to deal with these situations.

nikki dreaming

I agree and this is where it gets confusing, officially they are only visitors and if after 2 years may have to return to UK, I think everyone applying would appreciate this, however is it reasonable for them to have to maintain a residence in the UK for this period of time, this isnt applicable in my situation, however I know for many it will be, others have posted on here that they have sold their property. At the end of the day if they have to go back, so be it, they have to start again, but that isnt really Canada's problem.

Unfortunately this visa option has been released without clear guidance/direction on all the aspects, ie shipping of good etc is another example.

I appreciate your insight on this and understand that its hard to give a definite answer with it being so new, I dont even know if any Supervisas have gone through Halifax yet even! I wonder if there are some official stats anywhere? off to google!

Thanks

Former Lancastrian

This is what happens when the higher echelon makes policies and do not seek input from the front line staff
Sure it looks good on their CV etc but its a PITA for us who have to deal with it.