BigfootsMotorbike

Hi all,

We were lucky enough to receive the passport request email last week, and we're happy to be able to start planning our future in Canada.

However, the next steps are different depending on where you are from and how you applied. We come under the category of applied using Mycic and being from a visa exempt country, but it doesn't say where to send the stuff. It only says to "post to London".

Both the VFS Global and the Canadian High Commision are mentioned in other sections, but it doesn't specify which of these we use in our circumstance.

I've done some googling, and there's a lot of talk about what to do, just no mention of the postage address, and I apologise in advance if this is a common question and I've just missed them all.

Is there anyone who's already done this that knows the correct place to post this stuff?

Hurlabrick

Canada House, Trafalgar Square, London SW1Y 5BJ

BigfootsMotorbike

Thank you Hurlabrick

powderbabe

I had exactly the same issue when I had my passport request 13 months ago and had huge difficulty figuring it out too. I also trawled around this forum to see if anyone else had asked but didn't have much joy. I called up VFS (who are potentially the most unhelpful people in the world) to find out the process and was pretty much just told to pay £50 (could have been a different amount??) and follow the directions on the unhelpful website! It felt super super risky given the lack of information but I did it anyway. Here's how it went:

- On VFS I picked the option for the passport to be picked up from me and then delivered back to me
- I went out and bought an envelope and added a little letter inside it explaining who I was and also a copy of the passport request letter and whatever else I was meant to put into the envelope
- I didn't know the address to put on the front because I was doing it through VFS so I hoped the courier would know a bit more about it
- Courier arrived to my work on schedule with an envelope and label (so I hadn't needed to rush about the place looking for an envelope and stressing about the address)
- Courier took my passport away
- A few weeks later (probably took longer than normal because mine was picked up mid-December and the Christmas break fell in the middle of the process), the courier turned up with my passport. Luckily I was in the office when he came because he wouldn't let anybody else sign for my passport (including my dad, sister and brother who I worked with too - I had to be called out of a client meeting to sign for it!)
- Cue the minor disappointment that nothing was stamped inside the passport but cue the excitement that alongside my passport were two copies of a big long document called Confirmation of Permanent Residency (COPR) which proved absolutely that it was all real and not a dream. I was coming back to Canada!

Literally the passport request was the most stressful part because the information is so shady, but in reality, the VFS piece is pretty good as everything is looked after by a courier. If I'd had more information at the time, I would have probably sent my passport off with VFS 10 days earlier than I even did because I was frantically trying to find out more information about them or from them. Don't forget my experience was 12 months ago and there could have been subtle changes to the process but I hope this helps.

Best of luck!!

Siouxie

When in doubt go to the Official site and follow the instructions.. or the address you were directed to use in the passport request letter / email

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration...-passport.html

Did you link your application to MyCIC? If you did then you should see the passport request there too - with an option to upload a scan/photocopy of the bio data page (provided you are from a visa-exempt country).

BigfootsMotorbike

Hi Siouxie,

The thing is, there are two addresses mentioned in the pdf/letter and multiple options depending on your country of origin and the method of which you applied. Similar to this;

1. if you need a visa to come to Canada - post passport and photos to VFS Global London
2. if you're not using Mycic and of a country that is exempt from obtaining a visa - post photos and photocopies of passport to canadian high commission
3. for citizens using Mycic and from a country that is exempt from obtaining a visa (This is us, we're UK citizens) - Please mail/courier only your photos and upload the rest to Mycic {Mail them where!?!?!}

According to a lot of people on the net, most people's Mycic account doesn't change to allow you to upload any new docs and they just end up posting them with the photos, which is meant to work fine, they just fail to mention which address they send them to.

Siouxie

Go with the OFFICIAL instructions

1. if you need a visa to come to Canada - post passport and photos to VFS Global London

2. if you're not using Mycic and of a country that is exempt from obtaining a visa - post photos and photocopies of passport to the Canadian High Commission (London for UK applicants)

3. for citizens using Mycic and from a country that is exempt from obtaining a visa - Please mail/courier only your photos and upload the rest to Mycic

For (3) - if you are from a Visa Exempt Country but have no access to upload to MyCIC then follow the directions for (2)

MyCIC will normally change but if it doesn't you have the option to SEND the photos / Passport copy to - for UK applicants - London High Commission OR send a Case Specific Enquiry to London if you just require to send a copy of the passport (attach to the enquiry) without photos... or send a case specific enquiry with the passport copy and a copy plus the photos by post to the Canadian High Commission (London) (also remember to send a photocopy / scan of the passport request letter so they know who the photos / documents are from (your UCI # will be on the letter)
https://britishexpats.com/wiki/Spous...ll_about_MyCIC
HTH

BigfootsMotorbike

This is what we were leaning towards after discussing it last night.

I think we were just worried we would send it to the wrong place and miss the 30 day deadline. I think it's back in the pool for you if you do this.

I was even considering sending two envelopes to both addresses, but I think that has the potential to muck things up even more.

Thanks Siouxie and everyone else who responded.