Waggle

Timing ours might be awkward. We are going to Canada for a holiday at the end of August for 2 weeks (around 27th August to 10th September). We'd like if possible to complete our record of landing at this time, although obviously we can't completely guarantee of getting the visa by then, but it's the only time my wife can get the 2 weeks off work.

We're hopeful of getting medical requests in the next week or two judging by how long it seems to be taking post-June-26 applicants after going "In Process".

I reckon after medicals we're looking at least 2 months to get passport requests? Maybe 3? So that takes us to maybe the end of July.

So posting them and waiting for them to come back in the post is going to be tight for August. If you get PPR and hand-deliver the passports on a Thursday is it pretty certain you can collect your visas 2 weeks later by hand?

Also, just in case there is a delay getting our passports back, anybody know how easy it is to arrange a temporary travel document for Canada if CIC have your passport?

Thanks,
Wayne.

britsnake

You will not be able to travel to Canada without a Passport, so you will have to wait for it to come back first.

The two week drop off pick up is pretty much guanrenteed unless the office is closed for some public holiday on the second thursday (this is pretty unlikely)

Waggle

We don't have any public holidays on a Thursday in the UK (unless Christmas/New Year falls on around a Thursday), so that shouldn't be an issue.

So really the option is that if we haven't got PPR before Thursday 11st August, hence won't get the visas on Thursday 25th August, we can't validate our landing on our holiday. What would be REALLY annoying is if we got PPR after Thursday 11st August but before we went to Canada!

Alas we can't simply wait until we get PPR then book the holiday, owing to the amount of notice my wife currently needs to give in order to get anything longer than a day or two off work.

Backup plan is to validate our visas when we actually move permanently to Canada (currently planning around Jan/Feb 2012).

Anyway, thanks for the info. Can I ask (sorry if this sounds a stupid question), but do you need to book ahead to be able to take your passports in on the Thursday, or can you just turn up?

Certainly if we can get PPR by the end of July then it looks doable!

Wayne.

britsnake

You do not book ahead. You just arrive and will probably see a line of people waiting.

They will be closed for Canadian holidays rather than UK holidays. Like UK most holidays are also on Mondays (but Canada day for example is a Friday this year).

If you check their website it will normally have information about closures.