Cedar3

Hi,

I'm sorry if I've overlooked the answer to this somewhere; please post a link to a wiki or previous question if it's already available.

We have TWPs that remain valid for another year.
We have COPR and plan to land 2 months before visiting England. It is possible that we won't have our PR cards when we return. I am aware of the option to apply for a travel document and the obligation to have that or PR to travel.
I am also aware of the ETA system. My questions are:

1. If we don't have PR cards when we visit England. Can we return to Canada on our TWPs if we are actually PRs waiting for cards?

2. If we applied for ETA before landing (since PRs are not eligible to apply), would that be a valid way to travel back whilst awaiting our PRs or would it invalidate when we have PR status anyway?

I hope the above makes sense. We don't want to delay landing for PR status if possible but we do have obligations to be in England 2 months after our intended date of landing (current processing time is 56 days according to CIC). We also have no interest in trying to 'play' the system and I hope I don't come across as trying to skirt around things. I'm just trying to make sense of the full picture.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Snowy560

Hi,

If you have your COPRs now, could you not land now? (you write that you are going to land two months before you go to the UK: when is this?).

You should assume an eTA will be cancelled upon becoming a PR

Once you become a PR, you are no longer a temporary resident, thus your WPs are no longer "valid". You shouldn't try to enter Canada as a temporary resident if you are a permanent resident.

If you don't have a PR card and you are outside of Canada, your options are:

Apply for a PR TD when outside of Canada
Enter via a US land border in a private vehicle.

I am outside of Canada and do not have a PR card. How can I return to Canada?

S

Former Lancastrian

1. No. You are PR's and therefore the work permit becomes null and void as you are no longer temporary residents.

2. You will either need the PR card or PRTD to travel back to Canada as PR's are exempt from eTA.

The other option is flying back via the USA with ESTA then crossing back into Canada by vehicle as no eTA required and you could show CBSA the COPR form.

Snowy560

We said the same more or less!

S

haggis88

Yeah why not day trip to Bellingham or something and activate your PR on the way back, taking the opportunity to stock up on some stuff while you're there

Cedar3

Thank you for the quick and helpful responses. The only reason we can't get a longer timeline between landing and traveling to England is because it is dependant on an opportunity to cross the border from the US. We have not heard from our local office for an inland appointment so this is now our fastest option and planned to happen imminently!
I understand that coming through the border once back from England CBSA will be able to confirm our status but I had not thought through the fact that our TWPs and eTA will not be valid for the airline to allow us to board.
Thank you for the clarification. Let's hope the new cards arrive and we'll otherwise seek out travel documents when in England - or changing our flights to return via the US might be easiest!

Snowy560

I know you are on the island. If you have a car, is it an option to take the car/ferry to Tsawwassen, drive a short way to the border, go into the office and land? You don't have to physically enter the US. Someone I know who lives on the island recently took a day out to do this.

S

Cedar3

Yes, that's what we plan to do. It's just the logistics of getting the primary applicant across first or being there together that makes it a little tricky :-)
Thanks again everyone, you've saved me a lot of stress turning it over in my mind not seeing the wood for the trees.

BexB

"1. No. You are PR's and therefore the work permit becomes null and void as you are no longer temporary residents. 2. You will either need the PR card or PRTD to travel back to Canada as PR's are exempt from eTA. The other option is flying back via the USA with ESTA then crossing back into Canada by vehicle as no eTA required and you could show CBSA the COPR form."

Apologies for hijacking this thread. It seems to answer my question, but I wanted to double-check.We recently obtained PR (yay), but will not have our PR cards for perhaps 5 weeks. Unfortunately, we may need to fly back to the UK for a funeral before we receive our cards.

Questions
1) We still have temporary work permits, which expire July 17. If the airline will not accept we have PR and live in Canada, could we fall back on these? I appreciate they are no longer "valid", but that is because we have PR! So would the airline have to accept one or the other?
(2) We would be flying to London and be in the UK for perhaps a week. Would that give us time to obtain a Permanent Resident Travel Document?
(3) It looks like the safest option would be to drive to Seattle and fly to the UK from there. We have ESTAs. What I don't understand is: why would we be allowed to fly back to the US (where we have no ties), but not Canada?
Thanks.

Snowy560

Because you are not PRs of the US. You will be temporary residents. You would then enter Canada in a private vehicle as PRs but without your card.

Don't use your TWP. It is not valid for either boarding the plane or entering Canada.

S

BexB

Thanks Snowy. Via the States it is.

Snowy560

Current processing times for first PR cards are showing 58 days.
S