goneforgood

Well heck. Just put the house on the market as we are now ready to move permanently to Canada (have COPR but no PR card yet), it sold in three days. So the weeks or months I thought we would have to get PRTD document have just evaporated. We probably need to be flying at the end of October, but the house sale is in early stages and could still fall through. We need to vacate house at the completion of the sale and go immediately to Canada as we have to be there to receive our shipped container of household goods. Questions:
How long does it take to get a PTRD document (we are based in UK still)?
Do you have to have a fixed travel date?
How long is it valid for?
...Panic...

DigitalGhost

I'll be following this thread since I will need one myself at some point however based on other forums I've read and an unfortunately vague email I received from VFS, the average processing time for a PRTD in London is 4 business days. Unfortunately they don't offer a same day express service which is especially annoying for those of us who don't live in London.

You don't need a fixed travel date or flight ticket and validity is an open thing. I think they're usually good for 6 months but you can request a 12 month multiple entry one and you should get it as long as you ask nicely and can provide a reasonable explanation as to why in a LoE.

Former Lancastrian

Have you actually done the landing yet or just been issued with the COPR documents. If just issued with the COPR forms and not done the landing then no PRTD is required. If you did what some call the soft landing ie just activated the COPR form on entering Canada then yes a PRTD is required.

DigitalGhost

Sorry, yes FL is obviously right. You only need a PRTD if you're already a landed immigrant and your COPR has been signed and activated at the border.

goneforgood

Thanks for the replies. Yes, we have landed (in Feb 2017), but only just now got the house ready to sell.

DigitalGhost

Then yeah, factor in at least a week for the PRTD processing really. I was actually reading the online reviews for London VFS Global last night and they're a bit horrific. They don't open during the weekend and annoyingly you can only collect passports from them during the last hour of every day.

At least they're are no appointments necessary for filing PRTD applications though.

goneforgood

Trouble is we live nowhere near London so this will be a postal exercise. Does that add loads of extra hassle as far as anyone knows?

DigitalGhost

​​​​​​The process is outlined on the VFS website. It adds extra time, risk and cost but not hassle persee.

goneforgood

Cheers, will plunge ahead armed by the forum folk.

cheeky_monkey

they are good for 6 months..you can get multiple entries if you ask..but whether they grant it is purely random..when i did mine i got 12 months with multiple entries..my oldest son some how got 2 years and multiple entries but my youngest two children only got 6 month 1 time entry.

DigitalGhost

That's just bizarre. Six month and single entry isn't really fair IMHO considering how long it can take to get a PR card these days and that's assuming your first PR card application is accepted.

DigitalGhost

Please report back and let us know how it goes, especially if you're doing the whole thing by post.

There aren't many discussions on this topic on here and most reports online relate to the Middle East and South Asian VAC's where getting a PRTD sounds like a much longer process. There are reports of it taking 3-6 months in India and Pakistan.

goneforgood

Will do DG.

goneforgood

OK, here's one for folks who might be knowledgeable about US-Canada border crossings. Another possible scenario for us is to avoid getting the PRTD altogether by flying into the States and crossing into Canada in a hire car. The only issue might be entering the States on a one way air ticket. Are there likely to be difficulties explaining our intentions? We have the Canadian COPR. There are a few reasons why this would be a valid option for us, one being that the nearest airport to our Canadian location is in fact in the States and will save us a day's drive. The Canadian border post is tiny at that point, that may or may not be an advantage when crossing with our goods-to-follow documents and our intention of staying permanently. Any thoughts?

Former Lancastrian

This will depend on how much the USCP officer knows about their legislation. I posted this little known piece of their legislation many years ago that a lot of USCBP officers I have worked with didn't know for people in your situation.

Visa Free Travel

U.S. policy permits citizens of certain countries as identified below to travel to the United States without a visa. The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) permits nationals from designated countries to apply for admission to the United States for 90 days or less as nonimmigrant visitors for business or pleasure without first obtaining a U.S. nonimmigrant visa.

At the time of application for admission, a VWP applicant must:

Be in possession of a round-trip ticket that will transport the individual out of the United States to any other foreign port or place as long as the trip does not terminate in contiguous territory or an ; except that the round trip ticket may transport the traveler to contiguous territory or an , if the traveler is a resident of the country of destination or if arriving at a land border, provide evidence of financial solvency and a domicile abroad to which the traveler intends to return;

• Be arriving on designated carrier that is signatory to a Visa Waiver Program Agreement, if applicable;
• Have a machine-readable passport valid for 6 months beyond the period of intended stay, or essentially 9 months (90 days + 6 months). The Department of State's 6-month list extending the validity of certain foreign passports can be found on the Department of State website. (A traveler with an expired passport is ineligible for VWP admission); and,
• Complete an Arrival/Departure Form I-94W. Travelers arriving at a land border will be required to pay the required Form I-94W processing fee.

https://www.cbp.gov/travel/internati...mmigrant-visas

Which Canadian border crossing are you talking about? They should be equipped to handle a Settler arriving with a Goods To Follow list.