Sams mum

Hi

Hope someone can help. We have our medicals booked next week and therefore if we get through on SW we will have to go to Canada by 29th April 2010.

Question 1 : Can we go for a two week trip, get our visas stamped and come back to England? Reading a previous thread it sounds like we can as long as we live in Canada for 2 years over the next 5 years. It would be easier to organise if we had longer than a year to pack up and move.

Question 2 : Could we complete our residency documentations in 2 weeks? Do we need to get medical cards or any other legal docs and will we have enough time to do this in 2 weeks?

Hope this makes sense. Our ideal plan is to go for 2 weeks this summer, then perhaps move over end of 2010/beginning of 2011.

Thanks
Sams mum

iaink

1 yes

2 Yes and No.

You can apply for your SIN cards, although they likely wont arrive before you depart.

Same for a driving license, although there is little advantage to doing that until you have to, other than as a convenient form of photo ID

Likewise your PR card. You would need a trustworthy address to have them sent to....

Most provinces require three months residency before heath coverage kicks in, so that's probably not going to happen in the first two weeks.

Paul Wildy

I would just add to that... when you "land" in Canada they will tell you that you have up to 180 days to provide them with an address in Canada to send your PR cards to. This is supposed to be a residential address at which you could be contacted (though it is unlikely they would actually try to contact you there).

If you dont or cant provide an address within 180 days that doesnt mean you can get PR cards, just that you then have to apply for them (so extra paperwork). Your Record of Landing papers can be used as proof of your PR status.

Sams mum

Thanks so much for this info. Sounds like a plan coming together. We have close friends near Toronto that I am sure will take our post and contact us if there's any problems.

Regards
Sams mum