Former Lancastrian

IRCC website currently quoting 56 days
Check application processing times

Kanukki

COPR arrived in the post today! Now to start planning a landing trip before July Thanks for the help everyone!

SchnookoLoly

Congrats!! Happy landing!! Spreadsheet updated!

tweed_wearer

Congratulations Kanukki!


Looks like COPR didn't take long to arrive after you sent the passport/photos etc? Week-10 days?

Kanukki

Thanks! CIC London were very quick with the processing. I sent the passport copy and photos off on Monday (delivered 1st class recorded on Tuesday), and received a confirmation email on Thursday. I had included a prepaid Special Delivery envelope, and that had been picked up by Royal Mail on Thursday evening. All in all, under a week!

Necaras

Hi All,

Apologies for the delay with providing an update but not had access to a computer for awhile. Anyways....

18th November 2016 - Additional paperwork requested.
This was rather annoying as I had already sent proof for what was requested. Either they did not turn over the double sided print or lost some papers.

22nd December 2016 - Copies of passport and pictures requested. Medical expiry was for 25th Feb and was asked if it would take longer to Land.

16th January 2017 - COPR letter.

22nd January 2017 - Crossed over on Rainbow Bridge.

Was already in Canada for a wedding and extended the trip while waiting for the paperwork. Hitched a ride with some friends that were going to the US at Niagara and crossed over with them. Came back the same day to Canada. Landing only took 10 minutes with the agent after an hour wait. I asked them what I should do with my Goods To Follow list and I went to another agent and he processed that in 5 minutes.

So far have opened a bank account (CIBC was offering 12 months free) and acquired a SIN.

Have to go back to the UK and research how to ship some goods to Canada.

Necaras

please delete

Necaras

sorry, reading up on old posts..

Looking at my COPR it says:

Valid to: yyyy/mm/dd

Confusing thing is when I received communication from London office that did not have the month spelled out I had a European date format dd/mm/yyyy
When I received comms from London office that did month spelled out the fo

Hurlabrick

Congratulations! Spreadsheet updated.

Tototoro

Just wanted to update the spreadsheet.....I just got the email confirmation this morning with my UCI etc. They have also received the medicals. My wife is British by the way

They haven't told me that the sponsor approval was approved yet....nor which processing office I am at. Is this to follow?

Hurlabrick

What you have just received sir is their 'acknowledgement of receipt'. Means they have now started looking at it in Mississauga.

The next step with be sponsor approval, an email with an attached PDF, it is that which will tell you which visa office it has been sent to.

Spreadsheet updated.

irfyg

So I contacted the CIC to inquire about the PR Application Status for my wife's application (I'm the sponsor).

The Customer Care personnel that I spoke with said that I would need to complete a "Use of a Representative [IMM 5476]" form signed for them to release the information to me... That seems a bit odd considering I'm the Sponsor, anybody else run into this?

Vulcanoid

Sounds normal - sure I remember reading somewhere by people whose entire apps were returned because they were living separately, had put the sponsor's address, and hadn't included the representative form (so they couldn't send the paperwork to the PA they didn't have an address for, or the sponsor who wasn't authorised to represent them).

rossd01

Hi all!

Been a while since i've posted as we've had a lot to arrange in prep for PR but just wanted to update you on my landing experience in case it is useful for anyone.

I got my COPR in December 2016 and had to land before March 8th 2017 (basically when my medical would expire) so we arranged a trip over in January 2017 through Toronto Pearson. Initially I thought a day trip would be fine but the way the flights worked out it meant would be there for just over a week which was fine. Also, its iceland air which means you get 2 bags each!

Goods Accompanying/Goods to Follow

Prior my landing trip, i couldn't decide if this would be my one opportunity to submit a goods to follow form. I checked numerous forums and some people said 'no, you can submit it later', and others said 'no, i think when landing this is your one opportunity'. To get it out of the way and remove all doubt, the night before departing the UK i completed the form. Again, may not be essential but if you've totalled up all your goods (you can even over estimate) you may as well get it out of the way. The important thing is to not underestimate the quantities.

We used one form - B4 E (14) and completed it twice: one version was for goods accompanying, and the other was for goods to follow. It has 8 distinct sections on it so we grouped items together for each version. This was fairly straightforward, as we just mentally walked through each room in the house and totaled up quantities i.e. boxes of clothes x10, boxes of books x5, boxes of media x2 etc etc.

For high value items, we had these listed on a separate a4 sheet of paper with just a slight bit more detail and the value of each item. Basically big ticket items such as guitars, computers etc. I took the risk of not including any serial numbers (i really couldn't be bothered) and after all was said and done, no-one commented on the absence of them during landing. For both forms, i ticked 'settler'.

Landing Process

As normal, you complete the landing card on board the plane. Importantly, tick the box that says 'goods to follow'. As i percieved it (and for discussion purposes here) there were 3 distinct parts of the landing process for me:

- Border Control
- Immigration
- Customs

- Border Control
This is the first port of call for you when you leave the plane. Common for everyone, you line up and wait to get your passport examined/stamped. I presented all my forms to him but he wasn't interested and instead wrote something across my landing card and directed me through. About 10 feet after you're through border control, someone inspects the landing cards. On looking at mine, i was directed to immigration (immediate left) instead of going straight forward to the baggage carousels that i could see.

- Immigration
I was then in a very long line for immigration, about a 40 minute wait. I could hear people getting questioned and grilled at the various booths but when my turn came, i got a few questions and that was that. My thinking is we will all have already been assessed during the application process so the immigration part is almost a formality (although crucial). After a 'welcome to canada', we were sent on our way to the baggage carousels to collect our bags. My sponsor (my common-law partner) was not asked anything, even though she was there.

- Customs
After getting our bags, this is the last person you see before leaving the secure section of arrivals. Once you collect your things, walk to the exit and you'll see 2 or so customs folks collecting the landing cards and sending you on your way, By this point i was a tad worried as no-one had taken my goods to follow form so i explained this to the guy and he said no problem, and directed me to a vast and slightly empty inspection area (imagine the area with the large stainless steel tables for luggage inspections on the TV show Border Patrol Canada and you're pretty much bang on).

The nice chap poured over my form, took an interest in the big ticket items on the second page (i expected he was going to ask for serials....) and we had a bit of nice chit chat. He looked at my (now stamped) COPR and typed a few things into the computer. He then walked over to the cashiers desk and came back with a sheet of paper with the total value of our belongings ($45,000) however with a $0.00 VAT charge to pay when they do arrive. He said to hold on to it as it may not be easy to match up our stuff to the computer record.

With that, we were then sent on our way! I did ask if there was any way i could apply for my Social Insurance Number (or any other landing related things) at the airport and they said no. It was 7pm on a friday night though so that could have been why.

Day 1 then consisted of applying for my Social Insurance Number at Service Canada, which took about 30 minutes. Following that, we went straight to the bank to set up a bank account (SIN was needed) and i was set up with a savings account, current account AND a credit card. The credit card was a bit of a surprise as i've no credit history in Canada so that was good to get that. I went with RBC and they waived all fees for the next 6 months.

On Day 7 i tried for OHIP as i did receive post at my Canada address (my bank card) but that was no good - they need at the very least a bank statement. I guess the thinking is a bank statement proves you have lived at the address for at the very least a month, but all receiving my cards did is prove that i got them sent there. Not a big deal - i'll apply when landing for good later in the year. I'm unsure if the 3 month wait will be taken as from my initial landing date or not but i'll investigate.

All in, all very quick and painless. Hope that helps if anyone has any queries or worries

Hurlabrick

Thank you for this excellent write up. Gives me a good idea of what to actually expect and when (my flagpole is due for mid-April). I am not planning to do the customs on my flagpole trip, but will have the lists ready just in case.