Unusual? Landing experience

B

Batcan

Registered Users (C)
Hello Everyone!

I landed about a month ago. I had this unusual experience:

Everything went fine except: The officer asked me if I still worked in the US. I said yes. Then she asked me if I was returning back to US in a few days. I said yes.

She did my processing and wrote on my paper the following: "works and resides in the USA" She denied takine a Canadian address from me, and told me that they cannot send me a PR card. However, she said I was a PR starting that day.

I found this unusual because the instructions say that new landed immigrants automatically get their card. Do you guys think this is unsual? Was I dumb enough to be too honest?

Now, to get my PR card I am trying to do "address notification" online and give my Canadian friend's address to receive the PR card. Do you think this can work?

Would really appreciate some directions guys!
Thanks.
 
You did the right thing by being honest and the officer was also right in her actions.
Yes you should be able to supply your Canadian address online.

Batcan said:
Do you guys think this is unsual? Was I dumb enough to be too honest?

Now, to get my PR card I am trying to do "address notification" online and give my Canadian friend's address to receive the PR card. Do you think this can work?
Click to expand...
 
Thanks TC, but I think it is really a weird concept to technically be a PR of a country and having to obtain a visitor's visa to fly into that country. Does not make sense to me.

I know it is unusual to be a PR of a country and not live there either, but it is expected with the way they do things in CA since, the one time immigrant visa the provide you expires within a few months, and you may not be ready to move to CA for good withing a few months, so you make a landing then go back to where you came from. And in the mean time you may be looking for jobs in Canada and if you are invited to an interview you have to apply for a visitor's visa to go to the interview... (unless you are driving through the border, which is not always convenient).

It just makes things unneccesarily difficult for someone who is already a PR. I think they should let all PRs to travel into Canada freely, but by refusing to send you a PR card, they practically make it very difficult for you to enter CA for Job interviews, apartment hunting, and other preps necessary to start off well...
Is this clear enough? I think this is a descrepency in the system. On one hand they let you come, on the other they make it so diffucult that you can't make the adjustments to start a living. I for instance will not move to Canada unless I have a job first. I will never have a job without going through an interview process in PERSON. And to go to interviews, each time I have to apply for a visitor's visa eventhough I am a PR... does not make sense at all.
 
PR = PERMANENT RESIDENT

Whatever you say and whatever paper you have doesn't change the fact that you are not a permanent resident of a country until and unless you live there on a permanent basis.
 
I think this is a very good point. Honestly, I think they need a new regulation for this kind of situations. For the reason you stated (whaledad), they should not give us a PR status, but perhaps a pending PR or something... Or, they should give us a multiple entry immigration visa for a period of say 2 years so that we can enter Canada to make our preperations to live there until we actually become a PR.
 
Hello Everyone
Thanks for usuful discussions,

I've been reading other people's landing experiences for a while now, and I see that there are plenty of people with an "unpleasant" landing experience. This is because, the immigration officer does not think that you intend to move to Canada. However, I don't understand how they think that you can leave everything behind in a few months move to a completely new country.
I think they have to fix their concept of this. They either have to give you a longer time visa to move to Canada completely or they have to be ok with people "landing" just for the formality at first and then move in to Canada when you are actually ready to do that. I really don't get it how they miss this essential point...
 
Triple Citizen said:
You did the right thing by being honest and the officer was also right in her actions.
Yes you should be able to supply your Canadian address online.
Click to expand...

Hi Triple Citizen and others.

I have supplied my Canadian address online (address notification), but it has not been updated for a month now. Do you think this is because of my landing problem, do they really take a long time to update address on line? Any experiences with this?
Thanks guys!
 
Whaledad said:
PR = PERMANENT RESIDENT

Whatever you say and whatever paper you have doesn't change the fact that you are not a permanent resident of a country until and unless you live there on a permanent basis.
Click to expand...

Before spreading garbage like that in bold letters you might want to inform yourself better.

The OP became Canadian Permanent Resident after landing. The only reason why a PR card was not processed by the officer is because he/she did not intend to settle in Canada right away and went back to the US temporarily. The newly landed PR has 180 days in which he/she can apply for a PR card for free. Until then, if he/she wants to come back to Canada it is necessary to apply for a Travel Document at the nearest Canadian Embassy using the Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) which serves as a temporary proof of status until a PR card has been received.

The OP is a Permanent Resident after completing landing procedures. People land out of formality all the time and then fly back home to finish setting things up for the final move.

Batcan: You are supposed to phone the CIC call center and inform them of your CANADIAN address or CANADIAN address of a representative who can receive your PR card. All the information is on the CIC website. Depending on your country of citizenship you can re-enter Canada as PR without a PR card by using your COPR and Passport, or if you want to be sure, by getting a Travel Document.

You can always re-enter Canada after landing, as long as you meet residency requirements of living in Canada 2 out of every 5 years. This leaves you 3 years to set up your move. This is very reasonable in my opinion.
 
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