This blog will document my journey (the good, the bad, and the ugly) to become permanent resident of Canada. This will include processing times, information about the process and steps taken to get to my goal!
Well folks... WE DID IT! We made it to the finish line!
I landed as a Canadian Permanent Resident on October 8th!
I landed at a land-border crossing between New York and Quebec.
The actual landing process was super simple. My husband met my parents and I about 30 minutes from the border and followed us to the crossing. My parents and I crossed first, with a U-haul trailer full of my personal belongings. We told the CBSA officer that I was landing as a Permanent Resident and that my parents were there to help me with the move and would be leaving the following day. We also let her know that my husband was in the car behind us and would like to come in with me for the landing process. The officer looked at our passports and asked for the U-Haul paperwork along with the registration for our vehicle. She then gave us our documents and passports back and told us to park and go inside for finalization.
As soon as we parked, it started to rain. I waited for my husband to park his car and we walked inside (my parents stayed in the car). Once inside, we were greeted by the CBSA officer who would be processing my Permanent Residency landing paperwork. I had all of my documents organized so that they would be easy to find when the officer asked for them. He asked for the COPR, CSQ from Quebec, my list of goods accompanying me, my Criminal Rehabilitation letter, and my passport. Once he had everything, he asked my husband and I to have a seat while he processed the paperwork. Within about 15-20 minutes he came back and asked us to come back to the counter. He asked for my address in Canada, whether or not I had committed any crimes, and if I was importing any valuables or $10,000 cash on me. Then he had me sign and initial the CORP. Since I had given a 16 page detailed list of my accompanying items, he said they didn't need to look in my Uhaul. After that, he explained to me that I needed to remain in Canada for "x" amount of days to maintain my status as a Permanent Resident and welcomed me to Canada. The entire process took about 30 minutes.
When I arrived at my new home, I was greeted by a "welcome party" full of friends to help with the move and celebrate my landing! It was such a great surprise and I am so thankful to have such wonderful people here to help make this big change in my life tremendously easier!
I've been in Canada for a month now and things are going really well! Within the first week of being in Canada, I applied for my health insurance card and for my social insurance number; both of these processes were also very easy and took 30 minutes or less to complete. I received the social insurance number on the spot and will receive the health insurance card in 3 months. As for the permanent resident card, I should be receiving it 1-3 months from the date of landing (56 days according to CIC). I'm hoping to receive it before I go back to the U.S. for Christmas :) I have opened a bank account and I also got a library card which I am super excited about! After the beginning of the new year, I am hoping to start French lessons at the University! After that I have hopes of applying for the Odyssey program in which I would work as a teachers aid in an English school!
I want to thank everyone for reading my blog and following my journey for the past year. It's been a long journey and we can finally bring this chapter to a close. I'm looking forward to all of the possibilities and adventures that are ahead in the next one!
Well friends.. in just under 2 weeks, on October 8, 2016, I will be landing in Canada as a Permanent Resident!
I was approved on August 12th and received my Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) a few days later. HOWEVER, the CIC sent my documents to my husband in Quebec, instead of sending them to me in Virginia. So, $15.00 for postage and a few days later, I finally received them!
The contents of the letter included two copies of the COPR (one for me and one for the border service officer) as well as a letter stating that my application was approved, how to get the COPR finalized when I land, and customs rules for importing personal belongings.
When landing as an immigrant/ settler you are basically given a one-time pass to bring your personal belongings to Canada duty/tax free. You are required to fill out the BSF186 - Personal Effects Accounting Document. This document informs the CBSA officer of the immigrants identification as well as all of the items he/she is bringing into the country. Oh yeah, did I mention you have to make a list of EVERYTHING you're bringing with you? You also have to include a description of each item and what it costs. Also, if you have any electronics or anything with a serial number, they need that information too! Got expensive jewelry? Plan on including a picture of each piece you have. Finally, include the price of EVERYTHING you're bringing!
Depending on what you are bringing with you, packing and listing everything could take some time. I ended up making a spreadsheet that included the item name, description, price, serial number (for items that have them) and location (which box) for each item. I labeled my boxes with a number to make finding specific items easier for the CBSA officers, as well as for myself when I start unpacking! It is quite an undertaking packing up 32 years worth of stuff! As far as getting all of my belongings to Canada, I found that U-Haul had the best deal.
This whole process has been an emotional roller coaster! I'm glad that it is coming to an end and a new chapter will begin very soon!
After I land and get settled into my new home, I will update you all on what my landing experience was like and how I'm settling into my new home in Canada! Until then...
Thanks for reading! I hope you find this and future entries helpful!
So, about 3 weeks ago CIC (Canada immigration and citizenship) opened up MyAccount on the CIC website. It had been opened to other types of immigrants earlier this year, but was now available for people filing for Permanent Residency through the "family class". MyAccount allows applicants to attach their applications to a personal account on the CIC website. MyAccount gives applicants more information on what is happening in the processing of their applications and provides better communication between CIC and the applicant.
Well, needless to say, I have been checking my account everyday since I linked it with my application for permanent residency. On July 22, 2016 my application was updated to show they were processing a background check and checking for eligibility.
When I logged in today, I couldn't believe my eyes. The first thing I saw was that my application had been closed. Closed? What? Why? I had a slightly confused and sinking feeling in my stomach. As I scrolled down the page, I saw " Review of eligibility: PASSED, Review of medical results: PASSED, Background check: COMPLETED, Final decision: This application has been APPROVED!!"
I'm in shock people!
From start to finish it took almost exactly 5 months to get approved!
We aren't cleared for take off just yet. I still have to wait for CIC to send me instructions and documentation for "landing" as a Permanent Resident (I will update you all on that once I receive the letter in the mail). I also need to start packing everything and figure out how I'm going to move all of my stuff out of country.
Wow, just so many emotions right now!
Until next time...
Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far. All monetary conversions are based off of the exchange rate at the time the blog entry was posted.
Mailed: April 22, 2016 (via CanadaPost Xpress Post)
Delivered: April 25, 2016
Credit Card Charged: April 29, 2016
Approved: May 20, 2016 (according the approval letter)
Received Approval: May 27, 2016 (via Canada Post- snail mail)
As per the email I received in April from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), I sent them a PDF copy of my CSQ approval from Quebec via email. As far as I know the next step in the process is for the agent to make the final decision for my Permanent Resident application!
We have our fingers crossed and are hoping for a positive outcome! My visa office is in Ottawa, Ontario. They seem to be processing applications at record speed, so hopefully we will know something SOON!!
Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far. All monetary conversions are based off of the exchange rate at the time the blog entry was posted.
I've got some pretty exciting news to share with you guys!
So a little over a month ago, March 16th to be exact, we submitted our application for Permanent Residency/ Outland Spousal Sponsorship to Canada. On April 13th, my husband received an email from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) stating that they have received our application. This is known as Acknowledgement of Receipt, or AOR. That's only 28 days! Current processing time listed on CIC website is 39 days.
THEN, not even a week later, on April 19th we received another email from CIC that my husband was approved to sponsor me!!
Other good news in the email was that my application for Permanent Residency was forwarded to my Visa Office which is Ottawa, Ontario. This is good news because Ottawa processes applications fairly quick. So while Quebec is processing our Undertaking Application, Ottawa will be processing my application for Permanent Residency!! We *COULD* know the final decision by June!
...but that's a best case scenario...
I will update again once we get more news!
Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far. All monetary conversions are based off of the exchange rate at the time the blog entry was posted.
Outland Spousal Sponsorship for Permanent Residency in Canada
You might want to grab a snack and get cozy because this one is going to be a doozy!
For all of your immigration needs check out Applying to Immigrate to Canada. There are many different options besides a "Family Class" sponsorship, such as Express Entry, Quebec Selected Skilled Worker, Refugee, etc. You can also check out the CanadaVisa.com Immigration Forum. I've found it to be extremely helpful.
There are quite a few documents that you will need to supply with your application. The first of which is a Police Certificate for every country you have lived in for 6 months or more since the age of 18.
For the United States that means submitting a request to the FBI. Their current processing times are pretty long, about 12-16 weeks (or 3-4 months)! So, I recommend submitting your request fairly early on in your quest to build your application for Permanent Residency. HOWEVER, some people say that it is okay to submit your application for Permanent Residency without the FBI criminal history as long as you have proof that you have actually sent the request in (usually a payment receipt or shipping receipt). CIC is now aware of the long wait times.
The process for submitting your request is pretty easy. First, download the application form from the FBI website (here) and complete it. Second, get your fingerprints done. You can usually get your fingerprints done at any local police station. I think it cost me $5 per card. I would recommend getting 2 - 5 cards done JUST IN CASE. If a fingerprint cannot be read by the machine used at the FBI then they may reject your request and you will have to resubmit a new request (putting you that much further behind). So, sending multiple cards at one time could potentially be a time saver. But only 1 card is required. Third, fill out and print off a credit card form from the FBI website to include in your application for your payment OR get a money order or certified check for $18.00 USD (the cost of the processing fee). Cash, personal checks, and business checks are NOT accepted. Fourth, and final step, mail your request!
FBI CJIS Division - Summary Request
1000 Custer Hollow Road
Clarksburg, WV 26306
If you have submitted your application and you're getting close to the 12-16 week mark, but haven't seen your credit card has been charged, or haven't received your request in the mail (it will come in a big brown envelope via snail mail) you can call 304-625-5590 and someone will be able to check on it for you. However, don't call a week or two after you mail it because they won't be able to help you at that time.
Start gathering the other items that you and your sponsor will need to include in your application. You only need to send a photocopy of each item, unless the original is requested. These items include:
birth certificates for both you and your sponsor
marriage certificate
divorce certificate (if you've ever been divorced)
death certificate (if you've been widowed)
If you're immigrating to any province OTHER THAN Quebec (there's a slightly different process for Quebec), you will also need to include:
Option C print out (last notice of assessment for most recent taxation year) (sponsor/co-signer only). This can be obtained online at Canada Revenue Agency - My Account. If you don't already have an account, you can register for one there as well. Or you can call 1-800-959-8281 call to request to have one mailed to you.
Proof of employment letter (sponsor/ co-signer only) This should be an original not a photocopy.
Proof of income (sponsor/co-signer only) via paycheck stubs or letter from employer.
**** Quebec applicants will be required to complete an undertaking application and application for selection certificate. ****
Basically, the Quebec government has to approve the sponsor and sponsored person in addition to the Canadian government. So, they will ask for this information at a later time, after you submit your application for Permanent Residency to the Canadian government. I will do a blog post on this once we reach that point in our journey.
Once you've gathered those items, or have at least gotten the ball rolling on getting them, you should start gathering items for the "Proof of Relationship" section of the application.
Pictures of you and your sponsor over the course of your relationship. Pictures can include family events, vacations, candid shots, etc. These are important because they can show the passage of time due to different seasons, weight gain or loss, different hairstyles/lengths etc. Also, showing that you've met family and friends can be helpful. IMPORTANT RULES TO FOLLOW: ALL PHOTOS MUST BE LOOSE! This means no flash drives, photo albums, picture frames, videos, etc. Pictures can be printed on normal printer paper or on photo paper. If you print your pictures on normal printer paper you can include multiple pictures on one page. INCLUDE DETAILS! Include who is in the photo, when the photo was taken, where the photo was taken, and a brief description. If your pictures are printed on photo paper you can write on the back of the picture OR you can type up your picture information, print it on normal paper and then tape the description on the back of the picture. This reduces the risk of the ink smearing on the picture under it. If you print your pictures on regular printer paper you can put the description beside, above, or below the photo (just make sure it is clear which description goes with which picture).
Boarding Passes/Travel Documents: This can include hotel reservation/receipts, boarding passes/ booking confirmation of flights taken, etc.
Joint Accounts: If you have any accounts together (credit cards, utility bills, bank accounts, life insurance, etc) send copies/ proof of these.
Letters/ Cards: These can include letters/cards that you may have mailed to each other OR ones that you have received addressed to both you and your sponsor (i.e. Christmas Cards). I chose to make photocopies of the cards that my husband and I sent to each other, so that we could keep the originals for sentimental reasons. You are not guaranteed that any of your documents will be returned to you after your application has been processed.
Chat Logs: Screenshots of Facebook chat logs, text messages, Skype chat, or any other chat logs can be submitted. If you have many years of logs, try to take a few sections from each month. Also, send the everyday conversations, not just the lovey dovey stuff. CIC is looking to see that you are in a genuine relationship, meaning you talk about everyday stuff. We also included our very first conversations from the dating website we met on.
Facebook Posts: I included a sampling of screen shots of Facebook posts between my husband and I which showed special occasions and comments from our friends and family.
Wedding Items: Include things like bridal shower invitations and pictures, wedding invitations, wedding pictures, pictures from the reception, pictures and other things from the honeymoon (i.e. hotel receipt or confirmation email, tickets from events attended or special outings). Again, pictures should be loose and include details.
Gifts/ Money: If you have sent each other gifts in the mail include receipts (ones with the to and from address are the best). Also, if you have sent each other money on sites like PayPal include a statement showing the dates and amount sent (you can get this directly from your PayPal account), or via Western Union you can include any receipts you may have showing the recipient, date, and amount.
Letters from Friends and Family: You may want to get your friends and family to write letters vouching for your relationship. These letters should include the name of whomever is writing it, their relationship to either the sponsor or the sponsored person, how long they have known the sponsor or sponsored person, when and how the met the sponsor or sponsored person, and how they feel about the relationship between the sponsor and the sponsored person. The letters should also include address, phone number, and signature of the person who wrote it. (It's unlikely that CIC will contact them, but it looks better if it's included). For example, say I had a friend write a letter for me. She would say that she has known me for 14 years and that she met me in high school. She would say that she met my husband around Christmas time in 2014. She would write about how I had talked to her a lot about him over the past year and how excited she was to finally meet him. She would write about how seeing us together, she could tell that we were meant to be.. or something along those lines. Get the idea? There is no specific length, but most of our letters were about 1 page long.
Basically you want to prove to the CIC agent processing your application that your relationship with your sponsor is true and genuine and you're not in a marriage of convenience or committing marriage fraud.
Here's a little Jim Carrey stand-up... enjoy!
Ok, now time for the application forms. Again, this is for Family Class: Spousal Sponsorship: Outland application.
The links above take you step by step through the CIC website to get you to the forms you will need. #7 is where you will find the forms. Follow the guide and instructions to know which forms you need to complete. It's best to complete the forms online, making sure that you click the VALIDATE button once you're finished, and then print. This should create a page full of bar codes that CIC uses to help process your application. If you come across something you have questions about, again, you can check out Canadavisa.com- Immigration Forum for answers. This forum has helped me TREMENDOUSLY throughout this whole process.
Helpful hint: If you do not have enough space to answer a question on any of the forms, complete your response on an addition piece of paper. You should include your name and a page number at the top of the page. Include which form and question the additional information is for.
Example:
IMM
5669E - SCHEDULE A BACKGROUND/ DECLARATION <---- form
question---> 6. Have you, or, if you are the principal applicant, any of your family
members listed in your application for permanent residence in Canada, ever:
then you would enter the additional information below.
The last couple of things you're going to want to do before putting everything together is to schedule your medical exam and pay your application fees. If you haven't read my blog post about medical exams, you can check it out here Information Overload: Criminal Rehab and Medical Exams. In short, you don't have to get your medical exam "upfront" (before CIC requests it), but it will save you from processing delays later on. It's best to call around to the Approved Panel Physicians to get the best price (chances are, your local primary care physician IS NOT on the approved list of physicians). If you choose to get your medical exam done upfront, you will need to wait to submit your Permanent Residence application until you receive your proof of examination document from the doctor's office. They may give you the paper the day of the exam, or they may send it to you a few days later.
Now on to the fees. From what I understand, fees have to be paid online. You can do so here Pay Your Fees. Select the appropriate country you're paying from and make the appropriate selection under FAMILY CLASS. Continue on until you get to the section where you select your fees. Since we were applying for Outland Spousal Sponsorship with only one principal applicant, these are the fees we had to pay:
Sponsorship Application Fee : $75.00
Principal Applicant: $475.00
Right of Permanent Residence Fee: $490.00 *** You can choose to pay this upfront to avoid processing delays OR you can wait for CIC to request it***
So, that's a total of $1040.00 CAD. You will need to print off the receipt and include it in your application where indicated by the document checklist.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
Once you have all of your documents, all of your proof of relationship items, and all of your forms completed, you're going to have to put it all together. I found this super helpful thread in the Canadavisa.com forum titled How To Organize Your Application that I used to build my application. Here you can find pictures and detailed descriptions of what to do.
Here is my completed application:
I split the application into 3 sections: 1) Sponsor Forms and Supporting Documents, 2) Sponsored Spouse Forms and Supporting Documents, and 3) Proof of Relationship. I made sure to write on each envelope that it was an "Outland Spousal Sponsorship" application. I also indicated that the sponsor was my husband and the sponsored spouse was myself.
Envelope 1: Sponsor Forms and Supporting Documents
You should avoid using staples and use paperclips or binder clips instead. I also used tabs to indicate where each form is located in the application, where the additional information for the forms is located, as well as where the supporting documents are. You should place the bar codes on top of the application, followed by the document checklist, and the forms/documents in order according to the document checklist. If there are items on the document checklist that do not apply to you, mark them as N/A (not applicable).
Envelope 2: Sponsored Spouse Forms and Supporting Documents
This is organized the same as envelope #1. Bar codes on top, followed by the document checklist, and then the forms/ documents in order of the document checklist. I, again, used tabs to indicate where forms, additional information, and supporting documents are located.
You will need to include 4 passport sized photos (Canadian passport size) with your application. Keep in mind that depending on your country of origin, you may have to send more photos or fewer photos, so make sure you read the Country Specific Instructions carefully. At least one picture needs to have the date the photo was taken, name and address of the photography studio, as well as your name and date of birth on the back. My photos were taken at a local pharmacy in Quebec (much like a Walgreens or CVS in the U.S.) and they stamped the back of each photo with their information. Because of this, I placed a small piece of paper between each of my photos before placing them in a normal letter size envelope. The paper was to prevent the ink on the back of one photo from smearing on the front of the photo below it. I wrote my name and date of birth on the envelope as well.
I used a paperclip to ensure that the envelope would remain closed and then used a binder clip to attach it to my application.
Envelope #3: Proof of Relationship
Since there is not a document checklist for the proof of relationship section, I created a sort of table of contents for it. I just listed the documents I had in detail to make it easy for the CIC agent to know what I included and where to find it. I also placed tabs at the beginning of each document to make it easy to find.
Something you may want to do is write a summary of your relationship with your sponsor; how you met, the development of your relationship, why you want to live together in Canada, what you want out of your future together, etc.
Since I had loose photos that I had printed on photo paper, I decided it would be easiest to sort them by trip (my trips to visit my husband and his trips to visit me) and place them into zip-lock bags so they wouldn't get mixed up.
Since the photos were sorted by trip, I also sorted the other documents (such as hotel confirmations, receipts, movie tickets, plane tickets, etc) by trip. I placed them in an even larger zip-lock bag along with the photos to keep everything organized.
Once you're done, place everything in their appropriate envelopes!
I decided to get a large accordion style folder (the kind without the dividers inside) to place all of the envelopes in so that they would all be together and wouldn't get lost. I also placed a label on the outside stating that this was an application for Outland Spousal Sponsorship and included my name as the sponsored spouse and my husbands name as the sponsor.
To ship our application, we used an old box from an amazon order instead of buying a box at the store. We simply removed the amazon prime tape and the old shipping label, made sure that we taped the box well, and placed our new shipping info on top. I just printed our mailing address and the CIC address on normal printer paper and taped it to the box. Make sure you leave room for the courier to place any labels/ postage they may need on the box.
Depending on your application type and how you plan on sending your application, there are various addresses to use. You can find them here Case Processing Center: Mississauga, Ontario. I highly recommend sending your application via courier (i.e. UPS, FedEx, XpressPost, etc.) and use
2 Robert Speck Parkway, Suit 300
Mississauga, ON L4Z 1H8
This way you can track your package and request for signature upon delivery to make sure your application arrives. We used CanadaPost XpressPost. This included 2 day delivery, $100 insurance, and tracking. We paid a few dollars more to include the signature request. In total we paid about $18.00 CAD. We mailed our package around 3:30pm on March 15 and it arrived the next morning!!
So, now we are playing the waiting game. Good news though! I've noticed that CIC has DRASTICALLY reduced their processing times for Acceptance of Receipt (AOR) and Sponsorship Approval (SA). Before Justin Trudeau became Prime Minister of Canada, processing times were about 60 days to receive AOR. Since January of this year, that time has quickly been decreasing and is now at about 23 days to receive AOR. We have also seen people receive their SA about one week after that! CRAZY FAST! So, while were are super excited about that, we are trying to be realistic and not get our hopes up (while checking our emails every day and keeping a close eye on the CanadaVisa.com forum! haha)
If this is you....
... I completely understand! I'm sorry for the long post!
BUT... if you did read this massive text, I hope that you found it helpful!
Below is an updated list of costs and the current total amount of money spent on the process thus far.
