COPR and Visa validity

[divyahuria]

Dear Team,

I have received my COPR and visa on 26/02/2020 with validity of mid April,2020. However my medical reports were valid till mid June,2020. There are lot of travel restrictions being placed by many countries due to spread of COVID-19.

How long is my COPR and visa valid. Also I need to understand is there extensions allowed on COPR and Visa as this is my first landing in Canada and I need to enter to have my PR card.

There are some updates on twitter page of IRCC that PR landing appointments are cancelled till April13, 2020.

Please advise.

[SettlementOrgMod]

Hello Vivya,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

You may find helpful information in IRCC’s article, How the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is affecting immigration, refugees, citizenship and passport services: immigration applicants.

Here is an excerpt:

Permanent residence applications approved on or before March 18, 2020
If your application was approved on or before March 18, 2020, but you haven’t travelled to Canada yet, you’re exempt from the travel restriction measures.

Landing appointments will be held by telephone, if possible.
We cancelled all in-person permanent resident landing appointments until further notice. All landing appointments will be done by telephone whenever possible. Otherwise, we’ll reschedule them for later.
[…]
Approved permanent resident applicants with expired or expiring documents
If we already approved your permanent resident application but you can’t travel to Canada before your documents expire, use the Web form to tell us why you can’t travel.

Once it’s possible for you to travel, use the Web form to let us know so we can tell you what to do next.

Landing appointments are still being held over the phone, and given that your application was approved before March 18, 2020, you may be exempt from travel restrictions. You may also want to contact IRCC directly with a case-specific inquiry. In which case, it is best to use their web form, here.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

Sincerely,

Settlement.Org Team

[K2kel]

Good evening , I receive my VISA and COPR and they made a mistake on my name with one letter is missing.They spelled my name incorrectly, the M is missing . Can i land with the it. I just want to know if they can correct it in port of entry in canada

[SettlementOrgMod]

@K2kel

Good evening , I receive my VISA and COPR and they made a mistake on my name with one letter is missing.They spelled my name incorrectly, the M is missing . Can i land with the it. I just want to know if they can correct it in port of entry in canada

Hello There,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.

You may find helpful information in IRCC’s Help Centre article: How do I correct an error on my immigration document?

If there is an error on your immigration document:

• complete a Request to Amend Record of Landing, Confirmation of Permanent Residence or Valid Temporary Resident Documents form, and
• send it to the Operations Support Centre in Ottawa, Ontario.

An amendment will only be made if your document does not match the personal information in your entry passport.

You may want to file this request before landing. Feel free to also contact IRCC using their web form to make a case-specific inquiry about this process.

We hope this information is helpful, and hope other users are able to share their experience.

If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team

[Syphon74]

Hi, I have the same problem, my permanent residence was approved in October, I have my ticket bought for flight at the end of January 2021, I’ve heard that there are people who couldn’t enter to make the landing, I’ve read only people with residence approved before march can do it. I contact IRCC and only have auto responses. I really need to go to Canada as soon as possible, it’s been 4 years since I started this process, is there any chance to make my landing by that date? What happen to all the people who have residence approved and could not been able to make the landing before this pandemic? I’m gonna lose my job opportunity if I cannot pass through immigration that day. Meanwhile immigration keep talking about new immigration plans, why do they do that if people with COPR cannot enter to be residents? I really need someone to explain it to me, thanks

[SettlementOrgMod]

@Syphon74

Hi, I have the same problem, my permanent residence was approved in October, I have my ticket bought for flight at the end of January 2021, I’ve heard that there are people who couldn’t enter to make the landing, I’ve read only people with residence approved before march can do it. I contact IRCC and only have auto responses. I really need to go to Canada as soon as possible, it’s been 4 years since I started this process, is there any chance to make my landing by that date? What happen to all the people who have residence approved and could not been able to make the landing before this pandemic? I’m gonna lose my job opportunity if I cannot pass through immigration that day. Meanwhile immigration keep talking about new immigration plans, why do they do that if people with COPR cannot enter to be residents? I really need someone to explain it to me, thanks

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us. We understand your interest in wanting to assess your options in this situation.
The Canadian government has implemented many travel restrictions for foreign nationals due to COVID-19; however, some people who have been approved to become permanent residents of Canada, but who are not yet permanent residents may still travel to Canada. Your ability to land in Canada will depend on a number of factors.

If you are a temporary worker with a work permit:
If the job opportunity you mentioned is one in which you would be employed as a temporary worker, you would be exempt from travel restrictions if your travel is for a non-discretionary purpose. As a worker, your travel is non-discretionary if:

[table][tr][td] - You are a worker who meets all of the following:
o you have a letter of introduction for a work permit (open or employer-specific)
o you have a valid job offer
o you can work once you enter Canada and complete your 14-day quarantine (unless you’re exempt)
[/table]

Please note that your travel will be considered discretionary if your employer has closed their business due to COVID-19.

Also please note that once you arrive in Canada and are able to validate your COPR to become a permanent resident, you will be able to work in Canada with the same freedoms as a citizen. This means that you will not have to try to obtain a new work permit to remain in the country.

If you are a temporary or essential worker without a work permit:
If you do not have a work permit, but are coming to Canada from the United States for a non-discretionary purpose, you are exempt from the travel restrictions if:

[table][tr][td]- your application was approved

•   you have received your COPR and PRV and both are still valid and
  

•   you have an acceptable plan to quarantine for 14 days in Canada
  

[/table]

If you do not have a work permit and are coming to Canada from any country other than the United States for a non-discretionary purpose, then you are exempt from the travel restrictions only if your job falls into one of the following essential categories:

[table][tr][td] - any person whose purpose is to deliver, maintain or repair medical equipment or devices

•   air or marine crew members
  

•   emergency service providers
  

•   health-care students
  

•   any person whose purpose is to make medical deliveries
  

•   technicians or specialists installing, inspecting, repairing or maintaining equipment
  

•   commercial or research open-water aquaculture workers
  

[/table]

Please note that the province or territory where you’ll work may have other additional restrictions.

If you are not a temporary or an essential worker:
If you are not a temporary or essential worker, as a person whose COPR was issued after March 18, 2020 you are only exempt from the current travel restrictions if you are either an immediate family member sponsored by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident or you are currently living in the United States and will be coming to Canada directly. Please note that in either of these two situations, to be exempt you would also have to show that you are coming to Canada to settle permanently and prove that you are able to quarantine for 14 days.

We hope that you find this information helpful. Please let us know if you have any further questions.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team
This response was prepared with the assistance of PBSC law student volunteers. PBSC volunteers are not lawyers and they are not authorized to provide legal advice. This document contains general discussion of certain legal and related issues only. This response does not contain legal advice. If you require legal advice, please consult with a lawyer.