What is important to do for a short landing?

The Landing Experience
1

My wife & I are going to short land in Toronto for 1 week and then come back to finalize our stuff before landing in Canada for good. Now, I have the following queries and I really appreciate it if someone can help me out:

  1. I’m going to give the officer my friend’s address in Toronto for my PR card to be mailed there but I hear if I inform the officer that I’m staying for a week or two only, chances are he won’t mail the PR card. How true is this? If this is the case, then do u suggest I plan a longer stay period even if it’s not necessary?

  2. What can I do during this one week in Canada which might save me time later on (opening a bank account, obtaining SIN number, OHIP, driving license, etc.).

  3. What’s the least amount of fund we have to have with us for landing in Canada? Obviously, for amounts exceeding 10,000 CAD for each individual, one has to declare, but is there a minimum requirement? Some people say you have to have with you no less than $14,853 for two people as you initially declared on your proof of fund. Is that right?! The reason I’m asking this is that we obviously don’t need a large sum of money for a one week stay in Canada and as such we are not willing to carry a huge amount of money with us and risk losing money on currency exchange rate when we get back home and exchange them for local currency.

  4. Any other points/precautions I should take heed of?

Looking forward to your kind responses

2

Hello dsiraj,

Thank you for sharing your situation with us.

If you and your wife have been granted permanent resident (PR) status you will receive your PR cards by mail after you have filled out your confirmation of permanent residence document. On this document you can provide your mailing address if you haven’t done so already. You can also update or change your mailing address online up to 180 days after becoming a permanent resident.

Once CIC has received your complete application package, your PR cards will be processed. Check the current processing times for up to date information.

Here is an excerpt from our article I need to leave Canada but do not have my PR card yet. What should I do?
If you gave Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) an address in Canada, but you left before the card was mailed to you, you can ask your family or friends who live at that address to send you the PR card. You can then re-enter Canada with your PR Card. However, if you do this, you are taking a risk.

According to a CIC representative we spoke to, CIC recommends that you remain in Canada to receive your PR card; they do not mail cards outside of Canada. If you are not in Canada to receive your card and a third-party will receive it, CIC may not send the card to you. It is up to the Immigration officer at the point of entry to decide if they will send your PR card to a third party while you are not in Canada. If you leave and wish to return to Canada as a PR, you will need your PR card or a PR travel document to prove to the CBSA officers that you have PR status.

You may want to contact the Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) Call Centre directly for information about your situation.

During your planned stay in Canada you may want to begin settling in your city of destination. If you wish to do this you will have to make sure to bring certain documents with you.

Some Canadian documents have requirements that you will need to meet to apply. These requirements will differ. Most applications require some form of Canadian issued identification and for some you must reside in Ontario for a period of time in order to apply.

For specific requirements, read these articles

If you are coming to Canada as a PR there is no minimum or maximum amount that you need to bring. You should however, be able to prove that you have enough money to support yourself and your family in Canada. Read How Do I Bring Money Into Canada for more information.

Finally, you may want to browse the CBSA website to learn what to expect at the border. Also, you can visit Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website for more information regarding immigration and citizenship requirements.

I would recommend reading the booklet My First Days: A Guide to Your First Two Weeks in Ontario. It has information on what to do when you arrive at the airport, how to find housing and health, employment and immigration information.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Ashley
Settlement.Org Team

3

Dear Ashley,

Appreciate your detail response to DSIRAJ.
I’m having query as follows…

  1. Do we need to carry entire amount (which we’ve declared at the time of application for PR through express entry) during our first landing after getting PR Visa ?

  2. What if we return back with in a month or two with/without PR card and we want to take back amount which we brought during first landing to stamp our COPR?

4

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your additional questions with us.

Regarding your first question,

According to the CIC Website in the Proof of funds – Skilled immigrants (Express Entry) section.

Regarding your second question,

You can find some information regarding this on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) in the Residents Returning to Canada section.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org