I'm a U.S. citizen and here's my timeline/story:
1999 - Got employment authorization to work in Ottawa and have renewed my
authorization several times; therefore, I have remained in Canada the entire
time;
February, 2002 - Applied to Buffalo as a skilled worker;
December, 2002 - Married a Canadian citizen; Buffalo then switched my
application to family class;
September, 2003 (or thereabouts) - was notified that Buffalo still hadn't
received my medicals or RCMP clearance (it turns out Buffalo had spelled my
name 'Mc Tavish' with an extra space rather than 'McTavish' as I spell it,
so my medicals had been replaced and the RCMP had a huge pile of clearances
to get through so it was taking longer than originally anticipated);
December, 2003 - Request for passport received;
February 1, 2004 - Got passport back in the mail from Buffalo.
Affixed to one of the pages in my passport is my Permanent Resident Visa.
The envelope also contains a document called the Confirmation of Permanent
Residence (CPR). My instructions are to "personally appear at a Canadian
port of entry before the expiration date shown on your visa [June 6, 2004]
...you must present your passport and CDR to the immigration officer at the
port of entry...The immigration officer will then check your visa and travel
documents and ask you questions. If there are no difficulties, he/she will
authorize your admission to Canada as a permanent resident...The immigration
officer will also begin the application for your permanent resident card."
My questions are (and forgive me if this has already been addressed in
previous posts; I did a Google groups search but couldn't find the info I'm
looking for):
--Since I'm already in Canada, can I go to a Canadian port of entry without
leaving Canada or do I have to enter the U.S. and come back in?
--Is there a list of Canadian ports of entry somewhere? Can I just drive
down to Vermont from Montreal, spend the day there and drive back in? If so,
is there a particular port of entry I should go to that's near Montreal?
--Can I go to an airport and meet with an immigration officer without having
to fly out and come back?
--Is there an advantage to flying somewhere and talking to an immigration
officer when I go through customs when I get back or is it just as good to
do it by car?
--Finally, besides my passport and CPR, should I bring any other
documentation with me when I meet with the immigration officer?
Thanks!
Julie
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