Landing in Canada

Good news!

I just discovered that it is now possible for all temporary residents to "land" in Canada as a permanent resident, without going to a Port of Entry. Previously, the law allowed this only for those with a valid work permit and who have been working under said permit for at least one year. Now, to quote the official source, "these regulatory changes apply to all foreign nationals in the Economic and Family classes who have valid temporary resident status in Canada (i.e., workers, students or visitors)."

The law now states:

1. A foreign national who is a member of a class referred to in subsection 70(2) and is outside Canada must, to become a permanent resident, present their permanent resident visa to an officer at a port of entry;
2. A foreign national who is a member of a class referred to in paragraph 70(2)(a) or (b) and who is a temporary resident in Canada must, to become a permanent resident, present their permanent resident visa to an officer at a port of entry or at an office of the Department in Canada.

It is unclear whether this means that someone can just move in with a visitor's visa several months in advance of the presumed issuance of their PR visa and land on the spot when they have it (which is an interesting "loophole"). But for those of us who have a student visa this removes the hassle of going to the US border, and the hassle of getting a denied entry because of the need for a US visa.

The procedure is simple: contact the CIC hotline and schedule an appointment at the local CIC office (most big cities have one). Let's hope this doesn't get repealed by the time I get a PR visa...