Permanent Residency and eTA in Canada

Hello,

I’m a resident of France, and my husband and I have submitted an application for permanent residency in Canada after obtaining our CSQ. Our application is still being processed. My husband is the principal applicant.

I need to travel to Montreal alone for a few days soon for work-related reasons.

If we happen to receive confirmation of permanent residency in the meantime, could there be an issue with me crossing the border? I don’t want to activate the permanent residency—just enter as a tourist and make a quick round trip.

On the IRCC website, it says that dependents cannot arrive in Canada before the principal applicant. I understand this is because only the principal applicant can activate permanent residency by going through immigration.

However, does this also exclude temporary stays for dependents? Since my eTA should still be valid as long as the permanent residency isn’t activated, I should still be able to enter Canada as a tourist, right?

Thanks so much for your feedback!

Best regards,

Hey, Normally, to enter Canada as a permanent resident, you need a document (okay, 20 years ago it was the IMM 1000, but according to the IRCC website, it’s now the COPR—Confirmation of Permanent Residence). It’s only with this document that you’ll “activate” your permanent residence. So as long as you don’t arrive with the COPR, you can enter Canada with your eTA and a tourist status.

Final little note: Good luck with your move to Canada—I made the “big leap” nearly 25 years ago now 😛

Thanks so much for your reply! Does this mean that even if we have the COPR, we can choose not to activate it and arrive as tourists? I’m not the principal applicant, and I saw on the IRCC website that the spouse can’t arrive before the principal applicant. I’m worried the immigration officer might refuse me entry to Canada because (i) I’m a permanent resident since I received the COPR (so I can no longer be considered a tourist) and (ii) I can’t enter because the principal applicant isn’t with me... What do you think? Thanks so much!!

Hi there, Since I don’t work for IRCC and I’m not an immigration lawyer, I won’t go any further. I wouldn’t want to put you in a "problematic" situation. For a 100% sure answer, I’d recommend asking your question directly to IRCC. Good luck with your new life in Canada!😛