a big question answered

Mollie of Greener Pastures wins the prize! The first person to answer our last unanswered question about the immigration process.

Once we're approved by Canadian Immigration, we'll be issued a visa, which has an expiration date, by which time we must take residence in Canada in order to get our Permanent Residence status. We know the visa has a time limit - but up to now we've had no way of knowing what that time limit is. The information is not on any official CIC information, presumably because it varies by country and under different circumstances.

Americans who have been living in Canada for many years don't know, because the process has changed a good deal since they left. But the Greener Pastures family moved in early 2004, and became Permanent Residents very recently.

The envelope please? Six months.

In other words, once we're completely cleared for take off, we'll have six months to get the hell out. That should be more than adequate. I'm thinking we can do it in three.

***

Also it took Mollie's family 14 months from application acceptance to visa issuance, not 18 as I previously reported. Four months better.

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