|
Pollie Posts: 3
Posted On: 8/10/2017
|
Hello,
I hope you can help with my query.
My step-mother was due to fly from Surinam to Canada via Trinidad on August 8, 2017, with my father.
But since she is a Dutch citizen (my father holds Canadian citizenship), she had to complete an electronic Travel Authorization (eTA).
When she did this, she received the response that the eTA could not be granted because the system showed she was a Canadian citizen. She is most certainly not, and therefore does not have a Canadian passport.
Many years ago she lived in Canada (from the 1970s until about 1995), and she has a Canadian SIN and a driver's license.
She was considered a landed immigrant, and left before Permanent Resident cards began to be issued, so she has never held one.
Since then she has traveled to Canada many times without an issue. This time she was able to come as far as Trinidad, but is stuck there, and has lost the flight she paid for, and has been unable to speak to anyone who can help her with her situation.
My father and I have also tried to speak to officials on our end here in Canada, but all our efforts have been futile, and we have just been sent around the loop of recorded messages at IRCC. I hope you can offer some advice. I have been reading about all kinds of problems with eTAs.
I am wondering if it might be possible for her to fly to the US and enter the country by land using her Dutch passport (the only one she has ever held).
But I am also worried that the system will deem her a permanent resident once she arrives at the Canada-US border, even though she has never had a card. If so, can she still enter the country that way using her Dutch passport?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
|
|
|
link
|
|
Moderator Moderator Posts: 4075
Posted On: 8/14/2017
|
Hello,
Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.
We can appreciate that you would be very concerned about this situation and interested in finding out what her options are.
We can also appreciate that this would be extremely frustrating.
Unfortunately, we are not aware as to why the system may be saying she is a Canadian Citizen if she is not a Canadian Citizen, as we do not have access to that type of information.
All we can suggest is that you continue to try and contact the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Call Centre directly to see if they can provide some clarification regarding this matter.
Some of our users have stated that it has been easier for them to get through by dialing right when the lines open at 8 a. m.
According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website in the Flying to Canada? section,
Canadian permanent residents do not need an eTA to fly to Canada, but they do need to travel with their Canadian permanent resident (PR) card or PR travel document. Otherwise, they may not be able to board their flight to Canada.
In terms of your step-mother entering Canada as a permanent resident, you can find some additional information related to returning to Canada without a PR card on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada website in the I need to leave Canada and I do not have a permanent resident card. Can I later return to Canada without a PR card? 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.
=====
Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org
|
|
|
link
|
|
Pollie Posts: 3
Posted On: 8/14/2017
|
Thanks for your response, we will keep trying to sort things out. I appreciate you taking the time.
|
|
|
link
|
|
PMM Posts: 661
Posted On: 8/15/2017
|
Hi
Pollie wrote:
Thanks for your response, we will keep trying to sort things out. I appreciate you taking the time.
1. Your step mother is a permanent resident (landed immigrant) from the information that you gave, not a Canadian citizen. Immaterial that she never got a permanent resident card.
2. If she has been accompanying your father overseas, then she has never lost her PR status. She would have to apply for a PR Travel Document at the overseas office with proof that she has accompanied a Canadian citizen spouse overseas.
3. If she hasn't been accompanying your father, then she would have to renounce her PR status to obtain an ETA.
|
|
|
link
|
|
Pollie Posts: 3
Posted On: 8/15/2017
|
Hi, thanks for responding. We have now had a second response from IRCC and they are still insisting she is a Canadian citizen. So the problem goes deep and will be difficult to untangle, more than just a matter of renouncing PR status. She is certainly not a citizen and never applied for citizenship. Thanks to those who have taken the time to weigh in. I guess our only option is to continue to attempt communication with IRCC and convince them that a mistake has been made.
|
|
|
link
|