Sending Passport from United States to Ottawa for Canadian PR Visa Stamping

中文版：加拿大PR贴签：从美国寄护照到渥太华 – Frank’s Weblog

Recently, we are approved Canadian permanent residency through Express Entry, we received a passport request letter requesting us to send the passport to Ottawa for visa stamping.

In the vast majority of countries, passport submission for visa stamping is typically handled through a local VFS Visa Application Center (VAC). For applicants in the United States, some may be required to go through VFS, while others may be instructed to mail their passports to the Case Processing Center (CPCO) in Ottawa. This guide does not apply if your Passport Request letter instructs you to submit via VFS/VAC. Please read your Passport Request letter carefully. If there is any conflict between the instructions in your letter and this guide, follow the instructions in the letter.

Documents to be Mailed

• Original passports for all applicants.
• Two PR photos per person for all applicants that meet the specifications. Write the following on the back of each photo: name, date of birth, the photo studio’s name and address, and the date the photo was taken.
• Filled and printed Annex A in the email. (We printed one copy and both of us signed it).
• Commercial Invoice for both the outbound and return shipments.
• Return envelope and return shipping label.

Create Outbound and Return Shipping Labels

I used FedEx, but you can use your preferred courier service.

1. Go to fedex.com and click on Shipping -> Create a Shipment in the navigation bar.
2. A window might pop up asking you to “Set up an account.” Follow the instructions to do so.
3. Create a new “Outbound Shipment”.
   • Fill out “Sender” section with your information.
   • Fill out “Recipient” section with the CPCO address provided in the email. However, use your own phone number and email instead.
   • If the address is too long: I put CPCO-PR VISA in the “Name” field and US Perm/Temp Res Visa/Passports in the “Company” field.
   • In “How would you like to complete your Commercial Invoice” section, select “I want FedEx to help me create a commercial invoice.”
   • After finalizing the shipment, print the Label and Commercial Invoice.
4. Create another “Outbound Shipment”, repeat the steps above,
   • Fill out Sender with CPCO’s address and your phone number and email.
   • Fill out Recipient with your address.
   • I selected “Outbound” for the return trip as well since I didn’t fully understand what “Import shipment” or “Return shipment” options were for.
5. Check the Commercial Invoice for the return shipment. Ensure the line for “Duties and Taxes Payable by” has “Consignee” selected. If it’s not, download a blank Commercial Invoice form from the FedEx website, fill it out manually, and print it.

Mailing the Package

Go to a FedEx store and get two envelopes. Some envelopes have a clear pouch attached, if there’s not, you can ask a store employee for one. Place the Label and Commercial Invoice for each envelope into its respective pouch, one set for the outbound envelope, one set for the return envelope.

Finally, put all your documents and the prepared return envelope inside the outbound envelope.

Timeline

• Day 1: Received “Ready for visa” email.
• Day 3: Mailed the package.
• Day 4: Package was delivered at 2303 Stevenage Dr. Don’t worry, this is the right address.
• Day 9: Tracker updated: “We received the passport(s)/travel document(s) you sent us.”
• Day 11: GCKey status changed to “Final Decision – Approved”; Counterfoil appeared in the Documents section. Later that day, received an email from CPCO requesting the Commercial Invoice.
• Day 12: Received another email from CPCO requesting a corrected Commercial Invoice because the “Duties and Taxes Payable by” field was incorrect. Tracker status changed to “closed.”
• Day 16: Package was shipped from Ottawa.
• Day 17: Received passport and CoPR.

Important Notes

1. Mailing to Ottawa for visa stamping is slower and less predictable than VFS. If you have upcoming travel plans, try to allow at least 3-4 weeks to avoid issues.
2. Ensure your photos strictly meet the requirements. Otherwise, you will be asked to resubmit photos, and cause further delays.
3. The Commercial Invoice must be placed in the plastic pouch with the shipping label, not inside the envelope. For the outbound shipment, if you accidentally put it inside the envelope but selected “Attach trade documents electronically” when creating the label, it might be okay.
4. For the return shipment, you have to provide a physical paper copy of the Commercial Invoice, even if you also submitted it electronically. CPCO will not know you filed it electronically or not.

References

• 加拿大PR贴签，一起寄多份护照非常confusing
• Sending passport directly to ON, Canada for PR Visa : r/ImmigrationCanada
• Sending passport from USA to Canada