Having a permanent resident card is evidence that you possess permanent resident status. It is not a guarantee that you can enter Canada. At best, it allows for ease of boarding an airplane to Canada. After you disembark, you may find that a Canada Border Services Agency officer may look at the card, then look at you, then look at the card again, and then ask you to step aside for further questioning.
When a Canadian permanent resident travels to the USA, questions that the Canada Border Services Agency may pose upon return to Canada may include:
• if returning from a lengthy USA trip, the amount of days you been outside of Canada;
• how you financially support yourself;
• the amount of days you have left on your permanent resident card;
• where you plan on residing for the duration of your PR card’s validity;
• whether you have worked while in the USA.
The above are just a few general questions that may arise as a result of travelling to the USA and returning to Canada on a permanent resident card. Most of the above questions, depending on their response can lead to further queries by a Canada Border Services Agency officer under the auspices of an ‘examination’ (aka extensive questioning by a Canada Border Services Agency officer).
The result of such questioning could, depending on the findings of fact revealed to the Canada Border Services Agency officer, lead to a finding that your permanent resident card is not valid, resulting in the issuance of a removal order. The removal order is appeal-able to the Immigration Refugee Board (Appeal Division) but that would lead to difficulty in traveling outside of Canada pending the outcome of that appeal, just to mention the short term consequences.
