With the presence of Covid-19, permanent resident card holders outside of Canada have encountered barriers to the renewal of their permanent resident card. These barriers may be in the form of the inability to book a timely flight back to Canada, or the expiration of their permanent resident card while outside because of Covid-19.
Bear in mind that a permanent resident card application can be made outside of Canada. If the permanent resident card application is successful then the person must pick up the card in person at an immigration office inside of Canada as per section 55 of the Immigration Refugee Protection Regulations. The only exception to this is if the immigration authorities decide to mail the permanent resident card to your Canadian address.
Returning to Canada Later Than Expected
Some permanent resident card holders intended to return to Canada around February 2020 but were stopped by Covid-19. These persons often were close to the maximum allowable amount of days outside of Canada (namely three years of days within a five year period). The resulting inability to travel because of Covid-19 caused the card holder to spend more time outside of Canada than expected. This often means that the amount of time allowed outside of Canada has been exceeded. If the time outside of Canada was more than three years, then one option is to file for a permanent resident travel document
Permanent Resident Travel Document (“PRTD”)
The theoretical solution to being outside too long is one that must be exercised with caution. A visa officer outside of Canada typically receives and decides upon the PRTD. Such officers are often not allotted much time to look at those applications and dismiss them summarily.
Similarly, some persons who apply for a PRTD don’t file enough evidence on matters such as proof of entries or exits into Canada, the reason for being outside of Canada for a temporary purpose, or Humanitarian & Compassionate factors that forced a person to be outside of Canada for more than three years within the relevant five years assessed by the visa officer. Similarly, some persons seeking a PRTD neglect to prove that they have been accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse while outside of Canada, or fail to provide evidence of working on a short term basis full time for a Canadian employer while outside of Canada.
It is important to note that the refusal of a PRTD results in the loss of permanent resident status unless one files an appeal at the Immigration Refugee Board (Appeal Division) within 60 days of the rejected PRTD. A side effect of Covid-19 is that PRTD applications are being processed more slowly by visa officers which force a person to remain outside of Canada longer than anticipated.
Given the possible outcome of the loss of permanent resident status, it would no doubt be beneficial to obtain professional advice about a PRTD and whether or not to initiate a PRTD.
Next Step: Permanent Resident Card Renewal or PRTD
Seeking out options to maintain your permanent resident card? Or alternatively, seeking out whether or not to apply for a PRTD? Contact us.
Hi,
The starting of para 2 “Bear in mind…..” says that PR card application can be made outside of Canada.
In the very next line, it says that the applicant must pick up the renewed card, in person, inside Canada.
If that is so, then how can someone pick up their card, in person, when they are outside Canada with an expired PR card?
Thanks,
Eishpreet Kaur
It is a common problem. The immigration department does not want to make explicit the fact that, practically speaking, you should be in Canada and wait in Canada until your permanent resident card is issued.
What if this application from outside of Canada is made sufficiently ahead of time to allow the PR to come back *before* the expiration of their PR Card to pick up the new one?
Most references I could find indicate that one has to be in Canada to apply for the card. If this is not the case, could you point to an official document that states otherwise?
A lot of the documentation one can find on the internet deals with the case of a PR who is outside of Canada with an expired card. They are told to apply to a Travel Document and to return to Canada. Nothing seems to address the case of a forward-thinking PR that applies *before* it expires 🙁
That’s a good question. If a person is outside of Canada and still has sufficient time to re-enter Canada on the old card, this should not pose a barrier to permanent resident card issuance.
I am currently outside Canada, did not spend the required 2 years within the 5 year cycle of the PR period.
It expires in March 23
Can I apply from outside Canada, and come to Canada to pick it up once it is ready?
Can I come to Canada to apply and travel back, and once mailed to my Canadian address my reletive mail it to my address outside Canada?
Hello, to help preserve confidentiality please email your question to clerk@chaudharylaw.wpenginepowered.com, thank you.
Looking for help with in your country canada
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My mothers PR card expires in April and she is in India and I dont think she can come here before April with current Covid restrictions. Can I apply from here with her documents for PR card renewal? It says everywhere that the applicant needs to be physically present in Canada but with Covid its not possible. Hopefully she can come in person by the time it is ready to pick up the PR card
Hello, thanks for your question, we’ll reach out to you shortly.
even my query is same plz mr. chaudhary reply thomas and me a solution to the problem my mother pr card is going to expire in july
Hello we’ll reach out by email
Hello Max,
I have a similar situation and would appreciate your advice.
My parents are outside of Canada right now. I want to renew their PR card for them since I’m in Canada. How should I go about doing this?
Thank you,
Helen
Hello we’ll reach out to you by email shortly.
My PR card together with my husband has expired in August 2020 and we were outside of Canada for more than 3 years due to my husband’s and his mother’s health conditions and we were not able to travel to Canada due to Covid-19 restrictions. Do you think we can apply for renewing our PR cards and what should be the processs? Many thanks in advance.
Hi we reached out to you today, if there’s any question please let us know.
I first visited canada in 2011 for a month . Apllied for a pr card and got it. Now i want to return to canada and complete my higher education. What do i need to do since its been over 10 years and I havent returned to canada since?
hello we’ll respond to you shortly.
My PR card renewal has been approved and card is ready for pick up at local Hamilton office since March 2020. I sent multiple emails to IRCC and they replied with same answer that we need to wait until they send us the appointment for PR card pick up. It’s been more than 17 months now and we need the PR cards Immediately. What should we do in this situation ?
Hello we have reached out to you, didyou get our message?
Hallo, I have the same question, which government document indicates that”hat a permanent resident card application can be made outside of Canada”. My card will expire in 3 months, if I could apply new PR card outside of Canada, that would be easier.
Would you please contact me?
hello we’ll reply to you shortly
Hi! — May card is set to expire in May 2022. I intend to be in Canada for July 2022 (currently in the USA). Can I initiate the PR renewal application process from the USA and use my family’s mailing address in Canada? I will either have to pick it up in person when I arrive in July, or if the card is mailed to my Canadian address, then my family can forward that to me.
Is this allowed? The only information I see is that one is to apply from within Canada simply because CIC will not mail anything outside of Canada. Can I get around this? Or, is the rule, strictly, — “you ought to be in Canada when you submit your application”?
Simultaneously, can I apply for a travel card?
Thanks!!
hi we’ll review this and get back to you
I am in India. I don’t have my PR card with me. I applied PRTD and it’s been 2 months that i did not hear back anything from IRCC.
Looking for help with in your country canada
Hello,
I lost my PR card outside of Canada. It still expires on February 2024 but since it has been issued, I have only spent less than a year in Canada, so I’m worried that this will pose an issue when trying to apply for a replacement. I’m also wondering if I can apply for a replacement outside of Canada, and travel back once it has been issued? Or will I need to do the application for replacement process in Canada?
ready?
Hello you normally have to be in Canada when you submit a permanent resident card.
Hello, I am a PR living outside Canada accompanying my Canadian citizen husband. I applied for PR in 2019, and was requested to pick up the card from an IRCC office inside Canada. I applied and got a PRTD last year, but was unable to travel to Canada to pick up the card (due to medical reasons which I informed them), and the deadline to pick up the card expired, and the PRTD also expired last year. Now I intent to apply for a long term multiple entry PRTD. Will there be any issues?
An explanation the history of your activities outisde of Canada, and a narrative addressing the inability to return in a timely way would be helpful.