Canada Document Required Travel
Canada Document Required Travel
The Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) was introduced on 28 June 2002 upon the implementation of Canada's Immigration and Refugee Protection Act . It was originally billed as the Maple Leaf Card
It is the primary method by which Canadian permanent residents (formerly known as landed immigrants ) can prove their status and is the only document that allows permanent residents to return to Canada. However, those from nations not requiring a visa to travel to Canada may be allowed entry on the strength of their passports alone.
Application Process
New permanent residents
Permanent residents arriving in Canada on or after 28 June 2002 apply for a Permanent Resident Card as part of the landing process.
It is necessary to supply a Canadian residential address at the time of landing. If a Canadian address cannot be supplied at the time, it is necessary to provide one to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) within 180 days. Otherwise a new application for a PR Card will be required, at a cost of $50 to the applicant. Manual applications for permanenet residence cards take on average 67 days, compared to 30 days for those applied for at the time of landing.
There is no fee for a PR Card applied for at the time of the landing process.
Existing permanent residents
Permanent residents as of 28 June 2002 and new permanent residents who did not provide a Canadian residential address, or whose PR Card was lost or stolen, must apply to CIC's processing centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia for a new card. The fee is C$50. In these cases, the PR Card must be collected in person at a CIC office in Canada. Details
Validity of a PR card
The PR Card is normally issued for 5 years. In some circumstances it may be issued for 1 year only.
Possession of a valid PR Card does not ensure that one's permanent resident status will remain valid until the expiry date. In some circumstances - notably where breaches of residence obligations are involved - permanent resident status can be lost before this date.
Similarly, a PR Card's expiration date does not indicate that the holder's status as a permanent resident has expired, or will expire, on that date. It is the date after which the card must be replaced with a new card, if the holder is still a legal permanent resident at that time.
PR card can only be applied for in Canada
It is not possible to apply for the PR Card outside Canada. Instead, those permanent residents wishing to prove their status may apply for a single use Travel Document which allows a journey to Canada as a permanent resident. The application may be submitted to any CIC office outside Canada and the fee is $50 CAD. Details
Processing times
CIC publish processing times for PR Cards on their website Details. Application for Permanent Residence Cards are processed at the CIC Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Sydney, Nova Scotia
Proof of status in Canada
Whether one is a permanent resident or not is determined by the provisions of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. While possession of a valid PR Card creates a presumption that a person is a permanent resident, it is not compulsory for a permanent resident to hold one. In fact, it is possible to hold a valid PR Card and at the same time face loss of permanent resident status due to not meeting residence obligations.
Similarly, it is possible to be a Canadian permanent resident and not hold a valid PR Card, although it may be more difficult to prove one's status.
Required to enter Canada
In general, permanent residents must present a valid PR Card or Travel Document to a commercial carrier (eg airline, railway, bus company) in order to board a Canada-bound journey.
This requirement is effective from 31 December 2003.
However, those who hold passports that do not require tourist visas to visit Canada may normally board a flight on the strength of their passport alone (although some airlines may be reluctant to allow this if only a one-way ticket is held).
Similarly, a PR Card or Travel Document is not required for those passport holders (described in the previous paragraph) to cross the land frontier into Canada from the U.S.
PR card as proof of status
In Canada
A PR Card is the most convenient way of proving status to authorities within Canada (e.g. provincial governments, employers, schools). Most permanent residents have other documentation (such as original landing papers) which is also acceptable.
Outside Canada
Foreign government authorities may require the production of a PR Card in some circumstances:
- Although the U.S. government does not exempt Canadian permanent residents from the visa requirement, those Canadian permanent residents using the Visa Waiver Program may be required to show U.S. immigration inspectors a PR Card if entering the U.S. with an onward ticket terminating in Canada.
- Visa-free travel to Mexico, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Jamaica and Bermuda for Canadian permanent residents requires a PR Card, unless the person's passport in itself is sufficient for exemption.
A PR Card is the easiest way for any Canadian permanent resident applying to any foreign government for a tourist visa to prove his or her status in Canada.
See also
- Permanent resident (Canada)
- Immigration to Canada
- Citizenship and Immigration Canada
- Canadian nationality law
External links
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Permanent Resident Card Overview - Citizenship &
Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
Canada; Mexico; Bermuda; The Caribbean region (includes 17 nations ... traveling by air outside of the United States are required to present a passport book or other valid travel document to ...
Canadian Travel Document | Travel Document Canada
Your Travel Document application has been refused. You have already submitted ... If you are close to or have passed the required 1095 days outside of Canada to maintain your status ...
Canadian Immigration - Travel Documents and Canadian Permanent ...
A Travel Document, issued by a Canadian Immigration Visa Office, may, in ... As a general rule for travel to Canada, all commercial carriers require Canadian Permanent Residents ...
IMM 5627E : Document Checklist - Applying for a travel document ...
... Canada Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada Document Checklist Applying for a travel document ... all required documents. 1 Your completed and signed Application for a Travel Document ...
Canada Travel Documents - Valid Canada Travel Documents and Passport ...
Canada Travel Documents - What Are Valid Canada Travel Documents and passport substitutes for travel to Canada
aircanada.com - Travel documents
All passengers are required to present a valid passport or other valid travel document such as a Nexus card when travelling by air between Canada and the United States.
Passport Canada : The Government of Canada encourages Canadians living ...
The Government of Canada encourages Canadians living in the U.S. to prepare for new travel document requirements coming into ... of June 1, 2009, Canadian citizens will be required ...
REQUIRED TRAVEL TO CANADA DOCUMENTATION
http://travel.state.gov/travel/tips/regional/regional_1170.html . Travelers to and from Canada will be required to have a U.S. passport or other secure, accepted document to ...
Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD)
These documents are not valid for travel back to Canada. You require a valid PR card or a valid permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to re-enter Canada by train, plane, boat or ...
U.S. to require travel card
"The vision is that Canada would issue a similar document for their citizens," said one Homeland ... The cards will be issued starting later this year and will be required for travel ...
