Enter Canada without PR Card in Emergency

[JJN]

Hi all,

I'm currently in Europe and dealing with a medical crisis. I'd benefit a lot by getting back to Canada ASAP but I don't have a valid PR card (it arrived in Canada after I left).

I'm a PR and have had a PR card since 2015 but recently had to renew hence the delay/not having it with me.

I don't know if I can wait for a PRTD.

Is there any way to get into Canada without my card and what are the consequences?

 

[scylla]

Hi all,

I'm currently in Europe and dealing with a medical crisis. I'd benefit a lot by getting back to Canada ASAP but I don't have a valid PR card (it arrived in Canada after I left).

I'm a PR and have had a PR card since 2015 but recently had to renew hence the delay/not having it with me.

I don't know if I can wait for a PRTD.

Is there any way to get into Canada without my card and what are the consequences?

If you want to fly to Canada, you need either a valid PR card or a valid PRTD. Without one of these, the only option is to fly to the US and then re-enter Canada through a land border using a private vehicle.

 

[JJN]

If you want to fly to Canada, you need either a valid PR card or a valid PRTD. Without one of these, the only option is to fly to the US and then re-enter Canada through a land border using a private vehicle.

Does this mean someone I know could come pick me up and drive me across?

 

[scylla]

Does this mean someone I know could come pick me up and drive me across?

Yes

 

[JJN]

Yes

TY

 

[canuck78]

Hi all,

I'm currently in Europe and dealing with a medical crisis. I'd benefit a lot by getting back to Canada ASAP but I don't have a valid PR card (it arrived in Canada after I left).

I'm a PR and have had a PR card since 2015 but recently had to renew hence the delay/not having it with me.

I don't know if I can wait for a PRTD.

Is there any way to get into Canada without my card and what are the consequences?

Have you been living in Canada and you are only visiting Europe? If you have been out of Canada for over 6-7 months in the past year or for longer you likely haven’t met the residency requirements to qualify for healthcare and will have to reapply for a new health card. The fact that you seem to have moved to different provinces every time you returned to Canada or moved within Canada during a trip back to Canada also complicates whether you met RO to qualify for healthcare and which province would be responsible for paying for your healthcare. Everytime you move provinces you need to reapply for a different healthcard. You have to have met a certsin residency requirement to change provinces and still retain coverage during waiting periods when the previous province usually pays for your healthcare costs during the waiting period yo obtain coverage. If you have only recently received PR or you are reapplying for healthcare you must spend even more time in Canada during that first year to qualify for healthcare. In Alberta for example, you have to be living in Alberta for 12 months to qualify for coverage. To qualify for healthcare you must both meet the residency requirement to qualify for healthcare in thatprovince and have a valid health card. If you have not met the RO to qualify for healthcare and you don’t reapply for another card and use your old one you can be asked to pay back the cost of the healthcare you used so it is important to make sure you followthe residency requirements.The ROs are in place so people don’t only return to access healthcare and ROs usually lead to most being Canadian taxpayers and taxpayer in the province they are accessing healthcare. Rules are actually in place to prevent what you are trying to do. It seems as though you may have been out of Canada for around 1.5 years but want to return to try to access healthcare.

 

[canuck78]

Does this mean someone I know could come pick me up and drive me across?

Do you meet your RO? Although you have to be let back in you can also be reported at the border if you don’t meet your RO. Why don’t you have someone courier the card to you abroad?

 

[canuck78]

Hi all,

I'm currently in Europe and dealing with a medical crisis. I'd benefit a lot by getting back to Canada ASAP but I don't have a valid PR card (it arrived in Canada after I left).

I'm a PR and have had a PR card since 2015 but recently had to renew hence the delay/not having it with me.

I don't know if I can wait for a PRTD.

Is there any way to get into Canada without my card and what are the consequences?

Looked at your previous posts and there is a good chance that you need to reapply for a new health card. Was your new PR card sent to an address in Canada? If you are abroad or normally have to pick up your new PR card in person and go through an interview verifying whether you are still compliant with your RO? Are you still compliant with your RO?

 

[JJN]

Have you been living in Canada and you are only visiting Europe? If you have been out of Canada for over 6-7 months in the past year or for longer you likely haven’t met the residency requirements to qualify for healthcare and will have to reapply for a new health card. The fact that you seem to have moved to different provinces every time you returned to Canada or moved within Canada during a trip back to Canada also complicates whether you met RO to qualify for healthcare and which province would be responsible for paying for your healthcare. Everytime you move provinces you need to reapply for a different healthcard. You have to have met a certsin residency requirement to change provinces and still retain coverage during waiting periods when the previous province usually pays for your healthcare costs during the waiting period yo obtain coverage. If you have only recently received PR or you are reapplying for healthcare you must spend even more time in Canada during that first year to qualify for healthcare. In Alberta for example, you have to be living in Alberta for 12 months to qualify for coverage. To qualify for healthcare you must both meet the residency requirement to qualify for healthcare in thatprovince and have a valid health card. If you have not met the RO to qualify for healthcare and you don’t reapply for another card and use your old one you can be asked to pay back the cost of the healthcare you used so it is important to make sure you followthe residency requirements.The ROs are in place so people don’t only return to access healthcare and ROs usually lead to most being Canadian taxpayers and taxpayer in the province they are accessing healthcare. Rules are actually in place to prevent what you are trying to do. It seems as though you may have been out of Canada for around 1.5 years but want to return to try to access healthcare.

I have been out of Canada for just 3-4 months.

 

[canuck78]

I have been out of Canada for just 3-4 months.

In 2021 you also mention being out of Canada for multiple months. How much time have you spent in Canada In the last few years and when in Canada what provinces have you lived in?

 

[JJN]

I have a valid PR card but it's in Canada. I meet the RO and I'm based In one province.

 

[canuck78]

I have a valid PR card but it's in Canada. I meet the RO and I'm based In one province.

Get someone to courier you your card. RO to qualify for healthcare is very different than RO to maintain PR status. You should lookup whether you have met the RO to receive healthcare in your province otherwise you can be asked to repay health services in the future. Seems trivial but sometimes you need to reapply even if there are no current wait times to receive a health card but you still have to do it.