PR card expired outside Canada and Oath Ceremony in 30 days

[immi2grate]

My mother's PR card expired while she is outside Canada and now her Citizenship Zoom Oath Ceremony is in a month. Will she need to get a travel permit or can the invitation to Oath ceremony be used to get back into Canada. Or is there any other way?

She will also probably travel to Vancouver while her address on file is in Toronto. Will that matter when she is on a Zoom call to take the Oath Ceremony. After taking the oath ceremony she will have to leave the country. Can I receive the citizenship certificate on her behalf and take it to her on my regular visit. And can she use the citizenship certificate to apply for a passport from Outside Canada at one of the embassies?

 

[shiremag]

My mother's PR card expired while she is outside Canada and now her Citizenship Zoom Oath Ceremony is in a month. Will she need to get a travel permit or can the invitation to Oath ceremony be used to get back into Canada. Or is there any other way?

She will also probably travel to Vancouver while her address on file is in Toronto. Will that matter when she is on a Zoom call to take the Oath Ceremony. After taking the oath ceremony she will have to leave the country. Can I receive the citizenship certificate on her behalf and take it to her on my regular visit. And can she use the citizenship certificate to apply for a passport from Outside Canada at one of the embassies?

To fly back to Canada or to arrive by a commercial carrier (train/bus/ship) you WILL need a PRTD. The only other option is to fly to the US (if they have a valid US visa or ESTA) and drive across the border with COPR in a private vehicle. Check PRTD processing times, it may take longer than 30 days and you may have to reschedule. Rescheduling an oath ceremony does not mean you'll get a new oath date right after you are back in Canada. It can take months to get another date...

As for the second part - if they are able to get back to Canada for oath: Yes, oath can be taken anywhere on Canadian soil. You'll know if it is an in-person or online ceremony only after you receive the Notice to Appear email closer to a week or two to the oath date. If you have an in-person ceremony, you'll get the certificate the same day and you can apply for an urgent passport in a couple of days. If you can not wait a couple of weeks for a certificate (online ceremony) and apply for an urgent passport, I would recommend a trusted person hand carry the citizenship certificate outside Canada rather than using the post or courier service. Passport can be applied at a High Commission or Embassy... Check Passport Canada website for more information

 

[Marjangh]

I have a similar situation. My PR card is expired and I am currently in the US and have US green card. My Citizenship application has been under review since 2019 and I have not heard back from IRCC yet. How should I go back to Canada for the Citizenship Oath Ceremony? I can't apply for PRTD as I do not meet the residency requirement. I appreciate your help.

 

[Seym]

I have a similar situation. My PR card is expired and I am currently in the US and have US green card. My Citizenship application has been under review since 2019 and I have not heard back from IRCC yet. How should I go back to Canada for the Citizenship Oath Ceremony? I can't apply for PRTD as I do not meet the residency requirement. I appreciate your help.

Well, you may have bigger problems than simply the logistics of attending a ceremony.
Being a PR during the whole process is a condition to become a citizen, and not meeting the residency requirement puts the PR status at risk, and the eligibility to gain the citizenship too.
There's a high chance IRCC has to access your PR status before they can statuate on whether you can be invited to a ceremony.
It's better to consult an immigration lawyer in your case.

 

[Marjangh]

Yes, I agree it is complicated and I appreciate your reply. I applied for Citizenship in 2017 and left Canada for the US in 2019. The PR Card expired in 2020 during COVID and I couldn't go back to Canada to meet the residency requirement. My Citizenship application is still under review. I thought the PR status should be held during the period of Citizenship application not beyond.

 

[scylla]

Yes, I agree it is complicated and I appreciate your reply. I applied for Citizenship in 2017 and left Canada for the US in 2019. The PR Card expired in 2020 during COVID and I couldn't go back to Canada to meet the residency requirement. My Citizenship application is still under review.

You actually could have re-entered Canada very easily using your green card through the land border (using the expired PR card).

You should expect your citizenship application to be refused since you don't meet the residency obligation for PR.

What is your ultimate objective? If you want to retain Canadian PR, then you should return to Canada to live here permanently as soon as you can and hope you are not reported at the border for failing to meet the residency obligation. If, on the other hand, you don't care about your status in Canada, then no need to return.

 

[Marjangh]

I wish for Canadian Citizenship. Because of my job, I have to stay in the US for 4 years. It was very unfortunate that the processing of my application took too long plus the COVID shutdown. I definitely want to come back to Canada permanently but can't do it now. How long someone should keep the residency obligation for PR when the Citizenship application is still under review? In my case, it is beyond the processing time of a normal application (from 2017 till now!).
Also, when talking about residency obligation, is that only mean physical presence in Canada?
I was awarded a research scholarship from Canada to work on a research project in the US from 2019-2022. Does that period count as the residency requirement?
I appreciate your help

 

[scylla]

I wish for Canadian Citizenship. Because of my job, I have to stay in the US for 4 years. It was very unfortunate that the processing of my application took too long plus the COVID shutdown. I definitely want to come back to Canada permanently but can't do it now. How long someone should keep the residency obligation for PR when the Citizenship application is still under review? In my case, it is beyond the processing time of a normal application (from 2017 till now!).
Also, when talking about residency obligation, is that only mean physical presence in Canada?
I was awarded a research scholarship from Canada to work on a research project in the US from 2019-2022. Does that period count as the residency requirement?
I appreciate your help

You have to continue to meet the PR residency obligation while your citizenship application is being processed. The PR residency obligation means living in Canada for 2 out of every 5 rolling years. Yes, this means physical presence in Canada. You need to continue to meet this requirement until you become a citizen.

No, unfortunately the research scholarship period will not count towards the residency requirement.

I don't see your current citizenship application being approved since you don't meet the PR residency obligation. But perhaps others have a different view.

If Canadian citizenship is a priority, you would need to look at returning to Canada as soon as you can, hope you are not reported at the border for failing to meet the residency requirement, and if you're not, then live in Canada for 2 years to once again meet the residency requirement for PR (and then after 3 years you can reapply for citizenship). There is nothing stopping you from trying to return to Canada. You could have done that anytime in the last 3 years.

 

[johnjkjk]

Hi

You have to continue to meet the PR residency obligation while your citizenship application is being processed. The PR residency obligation means living in Canada for 2 out of every 5 rolling years. Yes, this means physical presence in Canada. You need to continue to meet this requirement until you become a citizen.

No, unfortunately the research scholarship period will not count towards the residency requirement.

I don't see your current citizenship application being approved since you don't meet the PR residency obligation. But perhaps others have a different view.

If Canadian citizenship is a priority, you would need to look at returning to Canada as soon as you can, hope you are not reported at the border for failing to meet the residency requirement, and if you're not, then live in Canada for 2 years to once again meet the residency requirement for PR (and then after 3 years you can reapply for citizenship). There is nothing stopping you from trying to return to Canada. You could have done that anytime in the last 3 years.

What if the OP claims that his research training was conducive to the public good of Canada, I.e. Canadian research. However since the 4 year period has now concluded, they would need to make a move back to Canada and take up a relevant job to prove their case.

 

[scylla]

Hi

What if the OP claims that his research training was conducive to the public good of Canada, I.e. Canadian research. However since the 4 year period has now concluded, they would need to make a move back to Canada and take up a relevant job to prove their case.

OP could try applying for a new PR card under H&C. The OP would need to be inside of Canada to submit the application.

 

[shiremag]

I wish for Canadian Citizenship. Because of my job, I have to stay in the US for 4 years. It was very unfortunate that the processing of my application took too long plus the COVID shutdown. I definitely want to come back to Canada permanently but can't do it now. How long someone should keep the residency obligation for PR when the Citizenship application is still under review? In my case, it is beyond the processing time of a normal application (from 2017 till now!).
Also, when talking about residency obligation, is that only mean physical presence in Canada?
I was awarded a research scholarship from Canada to work on a research project in the US from 2019-2022. Does that period count as the residency requirement?
I appreciate your help

The law is clear, you need to maintain PR status and residency requirements for your citizenship application to be granted. If you do not meet residency requirements, your citizenship grant application needs to be denied by law. And scholarship from a Canadian entity to study abroad does not count towards residency requirements...

As @scylla said, you can try to cross the border via land and apply for a PR card and to be considered under H&C. However, there is no guarantee

 

[Visauser]

I wish for Canadian Citizenship. Because of my job, I have to stay in the US for 4 years. It was very unfortunate that the processing of my application took too long plus the COVID shutdown. I definitely want to come back to Canada permanently but can't do it now. How long someone should keep the residency obligation for PR when the Citizenship application is still under review? In my case, it is beyond the processing time of a normal application (from 2017 till now!).
Also, when talking about residency obligation, is that only mean physical presence in Canada?
I was awarded a research scholarship from Canada to work on a research project in the US from 2019-2022. Does that period count as the residency requirement?
I appreciate your help

What was the conclusion on your application eventually?