I have been asked to come to IRCC office for PR Card collection, do you have any idea what happens there?
What happens at IRCC office for PR Card collection?
- Thread starter manish_canada
- Start date
It all depends on why you have been told to pick up the card in person. Maybe it's a random selection, or...the officer may want to interview you for some unknown reason. Either way, don't stress about it because you can't change it.
Ok...I just read a few of your older posts and you mentioned a PFL...which could very well explain why you have to appear in-person.
As @Ponga notes, what happens during an in-person PR card pick-up varies depending on the particular case.
Many times IRCC will require an in-person PR card pick-up to verify the PR is actually present in Canada. If you are IN Canada there should be little or no problem. In addition to verifying your identity, the worst case scenario is probably (subject to exceptions) some questions about your current residency in Canada, including employment, and perhaps some questions revisiting your prior presence in Canada and the circumstances supporting the H&C case made in the PR TD application process.
The notice for the in-person pick-up should include instructions which will largely illuminate what you need to do and, importantly, what documents you need to bring. Since these notices generally cover a range of cases and contain not only the typical IRCC boilerplate information covering multiple situations, but also including instructions for different scenarios, it can be a little difficult to sort through the notice to positively identify what applies to you and what does not. Nonetheless, your best source of information for what you need to know and what will happen AND, importantly, what MIGHT happen, is the notice you get from IRCC; so it is important to read it carefully and follow its instructions as best you can figure them out.
At minimum there is what some call a "counter-interview," which for many PRs is so perfunctory they might not recognize it is an interview. This is largely oriented to positively establishing the identity of the PR coming to pick up the PR card. It might, nonetheless, include some questions about presence in Canada as well as current residency and related questions (like employment).
As I noted, for many the in-person PR card pick-up is largely about verifying the PR is actually present in Canada (rather difficult to do an in-person card pick-up if the PR is not in Canada).
Some of these notices state that a decision will be made whether to issue the five year PR card or a one-year card. As long as you are currently living in Canada, given the positive H&C decision underlying the PR TD, odds are good or even high you will be issued the five year PR card. BE AWARE that this does NOT restart the Residency Obligation clock. If you leave Canada before you have spent at least 730 days here within the previous five years, you could be subject to RO related inadmissibility proceedings the next time you return to Canada. That is, even with a new PR card, if you arrive at the Canadian border or PoE in an airport and you have not been IN Canada for at least 730 days within the previous five years as of the day of your arrival, you could face inadmissibility proceedings for a breach of the RO.
If you are not currently IN Canada, that is a very different scenario. No need to dig into that as long as you are currently IN Canada and will timely do the in-person card pick-up.
On one hand the Letter says that you could come on any day to pickup the card from the date of issue of the Letter but within maximum 180 days and on the other hand there is a scheduled appointment date and time that has been mentioned for PR Card pickup.
So my question is that if I miss the scheduled appointment date, would I be able to collect the PR Card on any subsequent day or would I be required to reschedule the appointment which could again take months?
So my question is that if I miss the scheduled appointment date, would I be able to collect the PR Card on any subsequent day or would I be required to reschedule the appointment which could again take months?
Since you are relying on H&C relief, the prudent approach is to attend the scheduled pick-up appointment. Here too, as @Ponga observes, problem solved if you show up as scheduled.
Generally, if the PR misses the card pick-up appointment, worst case scenario is how long it takes to actually get a new PR card. But since you are relying on H&C relief, it is a somewhat different situation. Nonetheless, as long as you are currently IN Canada, and settled in Canada, and not leaving Canada, not much is at stake other than the extent of delay if you miss this appointment. (In contrast, even with a new PR card, given your reliance on H&C relief much caution should be exercised if you spend much time outside Canada.)
Beyond that, particularly if you are concerned about a lengthy delay . . . it appears actual practices vary some at different local offices, and the anecdotal reporting is not sufficient, either in quantity or quality, to confidently say how it will go if you cannot appear as currently scheduled.
The reference to destruction of the issued PR card if not delivered within 180 days is boilerplate, referring to a strict procedural practice. Applies to all newly issued PR cards. So that alone does not illuminate or inform you much about how YOUR local office is handling YOUR particular PR card in person pick-up . . . it means what it says, that the card will be destroyed if not delivered within 180 days. Look at the rest of the letter/email communication for other instructions and information.
Part of the difficulty forecasting what happens if you fail to meet this appointment is that until recently there has been limited access to personal interaction in local offices due to Covid protocols. Pre-Covid anecdotal reporting does not necessarily reflect how things work now. And, of course, how things worked from 2020 into if not through 2022, no longer applies.