Can I travel outside of Canada while waiting for a decision on my PR, if I have a valid PGWP?

[Nivie]

I have a valid work permit that expires in August 2024, and a valid V-1 visa in my passport.

I got my invitation to apply for PR under CEC earlier this year, and submitted my official PR application in July 2023. I am still waiting to hear back on my decision for PR and wondering if I can travel to my home country while I await a decision?

On this link (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/pr-confirmation-portal.html) it says that if you are approved for PR you have to confirm that you are physically in Canada and that they can't confirm your permanent residence status if you are out of the country.

So my questions are:

1. Will I be able to re-enter Canada with a valid visa and work permit if I am still awaiting my decision on PR?
2. If my PR is approved while I am OUTSIDE Canada - what do I do then? Can I confirm it from outside? How long do we have to confirm it - can I wait till I return to Canada?

Thanks!

 

[Chasechs]

1) Yes you can travel in and out once your COPR has not been issued. You usually get an email saying the PR was approved but that doesn't matter until you actually get the document.

2) Before getting the copr you will get a portal request email. Portal 1 will ask you to confirm whether you are inside or outside of Canada. You need to respond promptly to keep the process moving. So, you can tell them that you are outside but you intend to return on a specific date. The return date must be reasonable, meaning within 30 to 60 days. They would pause the process until you return. If your return is 3 months or more, that's an unreasonable pause period and you should strongly consider an earlier return.

Otherwise, you should tell IRCC in the portal 1 email that you are outside of the country and wish to complete the process at your local/nearest Canadian embassy. They will continue the process through the embassy. Note that this path may extend the application processing time and when you are sent to the embassy, you can not return to Canada until that process is complete.

So the option is up to you. Generally it is advised that you do not travel or travel for a very extended period while you are at the edge of a PR decision.

 

[Nivie]

1) Yes you can travel in and out once your COPR has not been issued. You usually get an email saying the PR was approved but that doesn't matter until you actually get the document.

2) Before getting the copr you will get a portal request email. Portal 1 will ask you to confirm whether you are inside or outside of Canada. You need to respond promptly to keep the process moving. So, you can tell them that you are outside but you intend to return on a specific date. The return date must be reasonable, meaning within 30 to 60 days. They would pause the process until you return. If your return is 3 months or more, that's an unreasonable pause period and you should strongly consider an earlier return.

Otherwise, you should tell IRCC in the portal 1 email that you are outside of the country and wish to complete the process at your local/nearest Canadian embassy. They will continue the process through the embassy. Note that this path may extend the application processing time and when you are sent to the embassy, you can not return to Canada until that process is complete.

So the option is up to you. Generally it is advised that you do not travel or travel for a very extended period while you are at the edge of a PR decision.

Thanks so much for this answer!

To confirm - If my travel is less than 30 days, that shouldn't be a problem then?
On the portal is there a mechanism to let them know that I'm currently out of the country but will be back in a few weeks or do I need to inform the government prior to my travel that I will be leaving the country? and if the latter - how do I go about that?

 

[_V_K_]

I have a valid work permit that expires in August 2024, and a valid V-1 visa in my passport.

I got my invitation to apply for PR under CEC earlier this year, and submitted my official PR application in July 2023. I am still waiting to hear back on my decision for PR and wondering if I can travel to my home country while I await a decision?

On this link (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/pr-confirmation-portal.html) it says that if you are approved for PR you have to confirm that you are physically in Canada and that they can't confirm your permanent residence status if you are out of the country.

So my questions are:

1. Will I be able to re-enter Canada with a valid visa and work permit if I am still awaiting my decision on PR?
2. If my PR is approved while I am OUTSIDE Canada - what do I do then? Can I confirm it from outside? How long do we have to confirm it - can I wait till I return to Canada?

Thanks!

You can travel. I travelled twice this year with a valid PGWP and a valid TRV while my pr application was in process (inland spousal). No issues at the border at all. Before travelling I messaged the IRCC on twitter (it was in March) and they confirmed travelling is no problem if your PGWP and TRV are valid upon arrival back to Canada. They also suggested that if I was expecting my PR approval while I am outside Canada, I could have raised a webform before leaving Canada and let the IRCC know my travel dates. Hope it helps

 

[Chasechs]

Thanks so much for this answer!

To confirm - If my travel is less than 30 days, that shouldn't be a problem then?
On the portal is there a mechanism to let them know that I'm currently out of the country but will be back in a few weeks or do I need to inform the government prior to my travel that I will be leaving the country? and if the latter - how do I go about that?

Given the short travel time, in the event you receive the portal request before travel or while outside of Canada, simply respond to the portal email with all the info they ask for. Also declare that you will be travelling or currently outside of Canada and note your exact return date. They will create your profile and send you the credentials sometime after you return. You can also send a follow up email to them when you land in canada to notify them.

 

[Pearrlee]

P1 on Jan 10th, 2024
P2 on February 13th, 2024
Declaration (inside Canada), address and photo submitted on February 15th, 2024
Hasn't received a copy/notification of eCOPR yet (as of March 28th, 2024)
On IRCC Tracker, I can see the COPR information with the number starts with T********.

I am planning to travel outside Canada from May 13th - 18th, 2024.
On IRCC website (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/pr-confirmation-portal.html), it says to inform IRCC if travelling outside Canada while waiting for eCOPR.

Main questions:
- Has anyone tried to inform IRCC after declaration?
- What are the steps/process on this part?
- Would you recommend messaging IRCC? Or should I wait for a bit to receive both eCOPR and PR Card until May? Technically I don't think these two will meet my travel time, so I thought pausing eCOPR would be more beneficial for my vacation. I still have a valid PGWP to cross the border.

 

[MichJ]

1) Yes you can travel in and out once your COPR has not been issued. You usually get an email saying the PR was approved but that doesn't matter until you actually get the document.

2) Before getting the copr you will get a portal request email. Portal 1 will ask you to confirm whether you are inside or outside of Canada. You need to respond promptly to keep the process moving. So, you can tell them that you are outside but you intend to return on a specific date. The return date must be reasonable, meaning within 30 to 60 days. They would pause the process until you return. If your return is 3 months or more, that's an unreasonable pause period and you should strongly consider an earlier return.

Otherwise, you should tell IRCC in the portal 1 email that you are outside of the country and wish to complete the process at your local/nearest Canadian embassy. They will continue the process through the embassy. Note that this path may extend the application processing time and when you are sent to the embassy, you can not return to Canada until that process is complete.

So the option is up to you. Generally it is advised that you do not travel or travel for a very extended period while you are at the edge of a PR decision.

Hi,
My situation is quite similar. We have submitted PR application under HongKong Pathway Stream A for one whole year till this September. When I submitted the documents last Sep, all the agencies said it usually takes 3-5 months to get the PR card. Now we have been waiting for a whole year. And what’s interesting is, in order to quench waiters’ protests, IRCC issued to Hong Kong Pathway waiters 3 years Open Work Visa (even though this didn’t address the essential problem), which I already got last month. But since this Open Work Visa is valid for THREE years duration, one can infer that it’s possible we will have to wait for 2 to 3 years more before a final PR decision is made - or else why they issued a 3-year long Work Visa?

Since I expected the PR could have been issued around half a year ago, I applied a University’s program in US and I got their admission offer. It’s only a one year program that starts this September. Can I go to US to study while waiting for Canada’s PR decision? I can travel back every 4 imonths and stay for 1 week in Canada. The Uni in US said I need to apply for F1 visa under their offer to study in US.

But my worry is:
Will Canada ALLOW me to apply for F1 Student Visa to study in another country (US) (even though only for one year) while I am waiting for Canada’s PR decision? Yes, I think, as you have stated above, those waiting for PR decision may travel to other countries for a short time without risking the results; but will they allow me to get a US F1 student visa to study, not as a Visitor, in US for one year?

Hope to hear your insights! Thank you!

 

[Aaryaarora1990]

P1 on Jan 10th, 2024
P2 on February 13th, 2024
Declaration (inside Canada), address and photo submitted on February 15th, 2024
Hasn't received a copy/notification of eCOPR yet (as of March 28th, 2024)
On IRCC Tracker, I can see the COPR information with the number starts with T********.

I am planning to travel outside Canada from May 13th - 18th, 2024.
On IRCC website (https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/immigrate-canada/pr-confirmation-portal.html), it says to inform IRCC if travelling outside Canada while waiting for eCOPR.

Main questions:
- Has anyone tried to inform IRCC after declaration?
- What are the steps/process on this part?
- Would you recommend messaging IRCC? Or should I wait for a bit to receive both eCOPR and PR Card until May? Technically I don't think these two will meet my travel time, so I thought pausing eCOPR would be more beneficial for my vacation. I still have a valid PGWP to cross the border.

Did you get a reply? What did you do?

 

[sam3031]

1) Yes you can travel in and out once your COPR has not been issued. You usually get an email saying the PR was approved but that doesn't matter until you actually get the document.

2) Before getting the copr you will get a portal request email. Portal 1 will ask you to confirm whether you are inside or outside of Canada. You need to respond promptly to keep the process moving. So, you can tell them that you are outside but you intend to return on a specific date. The return date must be reasonable, meaning within 30 to 60 days. They would pause the process until you return. If your return is 3 months or more, that's an unreasonable pause period and you should strongly consider an earlier return.

Otherwise, you should tell IRCC in the portal 1 email that you are outside of the country and wish to complete the process at your local/nearest Canadian embassy. They will continue the process through the embassy. Note that this path may extend the application processing time and when you are sent to the embassy, you can not return to Canada until that process is complete.

So the option is up to you. Generally it is advised that you do not travel or travel for a very extended period while you are at the edge of a PR decision.

@Chasechs @_V_K_

Hello , if I travel to India before P1 email. Do I need to again get pcc for me and my spouse for Pr ? My Indian pcc is approved just before ITA so it will be not 6 months old before I come back .

 

[ctb8204]

Hi,
My situation is quite similar. We have submitted PR application under HongKong Pathway Stream A for one whole year till this September. When I submitted the documents last Sep, all the agencies said it usually takes 3-5 months to get the PR card. Now we have been waiting for a whole year. And what’s interesting is, in order to quench waiters’ protests, IRCC issued to Hong Kong Pathway waiters 3 years Open Work Visa (even though this didn’t address the essential problem), which I already got last month. But since this Open Work Visa is valid for THREE years duration, one can infer that it’s possible we will have to wait for 2 to 3 years more before a final PR decision is made - or else why they issued a 3-year long Work Visa?

Since I expected the PR could have been issued around half a year ago, I applied a University’s program in US and I got their admission offer. It’s only a one year program that starts this September. Can I go to US to study while waiting for Canada’s PR decision? I can travel back every 4 imonths and stay for 1 week in Canada. The Uni in US said I need to apply for F1 visa under their offer to study in US.

But my worry is:
Will Canada ALLOW me to apply for F1 Student Visa to study in another country (US) (even though only for one year) while I am waiting for Canada’s PR decision? Yes, I think, as you have stated above, those waiting for PR decision may travel to other countries for a short time without risking the results; but will they allow me to get a US F1 student visa to study, not as a Visitor, in US for one year?

Hope to hear your insights! Thank you!

I am in a very similar situation to yours. The short answer I believe is yes.

Many are concerned if your PR was issued during the time in the US, as it might complicate things. My research shows that as long as you enter Canada through the land border crossing, and able to show the eCOPR, then it should not be a problem in terms of entering Canada after PR issued. This is because, with other entry methods, carriers are required to verify each passenger's immigration status prior to departure to Canada. However, since you are crossing in a land border, you would be directly going straight to CBSA, and according to their manuals and procedures, as long as you could provide sufficient proof that you are a PR, they have no choice but to let you in. as a PR.

Secondly, there is no clear rule that says you cannot leave Canada after you have submitted your application. The only requirement was you must apply in Canada; once you applied, you were quite literally off the hook. So you can leave Canada and it won't affect your current application. If you change your country of residence then the only update you need to do is to update IRCC with your new address.

 

[preethabalu]

I have been waiting for pnp invitation during ten months.My work permit already expired in 14 August 2024..Now I am in visitor status.If I gets my pnp in January can I apply for my workpermit extension and after pr application. IF I applied can I go back to my home country while waiting for my work permit renewal period

 

[dmpatel9]

I have been waiting for pnp invitation during ten months.My work permit already expired in 14 August 2024..Now I am in visitor status.If I gets my pnp in January can I apply for my workpermit extension and after pr application. IF I applied can I go back to my home country while waiting for my work permit renewal period

You can apply for work for permit with only if PNP stream allows you to do that. check your provincial website for the stream you qualified for and do if it allows. It is now difficult because once you are visitor, you can't switch to work permit without going out of Canada. Other options is, you can qualify for BOWP if are eligible, google IRCC website to check that part. other than that as a visitor, you can't do much now. First hurdle is you are betting everything on PNP invite, without any active application you have no option.