A point of clarification: Actually, under the Canadian law, rules, and policies, the airlines do have discretion and may allow a PR to board a flight to Canada without presenting a PR card or PR Travel Document. And they will incur NO PENALTY if they do so, as long as the traveler is indeed a PR who upon arrival at the Canadian PoE is statutorily entitled to enter Canada (upon application for entry, examination, and determination the traveler is a Canadian PR).
BUT THERE IS VERY LITTLE CHANCE, VERY, VERY LITTLE CHANCE, THE AIRLINES WILL EXERCISE SUCH DISCRETION so as to allow a PR to board a flight without either a PRC or PR TD. It may even be likely that airline personnel doing the boarding pass screening are not advised of or otherwise aware the airline has such discretion. Some or most or perhaps even all airlines may even have their own strict rules which do not allow for exceptions, which do not allow the exercise of discretion. But whether or not the airline absolutely does not allow PRs to board without PRC or PR TD is up to the airline, at the airline's discretion.
This is one of those situations in which the more or less strict employment of DEFINITIVE rules works best for the airlines. After all, if the airline makes an error (in exercising its discretion) and allows a traveler to board a flight and that traveler is NOT a Canadian (citizen or PR) and does not otherwise have authorization to enter Canada, as others have observed there are prohibitive penalties. Simply easier and safer for the airlines to NOT exercise discretion, to employ a DEFINITIVE rule.
Re "Why in the world being a PR should limit your freedom of movement . . ." and the fact that it does NOT:
Upfront, to be clear: being a PR does NOT limit an individual's freedom of movement . . . neither domestically within Canada (and this is protected by the Charter of Rights) nor internationally. Suggestions to the contrary are erroneous. Temporary, readily recognized TRANSITIONAL difficulties, which ordinarily and usually (even if not always) can be anticipated and dealt with by prudent planning, should NOT be conflated with alleged constraints on freedom of movement.
Let's be frank: ALL travelers seeking to board a flight to Canada MUST (with some narrow exceptions) possess and present very specific documents, mostly specified Travel Documents or certain Travel Documents together with a Status document. This includes Canadians, including both Canadian citizens and Canadian PRs (PRs, for example, will be allowed to board a flight upon presenting a passport plus their status document, the PR card).
This includes ALL Foreign Nationals.
The required documents are well publicized. Many airlines also publish these at their websites.
Individuals planning to travel by air from a foreign location to a Canadian destination need to PLAN for this, to be prepared to present the proper documents depending on their status.
There is a wide range of real-life contingencies which can make traveling internationally difficult. Including various situations in which a prospective traveler has Travel Document issues.
The traveler whose passport expires, or who loses his passport, for example, will need to go through the process of obtaining a replacement or a special Travel Document BEFORE being allowed to board a flight to Canada. Again, this includes Canadian citizens.
Another example: Scores of PRs approaching the expiration date of their PR cards must anticipate how this might impact their international travel plans, and prepare accordingly . . . either applying for a new PRC well in advance of the PRC expiration date, being prepared to obtain a PR TD while abroad, or scheduling travel so as to navigate around what needs to be presented to an airline for boarding (this can be rescheduling dates or scheduling flights to facilitate travel via the U.S. and a land crossing into Canada). Moreover, there are the personal difficulties international travel may pose for those PRs who have been cutting-it-close, relative to RO compliance, and some potentially face up to a year to obtain a new PRC (which does not mean having PR status is any restraint on their freedom of movement).
And, rather obviously I would emphasize, so too the Foreign National who has been issued a PR visa. It should be NO surprise, at least not for anyone who has done even a rudimentary amount of homework, that (1) a PR card is NOT immediately available, and (2) once the FN becomes a PR, what documents will be necessary for boarding a flight to Canada.
It is up to the individual to recognize the consequences involved in the process of landing and becoming a PR, and to prepare accordingly.
Let Us Be Clear:
The process of immigrating to another country will inherently and inevitably change the course of one's life, some bumps bigger than others. Immigrating is a huge, huge decision, one of the more far-reaching if not important decisions a person can make in life (up there with marriage, having children, and major career decisions). There are consequences, lots of consequences. Some are immediate. Some are long term. Some are transitory. Some are permanent.
More than a few fools focus on the advantages and underestimate (or even overlook altogether) the nature and scope of some consequences, and otherwise fail to reasonably plan for and manage this big, big transition in life.
In particular, among the immediate consequences there are the logistics involved in making the transition. While one's specific immigration status changes in the course of a rather brief "landing" transaction, that is but one technical step in a long continuum of processes and procedures, some formal, some official, and many personal. The range of personal variables in the transitional logistics is almost as wide as the range of individuals immigrating to Canada. While much of our lives are in many ways similar, each of us has hurdles and problems particular to our own individual lives. As we each approach the formal, official step of actually immigrating to Canada, it is IMPERATIVE we do the homework and prepare for this big step, anticipating all sorts of contingencies and hurdles and potential issues. And, more often than not, those immigrating to Canada will need to make compromising decisions based on personal circumstances and personal priorities.
Canada is NOT a NANNY-STATE. The Canadian government will not manage an individual immigrant's life.
Sorry, but logistical difficulties attendant this big transition are an inevitable side-effect of immigrating, and it is up to each individual immigrant to plan and prepare for the transition. For example, some immigrants have to abandon all sorts of career opportunities in order to make this move (I did). It is a choice one makes. With forethought or otherwise.
Flawed individual preparation and planning does not render the Canadian immigration system flawed.
Planning for and managing some transitional issues with travel plans is probably at the easier end of the spectrum. Easier than having to restart and rebuild a professional career, which many face. Easier than moving a continent away from aging or ill parents, which many face. Easier than settling complicated business arrangements in order to pursue a new life in another country.
WHY THE ABOVE WARRANTS SOME ATTENTION AND ELABORATION: Sharing information so that prospective immigrants and landed immigrants can better anticipate the logistics of the move and better plan to deal with the various contingencies and consequences, is a big, big part of what this forum is about.
For example, many criticize the Canadian government for not employing more comprehensive border controls so that individual PRs do not have the burden of reporting and proving dates of entry and dates of exit. Not going to happen. The criticism is a wasted effort. And largely a distraction. The more responsive posture is to spread the word: each individual PR is responsible for keeping an accurate, precise, and complete record of international travel.
Likewise for many other criticisms aimed at the Canadian immigration system. Better to share information which will illuminate how to best navigate the system and to alert others about potential pitfalls and how to avoid them, about potential RISKS and how to minimize them. Sure, there are indeed more than a few flaws in the system. There is always room for improvement.
In the meantime: those who will be landing and becoming a PR in the near future: be aware, some foresight and planning are warranted. The streets are not paved with gold.
