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Can I enter Canada by land without PR Card or PRTD?

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,245
8,861
Upon arrival at a Canadian port of entry, travellers must satisfy a CBSA border services officer (BSO) that they meet the requirements for entry into Canada. For Canadian citizens, permanent residents and persons registered under the Indian Act, this can be done through questioning and through verifying documentation such as a:
Thanks for quoting; I have emphasized the points here that seem to be what you are missing: that although the government in many different ways says you "should" have exact identification (often stating this as 'must'), this is actually not true in statute.

As this part clearly says: for citizens and PRs, they can meet the requirements by undergoing questioning and checking of documentation; they even say "documentation such as", meaning none of these individual things are hard requirements. (Even if strongly recommended, including by me, to carry the best documentation possible).

Which is precisely what I have been saying.

For those who 'know stuff' about this topic, none of this is a surprise. The fact that you keep throwing up more sources that do not contradict what I'm saying - you're just demonstrating that you do not.

Or in more simple terms: there is signal, and there is noise. You are noise. Readers can decide for themselves which of those to, ahem, attenuate.
 

jakklondon

Hero Member
Oct 17, 2021
582
139
Question to the forum administration:
Is the personally targeted harassment exhibited by certain members endorsed by forum administration, or is it actual violation of the terms of the use?
I have no inclination to directly engage, quote or respond to those posters who resort to such tactics, but I have reported them to you.
Contentions and debates in open and free public forum are necessary, and any disagreement over the merits of the assertion is welcome, but there is a fine line between civil discourse and deliberate, petty harassment directed at specific (quoted and personally addressed) individual. Any challenge of reasonableness of the opinions expressed is part of a civil discourse. Attack on person is not. Latter will not affect me in a bit, as I can easily ignore such posters in future ,as I did in past, but it will damage the reputation of this great immigration forum and discourage ordinary visitors from asking pressing questions or sharing their sincere thoughts.
 
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dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,435
3,182
I would strongly recommend to all PRs travelling abroad, with or without all the documentation in the world including valid PR cards: you should know your UCI and PR card number* and have a record of it somewhere safe, i.e. with a friend or family member. Even better to have both a trusted person with photocopies and electronic copies you and/or that trusted person can access.
Probably a good idea.

Apart from keeping photocopies in home records, my practice has been to carry b/w photocopies of bio info in travel documents separate from the documents themselves, so I have the data in them. But I was not always that careful; generally sliding into anxious old man syndrome over the years.

The OP's situation really is a simple one (particularly since they appear to be well settled and living in Canada). Your first response covered it. Which is why there was no further commentary, no need to repeat a simple declarative response to a simple question . . . until . . . Oh well. Will have to see how that goes.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,245
8,861
Contentions and debates in open and free public forum are necessary, and any disagreement over the merits of the assertion is welcome, but there is a fine line between civil discourse
You seem to have an exceedingly high overestimation of the civility of your own discourse - notably your persistent signature that refers to other members as "deranged types who clog the thread", refer to their contributions as 'verbal diarrhea' and demagoguery, "in need of medication and mental counseling."

Your signature specifically invites contributions and responses from others: you explicitly state that they 'are welcome to chime in', and you do so in a large, purple font.

I accept your invitation therefore, and I am hereby chiming in: some of your assertions and contributions with respect to existing immigration rules and regs are demonstrably incorrect, and indeed demonstrated in this very thread to be such. Likewise, your assertions about many aspects of immigration policy are wrong, poorly thought-out, and factually wrong in several instances. As you note, challenging the reasonable of those opinions "is a part of civil discourse", and I'm exercising it here - your opinions are not reasonable.

And - as demonstrated by your signature here - your discourse is not polite, nor civil, nor edifying, and yet you feel abused by others.

I have no inclination to directly engage, respond, quote or respond
You do, however, have an inclination to redundancy.

For the record, the signature I find offensive as at this time:
I add to my ignore list ignoramuses, pithecanthropoids and provocateurs who stoop to ad hominems.

P.S. Deranged types who clog the thread with infinite verbiage (or verbal diarrhea, to be exact) and demagoguery are in need of medication and mental counseling. Latter is not my expertise, nor a subject I will be dragged into. Others are welcome to chime in.
 

hector10

Star Member
Nov 9, 2021
51
23
After reading all the comments on this post - it feels like it is a great battle of the legends!

The person who posted the original question must share their experience. I mean you owe that at least. I am sure it will be a good read and must rest this discussion for good, since it has deviated from its original purpose.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,435
3,182
After reading all the comments on this post - it feels like it is a great battle of the legends!

The person who posted the original question must share their experience. I mean you owe that at least. I am sure it will be a good read and must rest this discussion for good, since it has deviated from its original purpose.
The "battle" is noise.

The OP's situation is actually quite simple and @armoured's initial response covered what the OP needed.

What will happen is not complicated; either:
-- the OP's husband gets the new PR card before their trip, so no issue at all, or​
-- the husband without a valid PR card will need to either​
-- -- apply for a PR Travel Document to use to board a flight back to Canada, or​
-- -- travel via the U.S., and approach the Canadian border using private transportation, where he should have NO problems being given permission to enter Canada​

It really is not any more complicated than that. Again, the other was noise.
 
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jakklondon

Hero Member
Oct 17, 2021
582
139
After reading all the comments on this post - it feels like it is a great battle of the legends!

The person who posted the original question must share their experience. I mean you owe that at least. I am sure it will be a good read and must rest this discussion for good, since it has deviated from its original purpose.
Unfortunately, it's too much ado about nothing. For some reason, each public forum out there appears to have a pack of "this is dog eat dog world!" types that gang up on anyone with different thinking and an opinion that they don't like. They seem to sit and wait for anyone to say something they perceive to be erroneous (very often their perception being projection of their own thought patterns, with lack of comprehension of what they attack), so they can jump, bark and bite with their perennial "Gochya!", as if some subject of paramount and cosmic importance was being disputed before a panel of medieval Inquisitors, ready to burn heretics at the stakes for any statement outside of their fanatical orthodoxy. They also deliberately provoke with personal insults and ad hominems, so they can report you and get you banned from the forum once you respond to them in kind. In short, they are the kind to be ignored if you want to enjoy the discourse and avoid pitfalls and traps designed to get you silenced.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,245
8,861
For some reason, each public forum out there appears to have a pack of "this is dog eat dog world!" types that gang up on anyone with different thinking and an opinion that they don't like.
Judging by this forum, there are very few of such attacks, and very few individuals complaining that they are being 'ganged up on.'

Logic (and Dunning-Kruger) suggests an alternative explanation should be considered: that actually the problem is you, and not everyone else.
 
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marika89

Star Member
Apr 26, 2021
68
20
If my passport is from visa exempt country, can I go back to Canada without PR card (for example outdated card)? I would only go for a day or two and come back to my current home abroad.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,245
8,861
If my passport is from visa exempt country, can I go back to Canada without PR card (for example outdated card)? I would only go for a day or two and come back to my current home abroad.
To fly, you would need an ETA and it is almost certain you would be denied one as a PR.

The only practical option in the near term is to enter via a land border (i.e. USA). There your expired PR card would be enough to identify you as a PR. (You can apply for a PRTD abroad that would let you fly, but that might take some time and if out of compliance with residency obligation, problems.)

Note that if you're not in compliance with the residency obligation, you might get 'reported' (start of process to strip PR status, subject to appeal, etc). But you would be let in regardless. It's possible you would get waved through with nothing or just a verbal warning.

You can fly out of Canada direct no problem.
 

jakklondon

Hero Member
Oct 17, 2021
582
139
If my passport is from visa exempt country, can I go back to Canada without PR card (for example outdated card)? I would only go for a day or two and come back to my current home abroad.
If you have visa exempt passport, you can always approach Canadian POE and present yourself for admission. Unless you are US Citizen, you won't be able to board a plane as PR without PR card. But you can still walk to Canadian border and ask for admission at the border.

BTW: If I ever return to Canada, I will make sure to misrepresent myself (I will LIE and withhold any information about my PR status. I will show only my US passport and will tell a LIE if they ask me about me being a PR). I have ZERO risk in doing so. At worst, they will charge me with civil violation of misrepresentation and ban me for life from entering to Canada (to which I will respond with Olympian laughter, very loud and jovial). At best, my LIE will work (just like it works for politicians who run for offices and then pontificate about rule of law), I will enter Canada, stay 3 years, get Canadian citizenship, then return to USA until my retirement age. Once I am too old to work, I will once again return to Canada, to take an enormous advantage of Canadian social services (free Medicare, free financial support and etc.) and come to siphon all the taxpayer funded benefits I can. Life is good!
 

Raman sethi

Member
Nov 17, 2021
10
0
Hi can anybody suggest how can i process fast my PRTD i m stuck in india my flight is on 30 april and i applied prtd from last 20 days nothing yet.
 

marika89

Star Member
Apr 26, 2021
68
20
To fly, you would need an ETA and it is almost certain you would be denied one as a PR.

The only practical option in the near term is to enter via a land border (i.e. USA). There your expired PR card would be enough to identify you as a PR. (You can apply for a PRTD abroad that would let you fly, but that might take some time and if out of compliance with residency obligation, problems.)

Note that if you're not in compliance with the residency obligation, you might get 'reported' (start of process to strip PR status, subject to appeal, etc). But you would be let in regardless. It's possible you would get waved through with nothing or just a verbal warning.

You can fly out of Canada direct no problem.
Is it really that I am not allowed to travel to Canada anymore , if my PR card is not valid anymore or I go there just for a vacation? That just seems to o harsh in my opinion. I don't really care of my PR status because I don't live there anymore.
 

jakklondon

Hero Member
Oct 17, 2021
582
139
Hi can anybody suggest how can i process fast my PRTD i m stuck in india my flight is on 30 april and i applied prtd from last 20 days nothing yet.
I saw reports on this board from people who applied for PRTD months ago and are still waiting for the document, with no updates from CIC.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,245
8,861
Is it really that I am not allowed to travel to Canada anymore , if my PR card is not valid anymore or I go there just for a vacation? That just seems to o harsh in my opinion. I don't really care of my PR status because I don't live there anymore.
You can travel through USA. Or you could renounce your PR status (obviously you'd need a visa if not from a visa waiver country).