Permanent Resident without passport (Ex Refugee)

[canada7869]

Hello,

I was a refugee and my passport was seized by IRCC. I received my permanent residency last year in May, meanwhile, my passport is expired and IRCC didn't give back my passport. Right now I only have PR card, nothing else.
My question is if I want to travel now to any country or back home, what documents do I need? Can I apply to renew my passport? Can I travel to my country?

Thanks in advance!

 

[scylla]

Hello,

I was a refugee and my passport was seized by IRCC. I received my permanent residency last year in May, meanwhile, my passport is expired and IRCC didn't give back my passport. Right now I only have PR card, nothing else.
My question is if I want to travel now to any country or back home, what documents do I need? Can I apply to renew my passport? Can I travel to my country?

Thanks in advance!

You need to apply for an RTD (refugee travel document) in order to be able to travel.

Do not renew your home country passport. Do not travel to your home country. If you travel to your home country, this will put your PR status in jeopardy and place you in a position where your PR status may be revoked by Canada.

You won't be able to safely travel to your home country until you are a Canadian citizen.

 

[canada7869]

You need to apply for an RTD (refugee travel document) in order to be able to travel.

Do not renew your home country passport. Do not travel to your home country. If you travel to your home country, this will put your PR status in jeopardy and place you in a position where your PR status may be revoked by Canada.

You won't be able to safely travel to your home country until you are a Canadian citizen.

Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it. I had 2 applications going on: one refugee claim and 2nd sponsorship application. Both of them got accepted. Refugee got accepted first, later month sponsorship was also accepted. I have received my PR in April 2021. Could you please tell me when I will be eligible to apply for citizenship and what are documents I will need? Will it cause a problem since I don't have a passport?

 

[scylla]

Thank you for the advice. I really appreciate it. I had 2 applications going on: one refugee claim and 2nd sponsorship application. Both of them got accepted. Refugee got accepted first, later month sponsorship was also accepted. I have received my PR in April 2021. Could you please tell me when I will be eligible to apply for citizenship and what are documents I will need? Will it cause a problem since I don't have a passport?

Did you get PR as a result of the refugee claim or as a result of sponsorship?

 

[canada7869]

Did you get PR as a result of the refugee claim or as a result of sponsorship?

I applied for PR card through my sponsorship application. I didn't do anything after I received yes from the refugee application.

 

[canuck78]

I applied for PR card through my sponsorship application. I didn't do anything after I received yes from the refugee application.

You are still considered a protected person even though you got your PR through sponsorship.

 

[scylla]

I applied for PR card through my sponsorship application. I didn't do anything after I received yes from the refugee application.

Did you withdraw your refugee application yet?

You should post to the refugee / asylum section of the forum. If you now have PR through spousal sponsorship then you should be withdrawing your refugee application. Given PR was through spousal sponsorship, you can travel to your home country.

 

[canada7869]

Did you withdraw your refugee application yet?

You should post to the refugee / asylum section of the forum. If you now have PR through spousal sponsorship then you should be withdrawing your refugee application. Given PR was through spousal sponsorship, you can travel to your home country.

I had 2 applications going on: one refugee claim and 2nd sponsorship application. Both of them got accepted. Refugee got accepted first, later month sponsorship was also accepted. I have received my PR in April 2021.

 

[canada7869]

Did you withdraw your refugee application yet?

You should post to the refugee / asylum section of the forum. If you now have PR through spousal sponsorship then you should be withdrawing your refugee application. Given PR was through spousal sponsorship, you can travel to your home country.

Refugee claim was accepted last year. What do you mean by withdrawing it?

 

[canuck78]

Refugee claim was accepted last year. What do you mean by withdrawing it?

@scylla assumed it was still in process. Given that you were accepted as a protected person you will still be considered a protected person so can not use your home country passport or return to your home country until you are a citizen.

 

[scylla]

@scylla assumed it was still in process. Given that you were accepted as a protected person you will still be considered a protected person so can not use your home country passport or return to your home country until you are a citizen.

If PR was obtained through spousal sponsorship (which it sounds like it was), then he should be able to return to his home country without issue before citizenship.

 

[scylla]

Refugee claim was accepted last year. What do you mean by withdrawing it?

Ask in the refugee / asylum section of the forum.

 

[canuck78]

If PR was obtained through spousal sponsorship (which it sounds like it was), then he should be able to return to his home country without issue before citizenship.

Not if they were approved as a protected person first,

 

[kri19631]

Dear Friends,
I have applied for PR on H&C ( best interest of the child) and got approval on Feb 2022. IRCC has reached out me and asked to submit documents and other details for processing. May I know how long does this take and what are the next steps?
Thank you

 

[jakklondon]

Hello,

I was a refugee and my passport was seized by IRCC. I received my permanent residency last year in May, meanwhile, my passport is expired and IRCC didn't give back my passport. Right now I only have PR card, nothing else.
My question is if I want to travel now to any country or back home, what documents do I need? Can I apply to renew my passport? Can I travel to my country?

Thanks in advance!

You can do anything you want to do. To travel out of Canada and return you don't need a passport, you can use instead PRTD.
If you travel home, you will produce evidence that you don't need protection from persecution anymore, and as such your refugee status could be revoked. Since you received PR via sponsorship (I assume you mean your relative or a job sponsored your PR), then revocation of refugee status per doesn't mean much anymore. However, unless circumstances have changed back home, you could potentially be charged with getting a refugee status on false grounds (you can be asked, how come you got a refugee status if you are unafraid to travel home). Getting a refugee status on false grounds is a deportable offense.