Asked to come pick up PR card in person

[julies39]

Hey everyone,

Marten had his appointment today to get his PR card at the Etobicoke office in Toronto. It all went well and he got his card!!!

Here is what we learned:

There were already people lined up even though he showed up at 8:30, which is an hour before the counter opens. He was seen before 10 am, but by then there were over 200 people there. So first piece of advice is show up early, at least an hour before they open.

I prepared two binders worth of documents and evidence for him to take to the interview. They asked for his PR card, passport, number of days he had been out of Canada, and CRA Notice of Assessments. They did not seem interested in the volumes and volumes of other things like old bills and bank records and letters from employers and rental agreements, etc. They also scrutinized the stamps in his passport to make sure they matched his record of when he was in and out of the country. They did not seem interested in the fact that he now lives in England, only that he had spent the requisite 730 days in Canada in the 5 years before he signed his application. They were also not interested in the period between when he had signed his application to today when he had his interview (4 month span).

I was afraid he would be given a 1 year card, but he was given a 5 year card. Phew.

Also of note is that most people who were there to collect PR cards in person did receive them, but not all.

I hope the description of this experience can help other people. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask.

 

[bricksonly]

Congrats! Thank you so much for your feedback!

Hey everyone,

Marten had his appointment today to get his PR card at the Etobicoke office in Toronto. It all went well and he got his card!!!

Here is what we learned:

There were already people lined up even though he showed up at 8:30, which is an hour before the counter opens. He was seen before 10 am, but by then there were over 200 people there. So first piece of advice is show up early, at least an hour before they open.

I prepared two binders worth of documents and evidence for him to take to the interview. They asked for his PR card, passport, number of days he had been out of Canada, and CRA Notice of Assessments. They did not seem interested in the volumes and volumes of other things like old bills and bank records and letters from employers and rental agreements, etc. They also scrutinized the stamps in his passport to make sure they matched his record of when he was in and out of the country. They did not seem interested in the fact that he now lives in England, only that he had spent the requisite 730 days in Canada in the 5 years before he signed his application. They were also not interested in the period between when he had signed his application to today when he had his interview (4 month span).

I was afraid he would be given a 1 year card, but he was given a 5 year card. Phew.

Also of note is that most people who were there to collect PR cards in person did receive them, but not all.

I hope the description of this experience can help other people. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask.

 

[panmaha]

Hey everyone,

Marten had his appointment today to get his PR card at the Etobicoke office in Toronto. It all went well and he got his card!!!

Here is what we learned:

There were already people lined up even though he showed up at 8:30, which is an hour before the counter opens. He was seen before 10 am, but by then there were over 200 people there. So first piece of advice is show up early, at least an hour before they open.

I prepared two binders worth of documents and evidence for him to take to the interview. They asked for his PR card, passport, number of days he had been out of Canada, and CRA Notice of Assessments. They did not seem interested in the volumes and volumes of other things like old bills and bank records and letters from employers and rental agreements, etc. They also scrutinized the stamps in his passport to make sure they matched his record of when he was in and out of the country. They did not seem interested in the fact that he now lives in England, only that he had spent the requisite 730 days in Canada in the 5 years before he signed his application. They were also not interested in the period between when he had signed his application to today when he had his interview (4 month span).

I was afraid he would be given a 1 year card, but he was given a 5 year card. Phew.

Also of note is that most people who were there to collect PR cards in person did receive them, but not all.

I hope the description of this experience can help other people. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask.

HI Julies - did you translate all visa stamps in the passport ? just want to know as i'm exactly in the same situation as your husband. thanks.

 

[julies39]

HI Julies - did you translate all visa stamps in the passport ? just want to know as i'm exactly in the same situation as your husband. thanks.

No I did not translate the visa stamps. It seemed like a ridiculous request, so I just took the chance that they were not going to make a fuss about it. All the dates on all the stamps were clearly visible, so I figured that was enough. They did not mention untranslated stamps at the interview even though they looked at all the stamps. I think they were just looking to match dates with when Marten said he was out of Canada. Also its only stamps within the original application period they care about.

Do make sure you know exactly when you were in and out of Canada. I suggest writing it down in a chart, and doing the calculation yourself that proves you have sufficient days in Canada. It seems like the better prepared you are (or seem) the less likely they are to make a fuss.

Hope that helps.

 

[panmaha]

No I did not translate the visa stamps. It seemed like a ridiculous request, so I just took the chance that they were not going to make a fuss about it. All the dates on all the stamps were clearly visible, so I figured that was enough. They did not mention untranslated stamps at the interview even though they looked at all the stamps. I think they were just looking to match dates with when Marten said he was out of Canada. Also its only stamps within the original application period they care about.

Do make sure you know exactly when you were in and out of Canada. I suggest writing it down in a chart, and doing the calculation yourself that proves you have sufficient days in Canada. It seems like the better prepared you are (or seem) the less likely they are to make a fuss.

Hope that helps.

thanks Julies. I just collected mind without any issue. I didn't do any translation as well. you are right they just want to match some of the date on the passport thats all/ they don't even care about the date I'm in and out as I already prepare with me...

 

[Haj21]

Hello, My husband is in the same situation, He received the same letter informing him to collect his Pr card from the Etobicoke office, we are currently living in India, I’m a Canadian citizen living with him so residency obligations shouldn’t be a problem, wanted to ask if you have to write all exits and entries from Canada separately or do they just cross check his passport? And also do u need Notice Of Assessments for all 5 years? His interview date is on October 10, 2018, but he won’t be able to make it, planning on going near the end of October,

 

[Haj21]

And also do u have to call IRCC to inform them that you won’t be able to make it on the scheduled date or just walk in?

 

[Haj21]

Please can anyone let me know if you can walk in to collect Pr card after the schedule appointment date at the Etobicoke office or do you have to call to reschedule appointment,

 

[may deng]

Hello,

My husband is a Permanent Resident. I am a Canadian citizen. He has recently applied to renew his PR card, and we received the below letter. They sent the letter instead of mailing the card because we currently live in the UK. He has more than fulfilled his residency requirement over the last 5 years, PLUS we have lived together in the UK and therefore UK days count as well because I'm Canadian and we live together. We did re-enter Canada earlier this year in order to apply. He now has to fly back next week just for this.

My questions are:

1) What does this letter mean. Is he going to pick up the card, or is he going to get interrogated and then refused because at the moment we live in the UK. He can clearly demonstrate that he meets the residency requirements. Has anyone had experience with these sorts of meetings?

2) He missed his appointed day that they indicate on the letter, but is still well within the 180 days. How likely is he to be seen if he shows up early in the morning and is willing to stay all day. Does anyone have experience with how busy the Etobicoke office is?

3) They ask for all passports and travel documents. Does this mean all passports and all travel documents since he was an infant or just for the 5 year period in question. I have some of his super old passports but not all of them since he was a baby. Also a lot of the travel documents like old visas have been removed by immigration officials when they had become expired. This is a very unclear request. Please help.

4) He has passport stamps from 10 years ago that are in Spanish, just entry and exit stamps from traveling through South America. Do I really have to get certified translations of these really old stamps?

5) Any advice on making it through this meeting successfully and actually walking out with his PR card?

HERE IS THE LETTER:

PLEASE READ ALL OF THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION CAREFULLY
According to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, all permanent residents of Canada are subject to a
residency assessment at the time of distribution of their new Permanent Resident Card. An immigration official
will review your documents and may request additional information to determine your eligibility for a PR card.
Every individual who receives this notice must be seen in person and present the following:
• This letter;
• All passports and travel documents (current and expired);
• Passport stamps and visas, not in English/French, must be accompanied by a certified translation in one of
the official languages;
• Total of all absences from Canada (for the 5 years prior to the date you applied);
• Valid photo ID issued by the province or by a federal agency (e.g. driver's license, health card);
• Expired PR card.
• Proof of residence in Canada for the 5 years prior to the date you applied (e.g. Notice of Assessment from
Canada Revenue Agency, T-4 statement, employer's letter, school records, bank or bill statements);
• Minors under age !4 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian with a birth certificate and/or legal
guardianship papers;
• Spouses of Canadian Citizens should bring marriage certificate (with translation) and copy of spouse's
Canadian passport.
• An interpreter if required.
Please come to our office on this date during the following hours (Except Holidays):
Date: February 13, 2018
Time: Between the hours 9:30 am to 3:00 pm
Location: 5343 Dundas Street West, Etobicoke, 1st Floor
(TTC access Bloor Subway Line 2 to Kipling Station)
Please note that if you are unable to appear on the date scheduled, you must come to our office within 180 days from your scheduled date. Should you choose not to come on your appointment date, there is a possibilitythat you will not be seen if there is a high volume of clients on the day you come to the office.

By law, any unclaimed permanent resident card must be destroyed 180 days after the date of this letter. There areno exceptions. If your card is destroyed by this method you must make a new application and pay another fee.
If you require additional information please call the IRCC National Call Centre: 1-888-242-2100 or email them
at question ^'cic.gc.ca .
Yours sincerely,
Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

HUGE THANKS TO ANYONE THAT CAN PROVIDE ADVICE WITH THIS.

Julie

Hi Julie,

Hey everyone,

Marten had his appointment today to get his PR card at the Etobicoke office in Toronto. It all went well and he got his card!!!

Here is what we learned:

There were already people lined up even though he showed up at 8:30, which is an hour before the counter opens. He was seen before 10 am, but by then there were over 200 people there. So first piece of advice is show up early, at least an hour before they open.

I prepared two binders worth of documents and evidence for him to take to the interview. They asked for his PR card, passport, number of days he had been out of Canada, and CRA Notice of Assessments. They did not seem interested in the volumes and volumes of other things like old bills and bank records and letters from employers and rental agreements, etc. They also scrutinized the stamps in his passport to make sure they matched his record of when he was in and out of the country. They did not seem interested in the fact that he now lives in England, only that he had spent the requisite 730 days in Canada in the 5 years before he signed his application. They were also not interested in the period between when he had signed his application to today when he had his interview (4 month span).

I was afraid he would be given a 1 year card, but he was given a 5 year card. Phew.

Also of note is that most people who were there to collect PR cards in person did receive them, but not all.

I hope the description of this experience can help other people. If anyone has any specific questions, please ask.

Hi Julie,
A urgent question...... I had the similar situation. I missed the scheduled appointment. How did your husband reschedule the appointment? It showed that you posted the question on 20 April 2018 and had the appointment on 24 April 2018 did he just drop in Etobicoke office in Toronto? Look forward to your reply. Thank you very much.

 

[may deng]

Please can anyone let me know if you can walk in to collect Pr card after the schedule appointment date at the Etobicoke office or do you have to call to reschedule appointment,

I had the same question. Is it ok to walk in to get the PR card or have to reschedule on IRCC?

 

[bahriozaslan]

Hello,

I am at the same situation and missed my scheduled appointment, letter says I can go there within 180 days from scheduled appointment. My questions are;

-Can I walk in any days in this time frame and pick up my PR

-I sent an e-mail and asked whether I can get my PR in BC instead of Ontario, is it possible?

-Last question I have; since I am US Citizen, can I enter to Canada any day in the future eventhough I don’t recieve my PR? If so, can I still apply to get my PR
(My understanding I am not loosing PR status, only won’t have PR card)

Best Regards,

Bahri

 

[Mohamed123]

Hi guys I am also facing the same situation as I am living abroad with my Canadian wife for the past 4 and a half years. I have travelled to Canada for only like 4 months in the total of 4 and a half years. In this case do u think they will still renew my pr card being married to a Canadian citizen and having also Canadian kids living abroad ? Will they ask you anything to do with tax returns etc? Should I apply for the pr card while being in Canada ? If I do I cant stay long as I have to leave the country again. Feeling nervous , thnx.

 

[Mohamed123]

Hello,

I am at the same situation and missed my scheduled appointment, letter says I can go there within 180 days from scheduled appointment. My questions are;

-Can I walk in any days in this time frame and pick up my PR

-I sent an e-mail and asked whether I can get my PR in BC instead of Ontario, is it possible?

-Last question I have; since I am US Citizen, can I enter to Canada any day in the future eventhough I don’t recieve my PR? If so, can I still apply to get my PR
(My understanding I am not loosing PR status, only won’t have PR card)

Best Regards,

Bahri

Any updates in regards to your situation with renewing your pr card ?
Being a pr resident are u supposed to show them u filled tax returns ? Thank you

 

[Mohamed123]

Thanks! But if that's all it is, why do they ask for all that other stuff? And why didn't they just mail the card to the Toronto address that we provided on the application (which is where we were staying while in Canada)? Is there a chance that they will say: sorry you don't live in Canada at the moment so we are not going to give you this card. Go apply for Permanent Resident Travel Document instead.

Again, I really appreciate your response, just so nervous about this.

Hi how r you? Did they ask your husband to provide any tax returns etc? I am in the Same situation living abroad and I want to renew my pr card, I am married to a Canadian citizen and my children are also Canadian. Out the 5 years I have stayed about 4 months in Canada in total. Do u think they will still renew my Pr card ? Thank you

 

[vv341]

Hello, My husband is in the same situation, He received the same letter informing him to collect his Pr card from the Etobicoke office, we are currently living in India, I’m a Canadian citizen living with him so residency obligations shouldn’t be a problem, wanted to ask if you have to write all exits and entries from Canada separately or do they just cross check his passport? And also do u need Notice Of Assessments for all 5 years? His interview date is on October 10, 2018, but he won’t be able to make it, planning on going near the end of October,

Hi Haj21,
Could you please elaborate what happened in your case? We are in a similar situation. Thank you very much.