That the most prudent approach is to follow the rules is so obvious, so well-established, so often repeated, it is troublesome that misinformation to the contrary persists in a forum like this.
Much of what follows is common-sense, and consistent with what most participants in the forum post, but misinformation posted above warrants correction. Sorry about the repetition, but the importance of knowing the rules needs to be highlighted.
Thus, this topic is essentially moot relative to the OP's particular query. For anyone else who may be in a similar situation and is reading this topic for information, there has been, however, some seriously misleading observations made here which warrant clarification.
At the Poe:
As others have correctly observed, there is no problem at the PoE itself. Passport plus CoPR or the expired PR card, or even passport alone (potentially subject to some additional delay to verify identity and status), gets a PR entry into Canada.
That said, of course any returning PR might be asked questions related to compliance with the PR Residency Obligation. Returning PRs without a currently valid PR card are at a substantially higher risk for this sort of questioning. This probably was not a problem for the OP here since the OP appears (per the OP's own reporting) to not have any issues in that regard.
For others, even if there are concerns about PR RO compliance, the PR will still be allowed to enter Canada. There are numerous other topics here addressing what happens if the PR is subject to being issued, at a PoE, a 44(1) inadmissibility report for a breach of the PR RO. For purposes of this topic, however, the bottom-line is that even in the worst case scenario, even if reported, the PR still is allowed to enter Canada.
Manner of travel to arrive at a Canadian PoE:
The rule is that a PR needs to present either a valid PR card or a PR Travel Document prior to boarding any commercial means of transportation destined for Canada. There are exceptions, such as for U.S. citizens, among some other narrow exceptions.
The post by thecoolguysam is correct:
"If you are a permanent resident of Canada you must show your permanent resident card when you re-enter Canada on a commercial vehicle, such as an airplane, boat, train or bus. If you return to Canada in a private vehicle, such as your car, there are other documents you can use."
The link in this web page, purportedly to "other documents you can use," does not actually link to the PDI listing what other documents can be used to travel to Canada. That page is here: http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html
The web page link to "other documents you can use" actually goes to a FAQ PDI, titled "I need to leave Canada and I do not have a permanent resident card. Can I later return to Canada without a PR card?" where it further states:
"Permanent residents (PR) of Canada must carry and present their valid PR card or permanent resident travel document (PRTD) when boarding a flight to Canada, or travelling to Canada on any other commercial carrier. If you do not carry your PR card or PRTD, you may not be able to board your flight, train, bus or boat to Canada.
Returning by commercial vehicle: airplane, bus, train, or boat
You must apply for a permanent resident travel document. Otherwise you may not be able to travel to Canada."
That is the rule. There is NO general exception for a PR carrying a visa-exempt passport. There is NO exception for traveling by bus or ferry rather than by air.
It is NOT "perfectly valid" to evade the rules by engaging in fraud. Assertions to the contrary are inaccurate, potentially reckless.
Nonetheless, keesio makes a practical observation:
That is, as a practical matter it may continue to be practical for PRs with a visa-exempt passport to travel to Canada from the U.S. via commercial bus, train, or boat (ferry) without having to show a PR card or PR TD.
The fact that this can be done does not make it valid, let alone "perfectly valid."
It just means that this way of evading the requirement to have a PR card or PR TD will work, in that it will facilitate actually traveling to a Canadian PoE despite not having a valid PR card or PR TD.
Moreover, it is highly unlikely there is any direct or formal repercussions for deceiving the commercial carrier. While it is fraud, there is virtually no prospect of being prosecuted for fraud, no prospect of any civil liability either.
But that does not make engaging in such deception risk-free:
The fact that it is so easily done and, at least more or less gotten-away-with, does not mean it will necessarily be free of any negative effect. CBSA officers are not so blind or stupid as many portray them to be. If interested, they can and will be aware of what is going on in this regard. This is probably a very low priority, and thus probably does not trigger negative consequences, not usually. But of course the appearance of being deceptive, of being a person who deliberately skirts the rules, can easily have a significant impact if there are any other reasons for concern regarding the traveler.
The PR's compliance with the PR RO for example. The PR who arrives at a POE without either a valid PR card or a PR TD is at a higher risk for not just questions related to compliance with the PR RO, but for an elevated level of scrutiny. Add to that the fact the PR obviously evaded the rules about presenting a PR card or PR TD, the appearance of being someone willing to engage in deceit (that is, fraud) to facilitate traveling to Canada, may be a factor which further elevates the risk, the risk of hard questioning and the risk of negative inferences.
Credibility always matters. Always.
Sure, for the majority of travelers who might be in this situation, for whom it is merely a matter of convenience, there being no intent to cheat the system, taking advantage of this practical alternative to applying for and obtaining a PR TD is probably no big deal, probably insignificant. No problem. Thus, whether or not border control officers at the PoE on the Canadian side will pay attention and take note when a PR does not have either a PR card or PR TD, and thus obviously failed to properly present the necessary Travel Documents required for a PR traveling by bus, train, or boat, will most likely depend on the extent to which CBSA is already focused more intently on the particular traveler due to other factors.
But make no mistake, for the PR going through customs upon arriving at the PoE in Canada who does not present a PR card or PR TD, it is rather obvious what they have done. In and of itself, that is not an issue . . . but it could be a credibility factor affecting how a CBSA officer approaches the PR regarding other concerns (in cases where there are potentially other concerns).
Reminder: The vagaries of what happens in practice in real instances are many. What happens for most, and most of the time, largely illuminates what is likely to happen in the routine, typical situation, for those persons without any issues. In contrast, many of those who come to this forum with questions are often those with not-so-routine circumstances, often involving a potential issue or concern (such as a PR short of complying with the PR RO, or even just cutting-it-close).
What usually happens does not illuminate what else can happen.
The vast majority of us rarely encounter a problem. And even when we do, it is often one easily resolved.
For more than a few, however, there are complications and concerns and potential issues. It always warrants knowing what the actual rules are and if possible following the rules, and if circumstances demand skirting a rule (not for the purpose of gaming the system or otherwise abusing the system, but say, for example, to avoid a draconian alternative), to do so knowingly, recognizing the rules, recognizing the risks, making judicious, informed decisions. For example: never a good idea to make any kind of misrepresentation to IRCC or CBSA. But sure, displaying a visa-exempt passport when boarding a ferry between the U.S. and Canada, to avoid the cost and time it would take to obtain a PR TD, for many in that situation that would be worth doing even though it is not, however, perfectly valid.
Again, see the link posted by thecoolguysam to know what the rules are. The most prudent course of action is to follow instructions and go by the rules.
Much of what follows is common-sense, and consistent with what most participants in the forum post, but misinformation posted above warrants correction. Sorry about the repetition, but the importance of knowing the rules needs to be highlighted.
I assume that the OP, East, has already made the trip, since the premise underlying the query more than ten days ago was the need to get back to Canada as soon as possible (per posts in other topics) and the OP has not returned to the forum since that day. Another key factor from posts in other topics is that the OP carries a UK passport, visa exempt for both Canada and the U.S.East said:
Thus, this topic is essentially moot relative to the OP's particular query. For anyone else who may be in a similar situation and is reading this topic for information, there has been, however, some seriously misleading observations made here which warrant clarification.
At the Poe:
As others have correctly observed, there is no problem at the PoE itself. Passport plus CoPR or the expired PR card, or even passport alone (potentially subject to some additional delay to verify identity and status), gets a PR entry into Canada.
That said, of course any returning PR might be asked questions related to compliance with the PR Residency Obligation. Returning PRs without a currently valid PR card are at a substantially higher risk for this sort of questioning. This probably was not a problem for the OP here since the OP appears (per the OP's own reporting) to not have any issues in that regard.
For others, even if there are concerns about PR RO compliance, the PR will still be allowed to enter Canada. There are numerous other topics here addressing what happens if the PR is subject to being issued, at a PoE, a 44(1) inadmissibility report for a breach of the PR RO. For purposes of this topic, however, the bottom-line is that even in the worst case scenario, even if reported, the PR still is allowed to enter Canada.
Manner of travel to arrive at a Canadian PoE:
The rule is that a PR needs to present either a valid PR card or a PR Travel Document prior to boarding any commercial means of transportation destined for Canada. There are exceptions, such as for U.S. citizens, among some other narrow exceptions.
The post by thecoolguysam is correct:
The pertinent part of the web page thecoolguysam links states:thecoolguysam said:
"If you are a permanent resident of Canada you must show your permanent resident card when you re-enter Canada on a commercial vehicle, such as an airplane, boat, train or bus. If you return to Canada in a private vehicle, such as your car, there are other documents you can use."
The link in this web page, purportedly to "other documents you can use," does not actually link to the PDI listing what other documents can be used to travel to Canada. That page is here: http://www.cbsa.gc.ca/travel-voyage/td-dv-eng.html
The web page link to "other documents you can use" actually goes to a FAQ PDI, titled "I need to leave Canada and I do not have a permanent resident card. Can I later return to Canada without a PR card?" where it further states:
"Permanent residents (PR) of Canada must carry and present their valid PR card or permanent resident travel document (PRTD) when boarding a flight to Canada, or travelling to Canada on any other commercial carrier. If you do not carry your PR card or PRTD, you may not be able to board your flight, train, bus or boat to Canada.
Returning by commercial vehicle: airplane, bus, train, or boat
You must apply for a permanent resident travel document. Otherwise you may not be able to travel to Canada."
That is the rule. There is NO general exception for a PR carrying a visa-exempt passport. There is NO exception for traveling by bus or ferry rather than by air.
It is NOT "perfectly valid" to evade the rules by engaging in fraud. Assertions to the contrary are inaccurate, potentially reckless.
Nonetheless, keesio makes a practical observation:
Implicit in the observation by keesio is that commercial transporters providing means of transportation to Canada other than by air, such as by bus or ferry, may allow a traveler presenting a visa-exempt passport to board even if the traveler is a PR and is not presenting either a PR card or PR TD.keesio said:
That is, as a practical matter it may continue to be practical for PRs with a visa-exempt passport to travel to Canada from the U.S. via commercial bus, train, or boat (ferry) without having to show a PR card or PR TD.
The fact that this can be done does not make it valid, let alone "perfectly valid."
It just means that this way of evading the requirement to have a PR card or PR TD will work, in that it will facilitate actually traveling to a Canadian PoE despite not having a valid PR card or PR TD.
Moreover, it is highly unlikely there is any direct or formal repercussions for deceiving the commercial carrier. While it is fraud, there is virtually no prospect of being prosecuted for fraud, no prospect of any civil liability either.
But that does not make engaging in such deception risk-free:
The fact that it is so easily done and, at least more or less gotten-away-with, does not mean it will necessarily be free of any negative effect. CBSA officers are not so blind or stupid as many portray them to be. If interested, they can and will be aware of what is going on in this regard. This is probably a very low priority, and thus probably does not trigger negative consequences, not usually. But of course the appearance of being deceptive, of being a person who deliberately skirts the rules, can easily have a significant impact if there are any other reasons for concern regarding the traveler.
The PR's compliance with the PR RO for example. The PR who arrives at a POE without either a valid PR card or a PR TD is at a higher risk for not just questions related to compliance with the PR RO, but for an elevated level of scrutiny. Add to that the fact the PR obviously evaded the rules about presenting a PR card or PR TD, the appearance of being someone willing to engage in deceit (that is, fraud) to facilitate traveling to Canada, may be a factor which further elevates the risk, the risk of hard questioning and the risk of negative inferences.
Credibility always matters. Always.
Sure, for the majority of travelers who might be in this situation, for whom it is merely a matter of convenience, there being no intent to cheat the system, taking advantage of this practical alternative to applying for and obtaining a PR TD is probably no big deal, probably insignificant. No problem. Thus, whether or not border control officers at the PoE on the Canadian side will pay attention and take note when a PR does not have either a PR card or PR TD, and thus obviously failed to properly present the necessary Travel Documents required for a PR traveling by bus, train, or boat, will most likely depend on the extent to which CBSA is already focused more intently on the particular traveler due to other factors.
But make no mistake, for the PR going through customs upon arriving at the PoE in Canada who does not present a PR card or PR TD, it is rather obvious what they have done. In and of itself, that is not an issue . . . but it could be a credibility factor affecting how a CBSA officer approaches the PR regarding other concerns (in cases where there are potentially other concerns).
Reminder: The vagaries of what happens in practice in real instances are many. What happens for most, and most of the time, largely illuminates what is likely to happen in the routine, typical situation, for those persons without any issues. In contrast, many of those who come to this forum with questions are often those with not-so-routine circumstances, often involving a potential issue or concern (such as a PR short of complying with the PR RO, or even just cutting-it-close).
What usually happens does not illuminate what else can happen.
The vast majority of us rarely encounter a problem. And even when we do, it is often one easily resolved.
For more than a few, however, there are complications and concerns and potential issues. It always warrants knowing what the actual rules are and if possible following the rules, and if circumstances demand skirting a rule (not for the purpose of gaming the system or otherwise abusing the system, but say, for example, to avoid a draconian alternative), to do so knowingly, recognizing the rules, recognizing the risks, making judicious, informed decisions. For example: never a good idea to make any kind of misrepresentation to IRCC or CBSA. But sure, displaying a visa-exempt passport when boarding a ferry between the U.S. and Canada, to avoid the cost and time it would take to obtain a PR TD, for many in that situation that would be worth doing even though it is not, however, perfectly valid.
Again, see the link posted by thecoolguysam to know what the rules are. The most prudent course of action is to follow instructions and go by the rules.
