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Email from CIC that PR card renewal needs secondary review

kwtangerine

Full Member
Oct 14, 2016
34
4
Really happy to report that I got my PR card in the mail today.. :)

Good luck to all who are still waiting for theirs.. ! Try not to think over it too much and I hope you all will get yours soon. Happy holidays!
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,435
3,182
VraiVie said:
Hi everyone

Need some advice and information about pr card renewal. Why is secondary review done? Is it because a person was unemployed for longer periods of time or they travelled alot outside of canada.

What additional documents if any should i send apart from the document checklist to avoid secondary review and give further detail proof of me being present here.Any advice will be very helpful.

Thank you


VraiVie said:
Hi i wold like to know how we can avoid secondary review and what extra docs we should send to prove further our residency. I have been in canada for almost 1600 days in past 6 years.Any answer is much appreciated. Thank you
Generally there is no need or reason to submit more than what the instructions and checklist indicate the PR card applicant should submit. And, frankly, unless there is a specific reason for including more than that requested (see example below), submitting more than requested could invite questions more than not including the extra.

If you want routine processing it is usually best to submit a routine application.

Moreover, if an individual's situation is one which is prone to invite non-routine processing (such as Secondary Review), including extra documents is not likely to avoid that . . . although there are some scant indications, in limited situations, it may help accelerate the SR or other non-routine processing (again, see the example below). Basically, if there is some reason why SR might be imposed, SR is likely to be imposed regardless what more the applicant submits with the application.


Your scenario:

If you have been in Canada almost 1600 days in the past six years, you should be eligible to apply for citizenship.

For purposes of the PR card renewal, what matters is the last five years, not six. But it appears you have been in Canada well over three of the last five years, at the least.

The vast majority of legitimate PRs who are well settled in Canada have no reason to anticipate, let alone fear, Secondary Review.

Thus, unless there is some other potential inadmissibility issue lurking in your history, or some indication you are outside Canada (now), there is no reason why you should be referred to Secondary Review. (Perhaps second to suspected fraud, as a reason triggering SR, IRCC perception the PR is residing abroad is something which appears to trigger SR.)

Moreover, contrary to some suggestions in this topic about the impact of Secondary Review, even PRs who have been outside Canada more than in Canada, and who are referred to SR, do not necessarily get bogged down in long-term processing.

See this report, for example, by a PR who was outside Canada far more than in Canada, who had been previously admonished about the PR Residency Obligation, was referred to Secondary Review, but nonetheless was still issued and delivered a PR card less than three months after applying:

tom94063 said:
. . . I finally got the PR card . . .

. . .

So I was very glad that I was able to get out of secondary review.
While this individual did submit a lot of additional documentation with the application, this individual had apparently been in breach of the PR RO in the recent past, admonished about compliance with the PR RO, and had only been in Canada 809 days within the preceding five years (thus was outside Canada more than a thousand days in the preceding five years).

It would require guessing to speculate how the additional documents affected this individual's case. My guess is not much. This individual also submitted an application to sponsor a child. My guess is that there was some question about the accuracy of this individual's presence declaration but that in conjunction with the information included in the sponsorship application and probably a SR focused on examining the CBSA travel history, which probably substantially corroborated the PR's travel declarations, IRCC was able to resolve the concerns IRCC had without additional referrals or investigation. That is, I believe that even for this individual, the additional documentation may not have been of much import.

Possible exception: the documents showing the PR's employment. This may have been sufficient to well-document no travel abroad in the preceding two years and made a difference in the SR processing . . . but note, it did not help this individual avoid SR itself.


Overall:

Contrary to an impression one might get from this topic, relatively few PRs, and almost certainly very few legitimate PRs who are well-settled permanently in Canada, are subject to Secondary Review . . . and even if referred for SR, very, very few legitimate PRs who are well-settled permanently in Canada will end up in the lengthy, bogged down SR process reported by little more than a handful or three who do get bogged down (some of whom are abroad and likely to remain bogged down unless and until they return to Canada, such as through obtaining a PR TD or traveling via the U.S.).



In response to observation by gauri.gupta08 regarding option of traveling to Canada via the U.S. for a PR without either a PR card or PR TD:

danhass said:
But this is really hard for 99.9% of us. I don't know how you could fly to NYC.
Not sure who the "us" is in your observation that travel via the U.S. "is really hard for 99.9% of us."

You must, however, be referring to a very, very small percentage of PRs, since there are many, many PRs for whom traveling via the U.S. is indeed an option.

My sense is that you are referring to a small group of PRs who are indeed the subject of targeted suspicions, who thus are not only bogged down in SR, but who are similarly those being referred to by Chrome:
Chrome said:
Traveling without a valid PR card is really risky especially for applicants like us waiting for a secondary review.
Even as to this group, however, the majority should be able to travel internationally with minimal risk. And be able to return to Canada with a PR TD or via the U.S.

In particular, for the vast majority of PRs, and overwhelmingly so for those who are legitimate, well-settled in Canada PRs with no lurking admissibility issues, there is actually only some inconvenience, no substantial risks, in traveling without a valid PR card. Even most who are in SR.

In this regard, the PR's primary travel document is the PR's passport. So the capacity of a PR to travel internationally is mostly dependent on what passport that PR carries. A PR card does not facilitate international travel at all, but is rather simply a Travel Document which (only in conjunction with a valid passport from another country) will allow the PR to board a flight to Canada . . . and as noted, there are alternatives to this, either by way of a PR Travel Document (to which the legitimate PR is entitled, upon proper application and documentation of status and PR RO compliance, and for which there is a right of appeal if improperly denied), or by way of the U.S. (particularly for those PRs who carry a passport that is not subject to U.S. visa restrictions).
 

danhass

Hero Member
Sep 21, 2010
348
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US
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dpenabill said:
Not sure who the "us" is in your observation that travel via the U.S. "is really hard for 99.9% of us."

You must, however, be referring to a very, very small percentage of PRs, since there are many, many PRs for whom traveling via the U.S. is indeed an option.

My sense is that you are referring to a small group of PRs who are indeed the subject of targeted suspicions, who thus are not only bogged down in SR, but who are similarly those being referred to by Chrome:
Even as to this group, however, the majority should be able to travel internationally with minimal risk. And be able to return to Canada with a PR TD or via the U.S.
By "us" I meant, 99.9% of all PRs. I'm surprised you and gauri.gupta08 consider travelling through US "an option", so I wanted to know how gauri.gupta08 was able to enter US on such premise.

When you reach a port of entry at US, CBP officials ask you "Is your visit for business or for pleasure?". Now, since you intend to go to Canada, it's pretty clear you have no "business" in US. You also don't intend to seek "pleasure" in US. If you have a US student visa, you are not entering US to study. If you have a US work permit, you're not entering US to work.

That leaves only people who have US transit visa, or US green card or are US citizens, hence the 0.01% of canadian PRs.

How do you think US CBP officials would respond if you tell them, "I'm entering US because I have an expired Canadian PR card, and can't fly directly to canada. Therefore I'll land in US, get close to the US-Canada border, then take a taxi-cab or walk on foot to cross the border"? (or are you suggesting this is an option because US transit visa is easy to acquire even if you mention in the transit visa application that your Canadian PR card is expired?)

You could get away with it if CBP officials don't probe you enough, or you lie without getting caught. But that can hardly be considered "an option."
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,435
3,182
danhass said:
By "us" I meant, 99.9% of all PRs. I'm surprised you and gauri.gupta08 consider travelling through US "an option", so I wanted to know how gauri.gupta08 was able to enter US on such premise.

When you reach a port of entry at US, CBP officials ask you "Is your visit for business or for pleasure?". Now, since you intend to go to Canada, it's pretty clear you have no "business" in US. You also don't intend to seek "pleasure" in US. If you have a US student visa, you are not entering US to study. If you have a US work permit, you're not entering US to work.

That leaves only people who have US transit visa, or US green card or are US citizens, hence the 0.01% of canadian PRs.

How do you think US CBP officials would respond if you tell them, "I'm entering US because I have an expired Canadian PR card, and can't fly directly to canada. Therefore I'll land in US, get close to the US-Canada border, then take a taxi-cab or walk on foot to cross the border"? (or are you suggesting this is an option because US transit visa is easy to acquire even if you mention in the application that your Canadian PR card is expired?)

You could get away with it if CBP officials don't probe you enough, or you lie without getting caught. But that can hardly be considered "an option."
Historically scores of Canadian PRs have made the return trip to Canada via the U.S. Indeed, many have elected (successfully so) this route rather than apply for a PR Travel Document.

How easy it is to transit via the U.S. is very much individual specific. Foremost factor is the passport the PR carries. Those who need an actual visa to travel to or through the U.S. obviously face a substantial hurdle. But many PRs carry passports for which the U.S. version of electronic authorization is all that is needed to board a flight to the U.S., and most reports suggest little more than a bit of aggressive questioning upon arrival in the U.S. (for which it helps to have Canadian identification and other documents showing residency in Canada, to corroborate stated intent of traveling on to Canada).

It is not a practical option for many, but it is nonetheless a practical option for many others . . . for a far greater percentage of PRs than 00.1 percent (who is left from the "99.9%" you reference).

To be clear, in this forum alone the number of PRs who have reported making the return to Canada via the U.S. far exceeds the number of PRs who have reported being stuck abroad and the number of PRs who have reported being bogged in a year-plus of SR processing combined.

Bottom-line: Subject to what passport the PR carries (which again is the main factor determining capacity to travel internationally), and absent any security concerns, a legitimate PR who is and has been well-settled in Canada, who is in compliance with the PR Residency Obligation, can travel abroad with minimal risk of not being able to travel back to Canada. For many, travel via the U.S. is a viable, practical option. For the rest, they will need to apply for a PR Travel Document, for which they will need to submit proof of compliance with the PR RO, and even if that was denied, they have a right to appeal, and so long as they have been in Canada within the preceding year, entitled to a special PR TD to travel to Canada.

The extent to which international travel is not at all available for PRs in SR is limited to a very few and is in almost all such cases due to the particular circumstances and history of the affected PR. Repetitive claims to the contrary are largely exaggerations.

But sure, those PRs who are not well settled in Canada., those who do not have current documentation showing current, actual residence in Canada, are more likely to encounter difficulty returning to Canada . . . and particularly if they do not have documentation showing they have been in Canada within the previous year, then yes there is a risk, if travel via the U.S. is not a practical option, that their application for a PR TD could be denied and if denied no special PR TD pending an appeal either. And yes, the burden of proof is on the PR. This is far more about the particular individual than it is about the process.
 

Chrome

Star Member
Oct 21, 2016
96
7
kwtangerine said:
Really happy to report that I got my PR card in the mail today.. :)

Good luck to all who are still waiting for theirs.. ! Try not to think over it too much and I hope you all will get yours soon. Happy holidays!

Congratulations kwtangerine :)

Happy holidays!
 

Chrome

Star Member
Oct 21, 2016
96
7
Ok, Here's the updated list (ordered by secondary review referral date):

Dec 2015: tonymiz, Mrmr, rbrar14
Jan 2016: Osama912, bahaar, harshalp, KITG, KITJ, quari_gupta08
Feb 2016: vop, kwtangerine, clc70, NSL
Mar 2016: Chrome, Ramik, Brenttristan, bob27, peace65, jnasarat
Apr 2016: decent guy 3
May 2016: MatQue, Frank_vt1, davidT321
Jun 2016: Chuk, Kissyred
Jul 2016: Loulita
Sep 2016: quasar81
 

Chrome

Star Member
Oct 21, 2016
96
7
Sorry Frank_vt1.
Guys feel free to correct or edit the list as you like.

Here's the updated list (ordered by secondary review referral date):

Dec 2015: tonymiz, Mrmr*, rbrar14*
Jan 2016: Osama912, bahaar*, harshalp, KITJ, quari_gupta08
Feb 2016: vop, kwtangerine, clc70, NSL
Mar 2016: Chrome, Ramik, Brenttristan, bob27, peace65, jnasarat
Apr 2016: decent guy 3, Frank_vt1
May 2016: MatQue, davidT321
Jun 2016: Chuk, Kissyred
Jul 2016: Loulita
Sep 2016: quasar81

* indicates additional information/documents requested
Strikethrough indicates PR card approved
 

gauri.gupta08

Full Member
Aug 6, 2013
38
4
danhass said:
But this is really hard for 99.9% of us. I don't know how you could fly to NYC.

US is very strict on transit, let alone using its territory for some personal convenience.

First of all, you have to have a transit visa in order to transit through US, unlike every other country on earth as far as I know, which is even harder to get than a visit visa.

Second of all, if you try to get transit or visit visa with the intent of "I wish to land in US, then cross the border by car or by foot, because my canadian PR card is expired" the US consulate will laugh you off. There's no way you're going to get a visa based on that.

If you used an existing visit or student visa for this "unstated" purpose, you're on very shaky grounds.

So I'm wondering, how exactly were you able to enter US for this specific purpose?
I had my 10 year US visit visa from before my PR card expired, so I used that to enter US. When I was asked the reason for my visit, I said I was there to see the Niagara Falls (I had my itinerary for the connecting flight to Buffalo, and ofcourse I technically did the 'see' the falls every time), and then drive back home into Canada. Was never asked anything beyond this, and it isn't their job to check for my Canadian PR card.

I carried all my documents (driving license, house lease, health card etc) to show if required at the Canadian border but was never asked for anything other than passport and landing doc. In most cases, I did not even need to inform them that I had flown in from Dubai same day.

My understanding from various interactions at the Canadian border was that a lot of people are using this route to travel without PR card, as they didn't seem curious or surprised at all.

I have many of my clients based in Dubai, and travel was imminent and urgent. Called CIC and checked if this approach was fine, they didn't seem to object, all they said is that as long as you're not coming into Canada on commercial transport, you can enter with the landing doc (instead of a valid PR card).

I am not saying this is right or wrong, but I used this approach a few times and never faced an issue.
 

Ramik

Star Member
Aug 23, 2016
64
23
gauri.gupta08 said:
I had my 10 year US visit visa from before my PR card expired, so I used that to enter US. When I was asked the reason for my visit, I said I was there to see the Niagara Falls (I had my itinerary for the connecting flight to Buffalo, and ofcourse I technically did the 'see' the falls every time), and then drive back home into Canada. Was never asked anything beyond this, and it isn't their job to check for my Canadian PR card.

I carried all my documents (driving license, house lease, health card etc) to show if required at the Canadian border but was never asked for anything other than passport and landing doc. In most cases, I did not even need to inform them that I had flown in from Dubai same day.

My understanding from various interactions at the Canadian border was that a lot of people are using this route to travel without PR card, as they didn't seem curious or surprised at all.

I have many of my clients based in Dubai, and travel was imminent and urgent. Called CIC and checked if this approach was fine, they didn't seem to object, all they said is that as long as you're not coming into Canada on commercial transport, you can enter with the landing doc (instead of a valid PR card).

I am not saying this is right or wrong, but I used this approach a few times and never faced an issue.
I agree with gauri.gupta08 has mentioned. When I was renewing my US visa in the US consulate in Toronto, my PR card was about to expire in 5 days. What the officials in the US embassy kept asking me if I had renewed my PR card or not and I told them I did and they approved my visa right away and got it valid for 10 years.

Last June, I had to travel to Egypt for family matters and I have already heard that a lot of people with expired PR cards do travel through the U.S but it has to be with their own vehicle (i.e not a commercial transport). When I came back I flew through JFK and the CBP officer at JFK asked me where I was going and I simply told him that I was transiting through to Canada. He simply stamped my passport and I was on my way to Buffalo.

Then when I got to Buffalo a couple of friends of mine came and picked me up from Buffalo airport and when we were at the Canada border CBSA officer asked what were we doing in the U.S. My friends told the officer that they were picking me up from the airport. I was the only PR in the car (all my friends are Canadian citizens) and the officer simply asked if I had renewed my PR card or not and I told him and I did and I'm waiting into secondary review. Then he let us through so smoothly.

What I want to say from the experience above is that its not as bad you think it is if you have the right documents (i.e valid US visa, landing documents and expired PR card) and you have already the right amount of days to satisfy your residence obligation. However, I must say that it is a bit expensive and tiresome going through the U.S border and traveling by car and so on. But it is doable.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,435
3,182
gauri.gupta08 said:
I had my 10 year US visit visa from before my PR card expired, so I used that to enter US. When I was asked the reason for my visit, I said I was there to see the Niagara Falls (I had my itinerary for the connecting flight to Buffalo, and ofcourse I technically did the 'see' the falls every time), and then drive back home into Canada. Was never asked anything beyond this, and it isn't their job to check for my Canadian PR card.

Ramik said:
I agree with gauri.gupta08 has mentioned.

When I came back I flew through JFK and the CBP officer at JFK asked me where I was going and I simply told him that I was transiting through to Canada. He simply stamped my passport and I was on my way to Buffalo.

What I want to say from the experience above is that its not as bad you think it is if you have the right documents (i.e valid US visa, landing documents and expired PR card) and you have already the right amount of days to satisfy your residence obligation. However, I must say that it is a bit expensive and tiresome going through the U.S border and traveling by car and so on. But it is doable.
These reports should be appreciated.

Many of those who are referred to Secondary Review do not have a significant problem. And they are NOT precluded from traveling abroad while their PR card application is pending in SR. Legitimate, admissible PRs are entitled to a PR Travel Document, for the purpose of traveling to Canada, and as these reports illustrate, for many there is also the option of traveling to Canada via the U.S.

Thus, those who come to this topic because they too have gotten the dreaded notice that their PR card application is referred for SR need NOT panic, need NOT be unduly alarmed . . . so long as, as Ramik observed, they have their paperwork in order and are playing by the rules.

Perhaps the biggest difference is between those PRs who are clearly established and well-settled in Canada, versus those who are not or might be perceived to not be settled in Canada permanently. The latter being more likely to get bogged down in longer processing and to be at greater risk if they go abroad while their PR card is in SR. This difference should not be a surprise. But for most legitimate PRs, in compliance with the PR RO, and well-settled permanently in Canada, going abroad without a PR card should merely impose some inconvenience and not be particularly risky.
 

asif007

Member
Dec 8, 2016
17
0
Ramik said:
I agree with gauri.gupta08 has mentioned. When I was renewing my US visa in the US consulate in Toronto, my PR card was about to expire in 5 days. What the officials in the US embassy kept asking me if I had renewed my PR card or not and I told them I did and they approved my visa right away and got it valid for 10 years.

Last June, I had to travel to Egypt for family matters and I have already heard that a lot of people with expired PR cards do travel through the U.S but it has to be with their own vehicle (i.e not a commercial transport). When I came back I flew through JFK and the CBP officer at JFK asked me where I was going and I simply told him that I was transiting through to Canada. He simply stamped my passport and I was on my way to Buffalo.

Then when I got to Buffalo a couple of friends of mine came and picked me up from Buffalo airport and when we were at the Canada border CBSA officer asked what were we doing in the U.S. My friends told the officer that they were picking me up from the airport. I was the only PR in the car (all my friends are Canadian citizens) and the officer simply asked if I had renewed my PR card or not and I told him and I did and I'm waiting into secondary review. Then he let us through so smoothly.

What I want to say from the experience above is that its not as bad you think it is if you have the right documents (i.e valid US visa, landing documents and expired PR card) and you have already the right amount of days to satisfy your residence obligation. However, I must say that it is a bit expensive and tiresome going through the U.S border and traveling by car and so on. But it is doable.
Hi Ramik,

I have just been informed of SR of my renewal application. I am required to go to Pakistan (I have Pakistan passport) next month. In all probabilities, I will not get my renewed PR card by that time. I also have a 10 year US visa but I unfortunately have lost my landing papers. Can I still pass through buffalo border by showing them my house lease, health card, drivers license etc?
 

Ramik

Star Member
Aug 23, 2016
64
23
asif007 said:
Hi Ramik,

I have just been informed of SR of my renewal application. I am required to go to Pakistan (I have Pakistan passport) next month. In all probabilities, I will not get my renewed PR card by that time. I also have a 10 year US visa but I unfortunately have lost my landing papers. Can I still pass through buffalo border by showing them my house lease, health card, drivers license etc?
Hi Asif007,

I would say yes but again you must have all your papers to show that you are living in Canada and a valid visa to the U.S then you are good to go. Also, its very important to have completed your 730 days R.O and have all the documents that show that you have applied for a renewal for a PR. In both times that I have crossed the border to the U.S and back to Canada I was never asked anything except the usual stuff (do you have any tobacco or alcohol etc) and they only checked my PR and when I told them that it was in the renewal process they gave me the nod of "I understand". So to answer your question, yes you should be okay but always prepare proof if you need to be asked to provide it

hope this helps!