enter Canada with cruise ship

[aliji]

Hello I would appreciate if anyone can give me advice
I became permanent resident in June 2007 and since then I've been in and out of Canada.The time Ive spent all together in Canada is about 6 months(180 days) .
I lost my PR card .
Will I be able to renew my card (my original card expires June 2012) or be issued travel document to enter Canada
I work on a cruise ship so I will dock for a day in Vancouver once a week and will dissembark(finish my contract) in Vancouver in August 2011 .
Is it better to apply for renewal of my PR card in Vancouver and
will I be able to stay in Vancouver as I disembark in Vancouver .

Thank you in advance for your help
;D

 

[Leon]

Are you working for a Canadian cruise ship company? If yes, then you should be able to renew your PR card. The problem is your work. To renew a PR card, you need to pick it up but because of the nature of your work, you are only able to be there one day a week. Immigration is not very good at working around other people's schedules. It takes 3 months to renew right now so I guess if your contract is finished in August, you could apply in June to make sure you are there by the time it arrives.

Are you having problems entering Canada now without the PR card when your ship comes in? If not, you should be able to disembark in August 2011 without a problem. If you are, then you could stop in a Canadian embassy along your route and apply for a travel document. I think in the US, they can give you one in a day but if you are there every week, it probably would be ok if it took a week or two.

If this is not a Canadian employer though, other rules apply. In that case, you have lost your PR and pretty much your only chance to keep it is entering Canada undetected and staying for 2 years so you meet the residency requirements again and then you can apply to renew.

 

[aliji]

Thank you Leon,
No it ist Canadian cruise ship company and non of the crew members require visa to go out in Vancouver for the day we are docked there .
But as I sigh off in Vancouver i need to pass through immigration .
So from what Im understanding I can apply for travel document and hope to be able to pass immigration at the end of my contract .
Do you think that I can try to go through immingration without travel document?

 

[Leon]

Do you still have your landing papers? If you do, you should be able to pass through with them and your passport.