11.1. Rights of permanent residents
A27(1) provides that a permanent resident has the right to enter and remain in Canada subject to
the provisions of the Act.
A19(2) requires an officer to allow a permanent resident to enter Canada if satisfied following an
examination on their entry that they have that status.
Permanent residents who are under enforcement proceedings keep their permanent resident
status and retain the right to enter Canada until a final determination of their loss of status has
been made.
11.2. Verifying permanent resident status
The permanent resident card is the only valid proof of permanent resident status in Canada.
The following documents are satisfactory indicators of permanent residence:
• the original Record of Landing:
• a certified true copy of a Record of Landing document issued by CIC National Headquarters;
• a letter issued by CIC National Headquarters verifying permanent residence;
• a passport duly stamped showing the date on which permanent residence was granted, if the
person was granted permanent resident status before 1973; and
• a Confirmation of Permanent Residence document [IMM 5292B].
11.3. Establishing permanent resident status without documents
BSOs at ports of entry have the discretion to authorize the entry of permanent residents, even in
the absence of documentation. If documentary evidence is not available, the BSO at Immigration
Secondary must establish the person’s permanent resident status through questioning and
checking the person’s status in FOSS. The status of persons who became permanent residents
before 1973 has to be verified by contacting the Query Response Centre at National
Headquarters at: QRC@cic.gc.ca.
Once a BSO is satisfied that a person is a permanent resident, the examination should be
concluded and the person should be allowed to enter Canada without delay.
