Is PR Card renewal mandatory for those who are visa exempt?

[Ponga]

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Articles/Visas-Permits/Permanent-resident-cards

Interesting article that seems to indicate that it is NOT a mandatory requirement to maintain PR status and/or travel via a commercial carrier (if visa exempt).

If the PR Card is, in essence, nothing more than a travel document...is it truly needed for those holding a valid passport from a visa exempt country...for anything?

 

[Sheps]

I don't know if it helps, but my mother always renews her PR Card when it expires (US Citizen).

 

[Ponga]

I'm just wondering if it's really nothing more than a cash grab for those that are visa exempt...and slightly bored today I guess.

 

[ZingyDNA]

If you are visa exempt it's definitely possible for you to enter Canada without a PR card. It's just that they will question you for a while, not sure how long "a while" might be...

 

[ttrajan]

But better to have PR card. It may be useful to apply for license, Heath card and job etc. When I joined a new job they asked for copy of my PR card.

 

[dpenabill]

Key statements in the article which are correct:

It is not a legal requirement for a permanent resident to maintain a valid PR card anymore than it is for a Canadian citizen to maintain a valid Canadian passport.

But, presenting a valid PR card can make a difference when obtaining things like a bank account, health care coverage, or otherwise in a situation which depends on showing status in Canada. A PR card is not necessary, status is valid without it, but it is the best and easiest to present form of proof of status.


. . . Canadian citizens and permanent residents can leave Canada anytime with or without a passport or PR Card. No law prohibits it. Any problems are associated with returning to Canada.

. . . a permanent resident is required to have a PR card when he/she returns to Canada. However, his/her failure to do so will not constitute an offence under our immigration laws.

Not true that a PR is required to have a PR card when he or she returns to Canada. It is required to board a commercial flight destined for Canada. PRs with or without a valid PR card are entitled to enter Canada if they present themselves, and establish identity and status, at a Canadian POE . . . the problem is in getting to a POE.

Which is where the visa exempt passport comes in: PRs in possession of a visa-exempt passport can often, if not ordinarily, board a flight destined for Canada. Technically they are supposed to present a valid PR card OR a PR Travel Document, but airlines are merely checking boarding passengers for a travel document authorizing entry into Canada, and the visa-exempt passport is such a travel document. Advance eTA requirements, to come fully into force early next year, may change how this works.

. . . if a Canadian permanent resident finds themselves outside of Canada without a PR card they can always apply for a permanent resident travel document at a Canadian visa post outside of Canada.

This is the approach CIC prefers PRs to take. Problem is the presumption that a PR abroad not in possession of a valid PR card is presumed to not have valid PR status . . . so PRs in this situation need to have proof of compliance with the PR RO and submit that with their application for a PR TD, or risk denial of the PR TD.



Overall Observation:

I know a number of PRs who have been PRs for a very long time and who have hardly given a thought to their status . . . but many of them have recently begun to rethink this due to elevated scrutiny when attempting to return to Canada and the increased bureaucratic red tape involved in the periodic application for a new PR card . . . nearly as much hassle as applying for citizenship itself . . . and way more hassle (albeit not so expensive) as applying to renew a passport (which can now be obtained with ten year validity).

 

[Lammawitch]

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Articles/Visas-Permits/Permanent-resident-cards

Interesting article that seems to indicate that it is NOT a mandatory requirement to maintain PR status and/or travel via a commercial carrier (if visa exempt).

If the PR Card is, in essence, nothing more than a travel document...is it truly needed for those holding a valid passport from a visa exempt country...for anything?

See bold: No... In my/my family's *personal* experience. Except for possible closer questioning (secondary) on coming back into Canada. Not a problem if one meets Residence requirements.

I remember having this discussion with a CIC employee *years* ago.

Short answer: expired PR card + no issues about residency requirements + visa-exempt passport = No worries.

In other anecdotal evidence: I/family members are/have been asked so rarely *in* Canada to show PR card, expired or not, that we are always surprised when it happens!!

 

[Leon]

I have to agree with both dpenabill and Lammawitch.

Once you are established in Canada, already have a job, have health care, have a drivers license, in my experience, nobody asked me for a PR card any more.

However, if you move to another province, you may be asked for it when exchanging your drivers license or when signing up for health care in your new province. Some employers even ask for them which means you would have to convince the employer that you don't need that or lose out on the job. I have heard of college students being asked to provide them as often as every semester to prove that they are entitled to pay the lower tuition fees for PR's and citizens instead of the higher fees for international students.

There is one more point I can think of and that when you are outside Canada looking to return and that is that even though you are visa exempt, if you can not show that you are a PR, the airline could require you to buy a return ticket. I remember having heard about that happening to someone on here.

The PR card hasn't actually been around that long in the terms of immigration and government. It is actually only 13 years old. In the beginning, it was only thought as a travel document for PR's, to make it easier to ID a PR when they return. However, in the meantime, all kind of agencies inside Canada have realized that the PR card might also be a good way to establish that a person has valid PR status. Of course the lack of a valid PR card does not necessarily mean you don't have PR status if you meet the RO. We know that, but the person who you are asking to issue you a drivers license for example and is supposed to verify that you have the right to live in Canada doesn't necessarily know that, nor do they want to go through your travel history with you to indeed make sure that you meet the RO. They just want to see the card. You can argue with them but arguing with bureaucracy is normally pointless. You can sue their agency if you want to but most of the agencies have more time and more money than you do so the path of least resistance is simply to go with the flow and renew your card.

As for the renewal being a hassle, maybe, but it's only every 5 years. As for it being a cash grab, a PR card is $50. That probably doesn't even cover the costs. I think $50 every 5 years should be affordable for everybody.

 

[ZingyDNA]

As for the renewal being a hassle, maybe, but it's only every 5 years. As for it being a cash grab, a PR card is $50. That probably doesn't even cover the costs. I think $50 every 5 years should be affordable for everybody.

A PR card renewal is only $50? That's a hell lot cheaper than a citizenship application!

 

[Alurra71]

A PR card renewal is only $50? That's a hell lot cheaper than a citizenship application!

Maybe in the short term, but if you renew your PR card every 5 years for say, 25 years (adult life span guesstimate from time of landing) you have now spent $1250. Imagine if your child required a PR Card renewal every 5 years and came as a newborn

 

[MiriamT]

Maybe in the short term, but if you renew your PR card every 5 years for say, 25 years (adult life span guesstimate from time of landing) you have now spent $1250. Imagine if your child required a PR Card renewal every 5 years and came as a newborn

My first thought was 'why in the world someone would spend this long without applying for citizenship...' heh But hey, whatever people want to do with their lives...

Thinking about costs, being Canadian would cost more, given that the passport costs more than a PR Card renewal. Even more if you add the citizenship application fees. (But more options and opportunities that aren't available for PRs)

 

[Leon]

Maybe in the short term, but if you renew your PR card every 5 years for say, 25 years (adult life span guesstimate from time of landing) you have now spent $1250. Imagine if your child required a PR Card renewal every 5 years and came as a newborn

In order to spend $1250 for a $50 PR card renewal, you must have renewed your PR card 25 times. 25 years is only 5 renewals so $250.

If your child immigrates as a newborn, he gets the first PR card which you must renew when the child is 5 years old, again when they are 10, again when they are 15. After that, they are on their own Your total cost for the PR renewals would be $150.

The child then renews when he is 20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60, 65, 70, 75 and probably that last card lasts until he dies. So he has 12 renewals and has spent $600 in the end. Sure it's cheaper applying for citizenship at an early age and the cost of passport would be there even if he didn't because if he wants to travel, he would have to get a passport from his birth country.

There are various reasons why PR's might choose not to apply for citizenship. One may be that their birth citizenship country does not allow dual and they have a reason to keep their birth citizenship such as assets / inheritance in their old country. It's not necessarily a question of money. Although, if you don't have any money, you would stay in the same province and not travel in which case you could probably get by without renewing your PR card.

 

[Sheps]

My first thought was 'why in the world someone would spend this long without applying for citizenship...' heh But hey, whatever people want to do with their lives...

Thinking about costs, being Canadian would cost more, given that the passport costs more than a PR Card renewal. Even more if you add the citizenship application fees. (But more options and opportunities that aren't available for PRs)

Those costs are born by citizens of their country when renewing their password anyways, you can't count Passport costs in that calculation. In fact, it may be more if you don't live in a city with a Embassy (my wife had to fly to Calgary to change her name on the passport after sending her Marriage Certificate to Japan and receiving her Koseki back.