When i sent my application for PR card renewal in April,2017 i had completed 885 days in Canada. In June,2017 i got an email that my file has been sent for secondary review to the local office and processing delays should be expected.
Have not heard from them nor has the website been updated since then, and i plan to travel back to my home country in December,2017.
which would be the "local office" they are referring to? and what are they looking for in this so called secondary review.
can anyone tell how long had they to wait to receive the renewed card after file went for secondary review.
this is really frustrating the way they function/work
Those in similar situations please share your experiences.
Short answer: There is no definite timeline for Secondary Review. It can range from a month to a year to even longer.
Longer explanation:
I have never been in a similar situation. I have, however, read anecdotal reports by others in a similar situation, scores and scores of them going back several years. And, I have engaged more than a little in discussions about SR, relying extensively on research in official and unofficial sources, ranging from CIC and IRCC online information to official IAD and Federal Court decisions involving PRs and issues like compliance with the PR Residency Obligation, but also other issues related to PR admissibility.
In any event, there is a lot of information and discussion here, in this forum, including in the following two topics:
Email from CIC that PR card renewal needs secondary review
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/email-from-cic-that-pr-card-renewal-needs-secondary-review.251571/
Secondary Review Petition
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/secondary-review-petition.399342/
While the last few pages of each are probably more pertinent now than the older posts, there is nonetheless some valuable information and insights among the older posts.
In any event, since becoming a PR, or at least in the last five years, you were outside Canada more than you were in Canada (885 days out of the previous 1825 days). For obvious reasons this raises concerns and a need to more thoroughly verify time periods claimed to have been in Canada. After all, if there is any question about where a person was at some time, it is more likely that person was where he or she was most of the time. So, for a person who was outside Canada most of the time, it is reasonable if not overtly necessary for IRCC to infer that person was also outside Canada for any period of time it is not clear the person was in Canada.
Once IRCC has some questions about presence in Canada, dates of entry and dates of exit are not enough to verify the PR was in Canada from last date of entry to next date of exit. So a more extensive, non-routine inquiry will often result. Which leads to delays.
Also note, the SR usually involves inquiries or investigations into more than PR RO compliance.
Ultimately, it appears, most SR cases are eventually resolved favourably, and the new PR card is delivered to the PR. The timeline for this varies and appears to vary a great deal, from just an extra month or four, to more than a year. Very difficult to forecast where in that range any particular PRC application will be.
Many share your frustration. But it is the way things work and particularly so if there is some doubt about whether the PR has actually fully settled and is permanently living in Canada (the purpose of PR being to enable a person to fully settle and live permanently in Canada).
In any event, it is very hard to predict whether you will obtain your PRC before your trip in December. If not, you will need to apply for a PR Travel Document in order to return to Canada on an airline, or travel via the U.S. and return to Canada via a land border crossing.
Many, many PRs in a similar situation avoid traveling abroad altogether until they have their new PRC in hand. If you elect to travel abroad before you have the new PRC be sure to have copies of proof of 730+ days presence in Canada, for the five year period as of the date you apply for the PR Travel Document . . . including documentation of employment in Canada and rental/ownership of dwelling place and so on, for the periods of time you were in Canada.
