Landing Record Says: "Not Valid For Travel"

[bbarlow]

I'm hopeless bogged down the mess that is trying to renew my PR card. It's a black hole where can't get any help or answers to anything. My urgent request application just fell into a pit.

I desperately need to travel for business, they told me that I could travel in car using my landing record, which I confirmed on the website.

My landing record was falling apart 10 years ago so I got a certified copy. I've never really looked at it until now. Now I see that it says, "Not Valid For Travel."

What in the world is going on. On the one hand they say I can travel with it and on the other I can't.

 

[ZingyDNA]

Even though the CoPR says "Not Valid for Travel" on it, you can still use it to enter Canada through a land border. I'm just curious about if you can use a long-expired CoPR with landing info on it... Or does it ever expire after landing?

 

[bbarlow]

I don't understand:

1. What is COPR? Certified copy of permanent residence? I've never had one. All I have copy of landing, with certification dated 10 years ago.

2. What does expired mean? There is nothing on it about expiration.

Thanks.

 

[lpc19800]

COPR = confirmation of perm residence

To my knowledge there is no expiry - you are told to keep this document forever

You can cross in to canada in a car using your COPR and shouldn't have any issues even though it says it's not valid for travel

 

[bbarlow]

is record of landing the same a COPR = confirmation of perm residence?

 

[ZingyDNA]

is record of landing the same a COPR = confirmation of perm residence?

At least it's the same for me. I landed in 1.5 months ago. I had two copies of CoPR. During the landing, the border officer and I signed both copies and he took one and let me keep the other. I assume the copy I keep is the landing record, as it contains all the landing info.

I'm not sure the situation is the same for you as you landed quite a while ago. The documents might be different back then.

 

[meyakanor]

CoPR is NOT a travel document, and is NOT valid for travel.

To cross the border back onto Canada, you do not need a travel document if you are a PR. You just need to establish your status, and CoPR (or landing paper) helps facilitate that.

But you can NOT travel to another country using just the landing paper; hence, the not valid for travel warning.

 

[CanV]

When you have the right to enter Canada or any country (which you do for Canada), border control care less if you have the required documentation to travel. Only commercial carriers care that you have the required dicuments to enter the destination country. In the case or PR, commercial carriers are instructed to allow the passanger to board if they possess a PR card. They care less if you are a PR or not, you just have to show them you have a valid card. If you arrive without a card and you are refused entry (which you wont but they dont care), then they get fined and will have to fly you back. The fine I to my knowledge is around 60-100k.

Now when you travel from the US to Canada by car, you do not have to stop at the US border. Once you arrive at the Canadian side, they will have to establish you are a PR. Your landing papers or COPR will help but I think you will be allowed to enter even if you dont have those. The only thing that you for sure have to show sufficient proof of is your identity.

 

[emamabd]

is record of landing the same a COPR = confirmation of perm residence?

yes its the same...

 

[canuck_in_uk]

My landing record was falling apart 10 years ago so I got a certified copy. I've never really looked at it until now. Now I see that it says, "Not Valid For Travel."

What in the world is going on. On the one hand they say I can travel with it and on the other I can't.

To clarify, "Not Valid for Travel" simply means that you cannot enter Canada using ONLY that piece of paper. You must have a valid travel document, i.e. a passport, to enter Canada.

 

[emamabd]

To clarify, "Not Valid for Travel" simply means that you cannot enter Canada using ONLY that piece of paper. You must have a valid travel document, i.e. a passport, to enter Canada.

well if you are travelling via air ...passport + copr is still not enough, in fact the carrier will not allow you to board on the aircraft without a pr card + passport/ or a passport from a visa exempt country

 

[meyakanor]

Now when you travel from the US to Canada by car, you do not have to stop at the US border. Once you arrive at the Canadian side, they will have to establish you are a PR. Your landing papers or COPR will help but I think you will be allowed to enter even if you dont have those. The only thing that you for sure have to show sufficient proof of is your identity.

I suspect the same. I was always wondering what would happen if as a PR or citizen, we just show up at the border without any documentation whatsoever (such as if we make the wrong U-turn while driving and end up having to re-enter the country). The IRPA states that, even without documentation, once it is established that an individual is a PR, he would be let into the country. But how would you establish your identity without documents? Finger prints?

 

[Alurra71]

I suspect the same. I was always wondering what would happen if as a PR or citizen, we just show up at the border without any documentation whatsoever (such as if we make the wrong U-turn while driving and end up having to re-enter the country). The IRPA states that, even without documentation, once it is established that an individual is a PR, he would be let into the country. But how would you establish your identity without documents? Finger prints?

One can assume, even though that is usually quite dangerous to do, that even if you accidentally left the country and had to uturn and come through a border, you would at minimum have your drivers license with you or some form of identity.

 

[meyakanor]

One can assume, even though that is usually quite dangerous to do, that even if you accidentally left the country and had to uturn and come through a border, you would at minimum have your drivers license with you or some form of identity.

I've been watching the US Border Security series (Canada has one too), and on this episode (see 36:50 onwards),

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehM4V4Xs9dc

a guy who barely spoke English, tried to cross the border on foot on one of the traffic lanes. He had no documentation, but claimed to be a US citizen. In the end, they were able to confirm (by his fingerprints) that he was born in the US (hence US citizen), and they let him in.

I'm not sure how it works in Canada, since I don't think they took any biometric information of PR (unless they were requested for RCMP report), but PRs have rights to enter Canada, and once it is established that you are a PR, they have to let you in (the worst they can do is report you for criminal inadmissibility or violating RO). But since there is no biometric data, the process would be more involved with Canada I'm assuming. Anybody gutsy (or foolish?) enough to try it ?

 

[polara69]

I do not think it is technically possible to accidentally leave the country. To leave the country you would have to enter another one in the first place, and to enter the US without papers, good luck!

Example: I drive to the border crossing in Sumas, BC by car, there I HAVE to show my passport to the US immigration first, then they let me into the US. If I have no papers, they do not let me in and I remain in Canada. Should by miracle I get across and want to come back into Canada with no papers, then I am sure they can access my data, SIN, driver license, tax,, legal status etc etc