Lost PR Card while Outside Canada

[dawn7]

Hi. I have lost my PR Card (while I was outside Canada) and need to travel to Canada in a month's time. Would appreciate advise on how to best arrange for travel document to enable me to land.

Some background: My PR is valid for 3 more years. I work in Middle East. Planning to move permanently to Canada summer of this year.

I think (not sure) I may have to send my passport to Canada Immig office in Abu Dhabi for getting a visit visa. Of course, my passport has the original visa sticker (used for landing), the landing stamp etc. I am afraid the process at Abu Dhabi will take long time and I will have to be without passport during this time.

Can some one please share your insight on how to best (time wise) proceed on the matter.

Thanks

 

[steaky]

Being a PR, you cannot apply a visit visa to enter Canada. You might want to get a PRTD from the Abu Dhabi office instead or traveling through a land border via the US.

 

[Leon]

Right, no visit visa for you. Like steaky said, you can either apply for a US visit visa, fly to the US and enter Canada via the land border showing your landing papers or you can apply for a PR travel document, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/travel.asp

 

[dawn7]

Thank you Leon & Steaky for the informative reply. I have US visa. Would appreciate if you could also please respond to the following:

1. If I do land crossing through US, can you please advise what do you mean by 'landing documents' that I need to show at Canada's border?
2. Once in Canada, I understand I apply for a replacement of lost PR card?

Kind regards.

 

[Tri-Cities]

1. Landing document would be the CoPR.
2. Yes.

cheers! TC

 

[Thommo]

Right, no visit visa for you. Like steaky said, you can either apply for a US visit visa, fly to the US and enter Canada via the land border showing your landing papers or you can apply for a PR travel document, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/travel.asp

Isn't a return ticket required to go to the US if we only have a visit visa? And if we say that we will be travelling on to Canada by a private vehicle, we will be asked to show valid PR card at the port of departure?

 

[Leon]

Isn't a return ticket required to go to the US if we only have a visit visa? And if we say that we will be travelling on to Canada by a private vehicle, we will be asked to show valid PR card at the port of departure?

It is possible that you will have problems entering the US with no return ticket, yes. Personally I have never been asked though.

 

[Thommo]

It is possible that you will have problems entering the US with no return ticket, yes. Personally I have never been asked though.

Thanks for your reply

 

[dawn7]

Hi Leon. In response to your earlier comment, I do not have the CoPR paper with me. What I do have is the initial immigration visa stamp on my passport and my SIN card. Do you think it will be enough to qualify for passing though the US border (land crossing into Canada).

Alternatively, I think i will have to go through the process of getting the PR travel document through the link you sent earlier. ww.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/travel.asp

Much appreciate your input. Thanks

 

[Leon]

Hi Leon. In response to your earlier comment, I do not have the CoPR paper with me. What I do have is the initial immigration visa stamp on my passport and my SIN card. Do you think it will be enough to qualify for passing though the US border (land crossing into Canada).

Alternatively, I think i will have to go through the process of getting the PR travel document through the link you sent earlier. ww.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/travel.asp

Much appreciate your input. Thanks

I think they will let you enter but you might have to endure some lecturing and they might have to spend some time looking up your info.

 

[dawn7]

Thank you for these inputs, much appreciated.

I have heard that one should go through "Peace" Bridge in Buffalo for border crossing as the Canadian immigration staff are supposedly more cooperative. Would you also suggest so? Any other alternative which is considered better e.g. land crossing from Seattle (USA) into Vancouver (Canada)?

As mentioned earlier, I will just have (i.) my passport with initial visa sticker and entry stamp on it and (ii.) my SIN card.

Regards.

 

[steaky]

Thank you for these inputs, much appreciated.

I have heard that one should go through "Peace" Bridge in Buffalo for border crossing as the Canadian immigration staff are supposedly more cooperative. Would you also suggest so? Any other alternative which is considered better e.g. land crossing from Seattle (USA) into Vancouver (Canada)?

As mentioned earlier, I will just have (i.) my passport with initial visa sticker and entry stamp on it and (ii.) my SIN card.

Regards.

They are all the same - according to the officer's mood. There are other border to consider: 1000 islands bridge and land crossing from Sweetgrass (USA) into Coutts (Canada).

 

[dawn7]

Thanks. Do I need to apply for PR replacement while I am in Canada or can I also mail the application package from outside Canada as well?

 

[ttrajan]

You have to apply for PR card from inside Canada.

 

[Rob_TO]

Thanks. Do I need to apply for PR replacement while I am in Canada or can I also mail the application package from outside Canada as well?

When you return to Canada will you actually meet the residency obligation?
Or have you spent at least 3 years outside Canada in the past 5?