Need help on PR card renewal

[Ninini]

Dear friends, my PR card will expire in Jan 2014, I lived the first 2.5 year in Canada and now is outside of Canada. I know the approx. process time for renewal is 3 months, but for some reason I can only come back to Canada for 3 weeks in Sep this year.

Do I need to be in Canada physically when applying for renewal? Can I ask someone within Canada to send my application for me?
Many thanks!

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi

Yes, you must physically be in Canada to renew your PR card. And they don't always mail out the PR card. There is a chance that you will be asked to pick it up in person from an office in Canada; they give you 180 days to pick it up. If you don't pick it up in that time, then they destroy that card and you have to apply again.

Also, keep an eye on your time outside Canada. From what you've said, I'm guessing you left 2 years ago around June 2011? By around July next year, you will have been out of Canada for 3 of the past 5 years and after that, you will no longer meet the residency obligation. If you then enter Canada, there is the possibility that you will be reported and you can actually lose your PR.

 

[Ninini]

Hi Canuck,

Thanks for your response. My plan was to ask someone in Canada to send my application in July and then I will enter Canada in Sep just in case they ask me to pick it up in person.. So I guess that won't work out??

As for the rolling 5 years thing, that's so tricky

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi Canuck,

Thanks for your response. My plan was to ask someone in Canada to send my application in July and then I will enter Canada in Sep just in case they ask me to pick it up in person.. So I guess that won't work out??

As for the rolling 5 years thing, that's so tricky

Not a good thing to do. As you are required to be in the country to submit the renewal, having someone else in Canada do it for you while you are abroad would actually be committing fraud. And there is a good chance you could get caught, which would cause you big problems.

Are you visa-exempt?

 

[Ninini]

Thanks, I'd rather follow the rules than being a fraud

No, I am not, would need visa to enter Canada if no PR card, but I do have a 10 year multiple entry visa to states.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Yeah, always better to follow the rules when CIC is concerned

There have been visa-exempt people who had expired cards but were still able to enter.

For yourself, because you have a US visa, you could travel there and cross overland into Canada by private vehicle. You don't need a PR card to do this, you will need your COPR or Record of Landing instead. Once you get to the Canadian officer, they might question you as to whether you meet the residency obligation. Even if you entered after June/July 2014 without meeting the residency obligation, most PRs in that situation aren't reported; either the officer doesn't ask or they give the PR a little lecture and then let them through. So there is a risk of being reported but I think (no guarantee though) because you did spend 2.5 years in Canada, they might let you slide.

If you enter before the 3 year mark, you can apply for your renewal right away. However, if you enter after the 3 year mark and you aren't reported, you would then have to remain in Canada for 2 years in order to meet the residency obligation before you could renew your PR card.