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Permanent Residency card problems

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veendi232

Newbie
Feb 24, 2012
5
0
Okay so my student visa expires on April 24th and my school trip is on the 27th. I'm currently living in edmonton and my parents have sent out our passports for permanent residence. We are expecting them to come very soon and we plan on going to the border to validate it. But i won't have my Permanent Residency card until after the trip. So even if i get the visa to go on the trip to california, my dad says i won't be able to get back into Canada because i won't have my Permanent Residency card. Is there any way i can possibly go on this trip? I would really appreciate it if someone would reply to this as soon as possible. Thanks :)

I'm really desperate for an immediate answer. I have to tell my teacher if I can go or not by around next week..
 
If your parents have sent your passport away for visa stamping, with which passport will you travel?
 
If you get your passport back before your trip, which you probably will, it is a question if your parents have to land before you, being principal applicants and such. If they manage to do that, you could land as you arrive back from your school trip and therefore will not need a PR card.
 
Oh wait, but I'm currently living with my parents. When you say land, do you mean come to Canada? My parents have sent out all of our passports for the PR stamp and if I get it back before the trip, would I be able to go? Because my dad has been told by some lady that I would need my PR card to get back into Canada...
 
veendi232 said:
Oh wait, but I'm currently living with my parents. When you say land, do you mean come to Canada? My parents have sent out all of our passports for the PR stamp and if I get it back before the trip, would I be able to go? Because my dad has been told by some lady that I would need my PR card to get back into Canada...
Click to expand...

Landing is when you activate your PR visa. If you get your passport and your PR visa is valid at least until you come back from your trip, you could use that trip to land. Your PR visa is valid for one entry into Canada, after that you need a PR card or a PR travel document. It is just a question if your parents as the primary applicants must have their PR visa activated before you do yours so they need to make a trip to the border and activate their PR visa before you go on your trip. You would not go with them because you want to save your PR visa for your trip.
 
My dad told me that once we get our passports back, we would have to go to the US border. I don't know what that's for exactly but we have to do it. I'm just confused because of what you just said about only them going to the border without me. So let's say I get my passport back before the trip, and the stamp for permanent residency is in the passport. Once I get back into Canada from California, would they let me through? Because my dad told me I wouldn't be able to get back in because I wouldn't have my PR card. Just clear that up for me. Would I be able to get back into Canada with only my PR stamp in my passport and not my PR card
 
And do you know any place I can call for more info? That would be incredibly helpful. But please also reply to my last message :)
 
Your PR visa is valid for one entry. If your PR visa is valid long enough for you to get back from your trip, usually a year from when you had your medicals, you can use it for the one entry getting back from your trip. It means your parents go to the border and do their landing before you and you save your visa for the one entry coming back from your trip and land then.

If you go with your parents to the border and land with them, you will already have used up your one entry PR visa. You can still go on your trip but you might have a problem getting back. If you are going by private car or walking across the border, you do not need a PR card to travel, you can go on your passport and landing papers. However, if you are taking a commercial bus or a plane, they will not let you board without a PR card or other visa to go to Canada because they would be responsible for people they board who are without a visa. Therefore, you would have to stop by the Canadian embassy somewhere on your trip and get a travel document. Now, your trip may not be taking you to a city where there is a Canadian embassy and there might be a couple of days processing to get the travel document but it is doable if you are a bit adventurous but it might mean that you can not go back with your classmates, you might have to travel to a city where there is an embassy and spend a couple of days waiting for them to prepare your travel document for you so you can get on a plane home. You say you are going to California. There is an embassy in LA for example.
 
As a holder of a Sri Lankan passport, you need a visa to enter the US whether you have PR status or not.

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1990.html#countries

http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/without/without_1260.html

"Permanent residents (aka landed immigrants) of Canada must have a nonimmigrant visa unless the permanent resident is a national of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), meets the VWP requirements, and is seeking to enter the U.S. for 90 days or less under that program."
 
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