PR Card Renewal application referred to Program Support

[MaHab]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to provide an update since my last post. As some of you know, I’ve been waiting over six months for my PR card renewal and have encountered some unexpected complications.

Last week, my MP’s office contacted IRCC on my behalf. IRCC initially expressed uncertainty about whether I was physically present in Canada, even though they acknowledged that they had record of my most recent entry into the country in September 2024 through the land border. Apparently, the confusion stems from the PRTD application I had previously withdrawn via webform and email from within Canada. It seems that IRCC’s records suggest that I withdrew the PRTD from outside Canada, leading them to question my current whereabouts.

Today, after my MP’s office confirmed that I’m indeed in Canada, IRCC advised that my application is under further review and is now considered “non-routine”. No specific reason was disclosed. IRCC advised that no timelines for processing apply in these cases. My MP’s office suggested following up with them if I don’t hear anything by the end of January 2025.

Naturally, I’m feeling quite anxious about this situation. Has anyone gone through something similar? How long did it take before you finally received your PR card or at least an update once the file went non-routine? Were you asked to submit additional documents, or did IRCC eventually resolve the matter on its own? Did anyone consider legal avenues, like a mandamus application, in non-routine cases?

I’d really appreciate any experiences or insights you can share. It would help reassure me and possibly guide my next steps. Thanks in advance!

 

[armoured]

Today, after my MP’s office confirmed that I’m indeed in Canada, IRCC advised that my application is under further review and is now considered “non-routine”. No specific reason was disclosed.
...
Naturally, I’m feeling quite anxious about this situation. Has anyone gone through something similar? How long did it take before you finally received your PR card or at least an update once the file went non-routine

I believe your application was already considered non-routine well before this most recent episode, so I doubt that there is any new content beyond the info/clarification before that about their uncertainty as to your physical presence in Canada.

So, I basically have no suggestion, unfortunately.

It seems to me that the somewhat-common approach for non-routine cases where long absences and uncertainty about where the applicant may be is that IRCC decides to send the card to a local office for physical pick-up. You can read in various threads about experiences of others in these pick-up cases (in brief, a large part of the reason for this seems to be to confirm the ID of the applicant and physical presence in Canada - mostly at time of pickup, to a lesser degree some historical verification).

That said, this is not fast either, and so I've no idea about timeframes, and certainly no idea how an applicant might influence IRCC to use this mechanism. So perhaps others have a suggestion, I've nothing better to suggest than waiting for now.

 

[canuck78]

Hi everyone,

I wanted to provide an update since my last post. As some of you know, I’ve been waiting over six months for my PR card renewal and have encountered some unexpected complications.

Last week, my MP’s office contacted IRCC on my behalf. IRCC initially expressed uncertainty about whether I was physically present in Canada, even though they acknowledged that they had record of my most recent entry into the country in September 2024 through the land border. Apparently, the confusion stems from the PRTD application I had previously withdrawn via webform and email from within Canada. It seems that IRCC’s records suggest that I withdrew the PRTD from outside Canada, leading them to question my current whereabouts.

Today, after my MP’s office confirmed that I’m indeed in Canada, IRCC advised that my application is under further review and is now considered “non-routine”. No specific reason was disclosed. IRCC advised that no timelines for processing apply in these cases. My MP’s office suggested following up with them if I don’t hear anything by the end of January 2025.

Naturally, I’m feeling quite anxious about this situation. Has anyone gone through something similar? How long did it take before you finally received your PR card or at least an update once the file went non-routine? Were you asked to submit additional documents, or did IRCC eventually resolve the matter on its own? Did anyone consider legal avenues, like a mandamus application, in non-routine cases?

I’d really appreciate any experiences or insights you can share. It would help reassure me and possibly guide my next steps. Thanks in advance!

Not sure how you would qualify for mandamus at the moment. You had an extremely long absence from Canada and got lucky by not being reported, filed for PR card with almost not buffer and then left Canada. You’ll just need to wait and would not suggest leaving Canada until you have the PR card.

 

[MaHab]

Thanks @armoured and @canuck78 for your insights. I'm absolutely convinced, all I can and should do is just patiently wait. I'll try to give myself a break and forget about it. I have no plans leaving Canada anyway. As usual, I'll let you know if anything changes so that people here may benefit and avoid my mistakes. The number 1 mistake PRs like myself should never do is to take our PR status for granted and to risk loosing it by being absent from Canada for too long. That's the root cause of all PR related problems in my opinion.

Have a happy holiday season everyone!

 

[amberkiza]

I think I did, yes, it even states that on the report.

Nox Vidmate VLC​

 

[MaHab]

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. This morning I finally received correspondence from IRCC regarding my PR card renewal application. They are requesting additional documents pertaining to the 5 year period prior to the date of submission. I have a few questions regarding those documents and was wondering if someone could kindly help me out with them.

1) Photocopies of all pages (including blank pages) of all your past and current passport(s) / travel document(s) - used to enter or leave Canada or other countries. All pages must be photocopied in colour and must be clearly legible.
All documents must be accompanied by an official translation if they are in a language other than English or French. You should provide a certified copy of the English or French translation and a certified copy of the translator’s declaration.

My question: Do all the passport pages need to be (or are preferred to be) certified as true copies of the original by a notary? I have a few stamps in Arabic so I'll need to translate them from a certified translator as well. Should I translate the stamps and notarize the copies separately or is there a way to translate and notarize in one go? Could someone please guide me as to how this should be done?

2) Statement of Travel Records issued by USA authorities. The following website provides limited access to arrival and departure date records of non-immigrant aliens entering and departing the United States which are maintained in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) Non-immigrant Information System (NIIS). https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/

Easy, thank you. (I'm mentioning just for completeness of my situation)

3) Various utility statements, e.g. Phone, oil, water, cable

My question: I live with my parents so most of the utilities were in their names apart from one year of internet bills that were in my name. It's for the 7 months before and 5 months after this one year that I'm not sure what to provide. There are no utility statements strictly in my name for those months although my name and phone number is mentioned within 7 months of recent phone bills that are under my mother's name as a family plan. Would providing the specific pages I'm named in of those bills along with an explanation suffice for the recent 7 months? Also, would an explanation be enough for the older 5 months during which I was not mentioned on any bill or should I provide bank or credit card statements in my name for that period as an alternative even though they did not ask for financial statements (and I had already provided them in the initial application)?

4) Copy of Provincial Drivers licence and Health card;

Easy, thank you.

5) Mortgage/Tenancy/Lease Agreements

My Question: The first lease agreement for a home that I lived in as an occupant doesn't have my name on it as an occupant because I joined my parents and brother later after the lease was already signed. My name (and my brother's name) was also not written on the second lease for simplicity as my parents were the primary tenants. Should I provide letters from my previous landlords confirming that I was an occupant along with an explanation for those 2 lease agreements?

Also, could someone please shed some light on how soon after providing these documents I should expect my card (or any response) in these situations based on people's experiences?

Thank you very much for your time and have a great rest of day!

 

[armoured]

Hello everyone,

I hope you're all doing well. This morning I finally received correspondence from IRCC regarding my PR card renewal application. They are requesting additional documents pertaining to the 5 year period prior to the date of submission. I have a few questions regarding those documents and was wondering if someone could kindly help me out with them.

1) Photocopies of all pages (including blank pages) of all your past and current passport(s) / travel document(s) - used to enter or leave Canada or other countries. All pages must be photocopied in colour and must be clearly legible.
All documents must be accompanied by an official translation if they are in a language other than English or French. You should provide a certified copy of the English or French translation and a certified copy of the translator’s declaration.

My question: Do all the passport pages need to be (or are preferred to be) certified as true copies of the original by a notary? I have a few stamps in Arabic so I'll need to translate them from a certified translator as well. Should I translate the stamps and notarize the copies separately or is there a way to translate and notarize in one go? Could someone please guide me as to how this should be done?

2) Statement of Travel Records issued by USA authorities. The following website provides limited access to arrival and departure date records of non-immigrant aliens entering and departing the United States which are maintained in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) Non-immigrant Information System (NIIS). https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/

Easy, thank you. (I'm mentioning just for completeness of my situation)

3) Various utility statements, e.g. Phone, oil, water, cable

My question: I live with my parents so most of the utilities were in their names apart from one year of internet bills that were in my name. It's for the 7 months before and 5 months after this one year that I'm not sure what to provide. There are no utility statements strictly in my name for those months although my name and phone number is mentioned within 7 months of recent phone bills that are under my mother's name as a family plan. Would providing the specific pages I'm named in of those bills along with an explanation suffice for the recent 7 months? Also, would an explanation be enough for the older 5 months during which I was not mentioned on any bill or should I provide bank or credit card statements in my name for that period as an alternative even though they did not ask for financial statements (and I had already provided them in the initial application)?

4) Copy of Provincial Drivers licence and Health card;

Easy, thank you.

5) Mortgage/Tenancy/Lease Agreements

My Question: The first lease agreement for a home that I lived in as an occupant doesn't have my name on it as an occupant because I joined my parents and brother later after the lease was already signed. My name (and my brother's name) was also not written on the second lease for simplicity as my parents were the primary tenants. Should I provide letters from my previous landlords confirming that I was an occupant along with an explanation for those 2 lease agreements?

Also, could someone please shed some light on how soon after providing these documents I should expect my card (or any response) in these situations based on people's experiences?

Thank you very much for your time and have a great rest of day!

Overall I think the general advice to simply respond as best you can, and to not wait overly long (the perfect can be the enemy of the good). But also - if the info that they have asked for above does not give the most useful and straightforward info that you have to show evidence you have been in Canada (or outside during those periods when absent), then include that info too. It may be useful to include a short timeline of specific days, special emphasis on days in Canada of course - esp those days before day you applied. Also emphasize you are in Canada since [days after applying for PR card and now.]

For example: if you're working or studying, and that covers some of the periods in Canada, include some kind of evidence about that. Mark clearly/explain that this is provided as supplemental to request.

1) Passport pages: take it to a certified translator in your province and ask them to do the whole thing. They will mostly know how to do this. Just include their certification/attestation on the translation and the copy of the original with some kind of mark/stamp that shows it is the document translated.

3) Provide what you have with special emphasis on any that show your name. Include a letter of explanation (short) that your name is mostly not on bills because paying as a family. Won't hurt to include a short letter from mother or father confirming this - although it may not help much. Include financial statements if they show activity here.

5) Basically as above: provide what you can. Letter from landlord won't hurt.

Given the specific circumstances, you might want to write a short letter of explanation about the PRTD application and all that - nothing that you applied while abroad, returned via USA to be back in Canada, and then it was approved AFTER you'd returned to Canada, hence why you cancelled it.

I've no idea how long this might take.

As before, caveat that it may be worthwhile to consult a lawyer; but I don't see that there is much risk in providing the above as long as all your responses are factual and truthful.

But that's my guess and I'm not qualified, etc.

 

[MaHab]

Thank you so much, @armoured, for your detailed and incredibly helpful response. I wanted to share a quick update regarding the 44(1) report issue after consulting with a reputable immigration lawyer. Based on their advice, it seems I don’t need to disclose the good faith error for several reasons:

- I only became aware of the 44(1) report through an ATIP request. I was never formally informed about it—neither in writing (e.g., via a letter) nor verbally (e.g., by officers at the POEs).
- The 44(1) report was unsigned, meaning there’s no evidence to suggest that I was aware of its existence.
- The 44(1) report was cancelled back in May 2022, so it is no longer an active issue.
- IRCC can likely already see the report in their system, and its presence didn’t prevent them from approving my PRTD.
- The focus of IRCC’s current request appears to be my compliance with the residency obligation, as evidenced by the letter requesting additional documents.

The lawyer also recommended including supplementary health-related documents, such as records of visits to my family doctor or dentist, even though IRCC hasn’t specifically requested them. While I understand the intention is to provide stronger evidence of my ties to Canada, and of my compliance with the residency obligation, I’m concerned that submitting more documents than requested could potentially delay processing by overwhelming the officer. Do you think this is a valid concern, or would adding these documents be worth the risk?

On a related note, I’m also considering including my family’s current lease agreement to indicate my ongoing presence in Canada. This was my own idea, not something suggested by the lawyer. Do you think this would strengthen my case, or is it better to stick to what IRCC explicitly requested?

Additionally, I wanted to ask if it’s necessary to submit utility statements and lease agreements/proof of addresses for periods when I was not in Canada. These would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Has anyone else encountered this, and is IRCC likely to expect such documents for periods of absence?

The request also asks for “photocopies of all pages (including blank pages) of all your past and current passport(s) / travel document(s) - used to enter Canada or other countries.” I assume they mean for the relevant five-year period since the letter specifically requests additional information for that time frame. Does this interpretation seem correct?

Thank you

 

[armoured]

- The focus of IRCC’s current request appears to be my compliance with the residency obligation, as evidenced by the letter requesting additional documents.

All the stuff above makes sense to me. Basically: listen to lawyers whose advice and explanations make sense.

The lawyer also recommended including supplementary health-related documents, such as records of visits to my family doctor or dentist, even though IRCC hasn’t specifically requested them. While I understand the intention is to provide stronger evidence of my ties to Canada, and of my compliance with the residency obligation, I’m concerned that submitting more documents than requested could potentially delay processing by overwhelming the officer. Do you think this is a valid concern, or would adding these documents be worth the risk?

Providing "whatever you have" that I referred to in 3) above is more or less the same as what your lawyers are referring to. Focus on stuff that shows you, personally, were physically in Canada interacting in a way that can be shown.

Since they seem to be looking into your physical presence in Canada, stop overthinking - provide what you have that shows your physical presence in Canada.

On a related note, I’m also considering including my family’s current lease agreement to indicate my ongoing presence in Canada. This was my own idea, not something suggested by the lawyer. Do you think this would strengthen my case, or is it better to stick to what IRCC explicitly requested?

I revert to comments above: things like a lease that don't specifically name you (and that was held because your parents reside there) doesn't directly support your physical presence in Canada. Include it if you like; but see above: provide things that show your physical presence in Canada. Work or study that means you were physically at a certain place: strong. Membership in a club that you never went to: weak.

Additionally, I wanted to ask if it’s necessary to submit utility statements and lease agreements/proof of addresses for periods when I was not in Canada. These would be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to obtain. Has anyone else encountered this, and is IRCC likely to expect such documents for periods of absence?

Read this again in context of what I have said, and what your lawyer has said. You do not need to demonstrate your physical time abroad. It is only useful if it shows that you were eg on your way to Canada (duty free shop receipt at airport you left from on day you flew to Canada is arguably useful; everything else - not really?).

The request also asks for “photocopies of all pages (including blank pages) of all your past and current passport(s) / travel document(s) - used to enter Canada or other countries.” I assume they mean for the relevant five-year period since the letter specifically requests additional information for that time frame. Does this interpretation seem correct?

That's the way that I would interpret it.

 

[MaHab]

Thank you so much @armoured for your very helpful tips!


Hi everyone,

I recently couriered all the requested documents—plus some additional supporting documents and information—to the IRCC Digitization Centre in New Waterford, Nova Scotia. For completeness, I wanted to share the exact wording of the request letter I received, and I’d really appreciate any insights or experiences you might have with this process.

From what I understand, this appears to be a formal residency determination to ensure I’m meeting the residency obligation (rather than a referral for secondary review). If anyone has gone through a similar request, I’d love to hear about your timeline: how long did it take IRCC to process and issue your PR card after receiving your documents?

Additionally, I noticed a reference to “AF-PS” in the request letter, which seems to be a department at the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. Has anyone encountered this code or department before? I’m curious what it could mean or if there’s any special significance to it in the context of IRCC processing.

Thank you in advance for any advice or feedback!



CASE PROCESSING CENTRE
P.O. Box 9000
Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6K7


Dear …

This letter concerns your application for a Permanent Resident Card received at our office on …
A preliminary review of your application has been completed and additional information is needed before a final review can be completed.
Subsection 28(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act describes the residency obligation with which permanent residents must comply.
Section 59(1) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) sets out the requirements that must be met in order for an officer to issue a permanent resident card. In particular, paragraph 59(1)(c) of the IRPR states that an officer shall, on application, issue a new permanent resident card if the applicant complies with the requirements of sections 56 and 57 and subsection 58(4).
To examine whether you are in compliance with the requirements to be issued a new Permanent Resident Card pursuant to paragraph 59(1)(c) of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations, we request that you provide additional information for the period of … to …

Please submit the following documents:

• Photocopies of all pages (including blank pages) of all your past and current passport(s) / travel document(s) - used to enter or leave Canada or other countries. All pages must be photocopied in colour and must be clearly legible.
• Statement of Travel Records issued by USA authorities. The following website provides limited access to arrival and departure date records of non-immigrant aliens entering and departing the United States which are maintained in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's (CBP's) Non-immigrant Information System (NIIS). https://i94.cbp.dhs.gov/
• Various utility statements, e.g. Phone, oil, water, cable
• Copy of Provincial Drivers licence and Health card;
• Mortgage/Tenancy/Lease Agreements

All documents must be accompanied by an official translation if they are in a language other than English or French.
You should provide a certified copy of the English or French translation and a certified copy of the translator’s declaration. A translator’s declaration must include:

• the translator’s name
• the original language of the translated document, and
• a statement signed by a translator that the translation is accurate.

*Please include this letter with your submission.

Please send the documents within 30 days of the date of this letter to the following address. If you do not provide us with the required information or submit incomplete information, we will review your application on the basis of the information available. If we are not satisfied that your application complies with the requirements of paragraph 59(1)(c) of the IRPR, your application may be refused, which means that, if refused, you will need to submit a new application and fee should you wish to apply for a permanent resident card in the future

Regular mail:
IRCC—PR Card Centre
ATTN: AF-PS
PO BOX 9000
Sydney, NS B1P 6K7

Courier:
IRCC Digitization Centre - PRC
ATTN: AF-PS
3050 Wilson Ave
New Waterford, NS B1H 5V8

If you require more time to submit the documents, please notify our office within the 30 days by email
Please Note: Subject Line must include the reference number …\AF-PS. Any emails received without a reference number will not be actioned.

Persons outside Canada who wish to return to Canada and don’t have a valid Permanent Resident Card; are required to obtain a permanent resident travel document from a Canadian visa office abroad. Additional information is available on our website at www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/travel.asp

If you require additional information, please visit our website at https://ircc.canada.ca or, to submit an enquiry, visit https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc/web-form.html.

Yours sincerely,

Program Officer; AF-PS
PRC Case Processing Centre