+1(514) 937-9445 or Toll-free (Canada & US) +1 (888) 947-9445

Pr card renewal query pls advise

rsmeet123

Newbie
Oct 19, 2020
9
0
My wife PR card is expired last year in may 2022, and she was 6 months short of 2 years requirement for Pr card renewal that time as due to her mom passed away back home in india due to prolonged illness she had to be with her to take care of her as she being only daughter and then got stuck in india due to covid for some time and came back inside canada in july 2021 before her Pr card expired, she has been here since then , she recently finished her 730 days requirement for last 5 years but her Pr card has expired in may 2022, can she apply for renewal now , does the the residency requirement for renewal is for her first 5 years when she landed or the latest last 5 years I am a bit confused before applying will the expired Pr card be a issue during renewal, pls advise thanks
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
My wife PR card is expired last year in may 2022, and she was 6 months short of 2 years requirement for Pr card renewal that time as due to her mom passed away back home in india due to prolonged illness she had to be with her to take care of her as she being only daughter and then got stuck in india due to covid for some time and came back inside canada in july 2021 before her Pr card expired, she has been here since then , she recently finished her 730 days requirement for last 5 years but her Pr card has expired in may 2022, can she apply for renewal now , does the the residency requirement for renewal is for her first 5 years when she landed or the latest last 5 years I am a bit confused before applying will the expired Pr card be a issue during renewal, pls advise thanks
If she has 730 days in Canada in the last five years from today (or date of application for PR card renewal), she is in compliance and can apply to renew. Having been out of compliance in the past is not an issue.

Note: it may be better for her - in terms of processing speed - to wait until she has 30 days + over the 730 days requirement (just as a buffer).

Do, of course, double-check her dates and numbers.
 

walterg74

Star Member
Jul 21, 2009
121
10
Note: it may be better for her - in terms of processing speed - to wait until she has 30 days + over the 730 days requirement (just as a buffer).
Question: What is the purpose of the "buffer"? Isn't this a black and white thing, if you don't have the 730 days you will probably be denied (and worse) and if you have them they really cannot say anything?
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
Question: What is the purpose of the "buffer"? Isn't this a black and white thing, if you don't have the 730 days you will probably be denied (and worse) and if you have them they really cannot say anything?
For those who seem 'close' to the 730 days, it seems that it takes longer to get the cards renewed, and noticeably so. Intuitively it would seem they do more checking, or possibly send to a separate procedure for more thorough checking - but we don't really know. For whatever reason, takes longer.

Now, there may well be and likely are other factors - someone who spent two years straight and never left the country, maybe gets less checking. (But then, IRCC records have never been complete in terms of exits in particular). Presumably those with pages and pages of travel get more checking. Presumably they do some checking- even briefly - to see the numbers add up and were done correctly, and a couple of errors in that gets more scrutiny.

But yes, if someone has the 730 days and there's no doubt, they'll eventually get the card. If you want to test it by sending it in on day 731, by all means - have at it.
 

walterg74

Star Member
Jul 21, 2009
121
10
For those who seem 'close' to the 730 days, it seems that it takes longer to get the cards renewed, and noticeably so. Intuitively it would seem they do more checking, or possibly send to a separate procedure for more thorough checking - but we don't really know. For whatever reason, takes longer.

Now, there may well be and likely are other factors - someone who spent two years straight and never left the country, maybe gets less checking. (But then, IRCC records have never been complete in terms of exits in particular). Presumably those with pages and pages of travel get more checking. Presumably they do some checking- even briefly - to see the numbers add up and were done correctly, and a couple of errors in that gets more scrutiny.

But yes, if someone has the 730 days and there's no doubt, they'll eventually get the card. If you want to test it by sending it in on day 731, by all means - have at it.
LOL thanks not really sure I'm up for "testing" stuff, at least on these issues :)

I'm actually close to these cases but the opposite. We did not meet RO, and were lucky to not be reported (but yes observed/annotated) when coming back, and advised to make sure you will comply etc.

So have stayed continuously, and now, we are counting the days to meet RO again, which in our case means I have 17 more days to go until I reach the 730, and 24 days for my wife.

Of those, a huge chunk was recent, meaning if we consider the same 24 days left to go for both, I would have about 671 from that day going back to April 11 2021, and about 66 days in spurts in previous years, and my wife would have the same 671 and 59 in spurts in previous years.

We now really do have to travel though, and have a trip scheduled for March 13. So debating whether to kick off the PR card renewal process in just a few days after we meet RO, or sometime closer to our trip. Pros and cons are essentially have more days in Canada, and potentially be aware of any mistakes in the application, versus attempt the card to be ready and mailed to our address ate least sometime between when our trip starts and when we would return, so we could have it with us when entering. Also considering when reading these forums, is what's really faster these days, if online or paper application...

Wondering best option....
 

walterg74

Star Member
Jul 21, 2009
121
10
(But then, IRCC records have never been complete in terms of exits in particular).
Isn't that what the checkmark to consent to them contacting CBP is supposed to help with..?

Presumably those with pages and pages of travel get more checking.
Well, I don't have "pages and pages", but in my time outside of Canada, and due to work, I have had several work required travels which were not long but which do make it more annoying, like I believe I need to enter (meaningless dates in example):

Country A 01/01/2020 01/03/2020 family
Country B 01/03/2020 15/03/2020 work
Country A 15/03/2020 30/06/2020 family
Country C 01/07/2020 15/07/2020 work
Country A 16/7/2020 31/12/2020 famliy

Instead of making it simpler, as they say you need to list all travel and all countries etc... :(
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
LOL thanks not really sure I'm up for "testing" stuff, at least on these issues :)

I'm actually close to these cases but the opposite. We did not meet RO, and were lucky to not be reported (but yes observed/annotated) when coming back, and advised to make sure you will comply etc.

So have stayed continuously, and now, we are counting the days to meet RO again, which in our case means I have 17 more days to go until I reach the 730, and 24 days for my wife.

Of those, a huge chunk was recent, meaning if we consider the same 24 days left to go for both, I would have about 671 from that day going back to April 11 2021, and about 66 days in spurts in previous years, and my wife would have the same 671 and 59 in spurts in previous years.

We now really do have to travel though, and have a trip scheduled for March 13. So debating whether to kick off the PR card renewal process in just a few days after we meet RO, or sometime closer to our trip. Pros and cons are essentially have more days in Canada, and potentially be aware of any mistakes in the application, versus attempt the card to be ready and mailed to our address ate least sometime between when our trip starts and when we would return, so we could have it with us when entering. Also considering when reading these forums, is what's really faster these days, if online or paper application...

Wondering best option....
Yes, you have grasped the basics of what the trade-offs are. I'm afraid no-one can make that decision for you, about when exactly to apply.

Note that my comment of having, say, 30+ days buffer is not meant to say that there is some magic about 30 days, just a general statement and allowing that for most, applying and getting the PR card 30 days earlier is usually not that big a difference and better to wait a bit.

My view is any buffer is better than none, with diminishing returns (60 day buffer is not twice as good as 30 days), and so 15 days much better than 0 days - for example. If there is a specific number of days that matters, I'm not aware of it (except that 1 day buffer is far, far better than being one day short).
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: walterg74

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
Isn't that what the checkmark to consent to them contacting CBP is supposed to help with..?
It helps them, yes. But it's not perfect. They have not had complete records (I believe) for air departures until quite recently, and there are still a few exit/entry paths that are weakly recorded and/or controlled (some water entries, for example). And that's assuming that there are never mistakes or gaps in the records that they do have.

Well, I don't have "pages and pages", but in my time outside of Canada, and due to work, I have had several work required travels which were not long but which do make it more annoying, like I believe I need to enter (meaningless dates in example):

Country A 01/01/2020 01/03/2020 family
Country B 01/03/2020 15/03/2020 work
Country A 15/03/2020 30/06/2020 family
Country C 01/07/2020 15/07/2020 work
Country A 16/7/2020 31/12/2020 famliy

Instead of making it simpler, as they say you need to list all travel and all countries etc... :(
If there's, say, less than ten entry/exit records, it's quite modest. There are lots of PRs who have pages and pages - eg those who live near border and travel almost daily to USA.
 

walterg74

Star Member
Jul 21, 2009
121
10
It helps them, yes. But it's not perfect. They have not had complete records (I believe) for air departures until quite recently, and there are still a few exit/entry paths that are weakly recorded and/or controlled (some water entries, for example). And that's assuming that there are never mistakes or gaps in the records that they do have.



If there's, say, less than ten entry/exit records, it's quite modest. There are lots of PRs who have pages and pages - eg those who live near border and travel almost daily to USA.
Well, all those entry/exit records would not be in Canada anyway, that was my initial doubt regarding how to register them.

In a nutshell, we have been to canada for a couple of weeks April 2018, another few Dec 2018, and about a month Dec 2019, before our last one entering in April 2021 and not having left since.

But all those other travels were from/to our home country and anywhere I had to go for work (mostly if not all in that period I believe, to the US).

Edit/Addition: Thinking a bit more about this, I am now wondering if it would be best to NOT lists them, because, say I enter "from Jan 1 2019 to Jan 15 2019, US" (just an example not real date). Since this was not an exit/return to Canada, would it be something they look for in *canadian* exits/entries and it would of course not be found and could cause issues..?
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
Well, all those entry/exit records would not be in Canada anyway, that was my initial doubt regarding how to register them.

In a nutshell, we have been to canada for a couple of weeks April 2018, another few Dec 2018, and about a month Dec 2019, before our last one entering in April 2021 and not having left since.

But all those other travels were from/to our home country and anywhere I had to go for work (mostly if not all in that period I believe, to the US).

Edit/Addition: Thinking a bit more about this, I am now wondering if it would be best to NOT lists them, because, say I enter "from Jan 1 2019 to Jan 15 2019, US" (just an example not real date). Since this was not an exit/return to Canada, would it be something they look for in *canadian* exits/entries and it would of course not be found and could cause issues..?
Honestly I'm not sure what you're talking about here.

Seems to me you are overthinking. Fill out the form, make sure your days in Canada are counted correctly.
 

walterg74

Star Member
Jul 21, 2009
121
10
Honestly I'm not sure what you're talking about here.
What I mean, and because you had mentioned they check entry/exit records, is this:

Say I was away from Canada, in my home country, all of 2019. In that year, I made a few business trips to the US. However, those trips would have no exit/entry record *from/to Canada*, as they were leaving from and coming back to my home country.

So if I put one of those business trips on the form, and they go check Canadian exit/entry records, it will of course not be found, because as far as Canada goes, I just had one exit beginning of 2019 and one entry end of 2019. Do you see what I'm getting at?

So not trying to overthink it (at least not on purpose), but wondering if adding these trips that provide the information they ask as to where I was at all times, would be benefitial or harmful.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
18,148
9,473
Say I was away from Canada, in my home country, all of 2019. In that year, I made a few business trips to the US. However, those trips would have no exit/entry record *from/to Canada*, as they were leaving from and coming back to my home country.

So if I put one of those business trips on the form, and they go check Canadian exit/entry records, it will of course not be found, because as far as Canada goes, I just had one exit beginning of 2019 and one entry end of 2019. Do you see what I'm getting at?
Ah, now I understand. The way I see this (others can correct if they wish:

-the standpoint is ONLY from perspective of absences from Canada. You write the day you left Canada, the day you returned, your address abroad, and the reason.
-if you need to provide other places you visited during that trip, you can do so. Either write it in the box or if you can't fit, add a short Letter of Explanation. (Eg during my year residing in Eurostan, I made trips to USA, dates).
-I don't know how much detail is expected. I think they primarily care about the absence, and the primary place you spent time while away, and not every place you were in between (transit through an airport - don't include; I wouldn't include travel within EU, etc), but I don't know for sure.
 
  • Like
Reactions: walterg74

Ponga

VIP Member
Oct 22, 2013
10,552
1,536
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
What I mean, and because you had mentioned they check entry/exit records, is this:

Say I was away from Canada, in my home country, all of 2019. In that year, I made a few business trips to the US. However, those trips would have no exit/entry record *from/to Canada*, as they were leaving from and coming back to my home country.

So if I put one of those business trips on the form, and they go check Canadian exit/entry records, it will of course not be found, because as far as Canada goes, I just had one exit beginning of 2019 and one entry end of 2019. Do you see what I'm getting at?

So not trying to overthink it (at least not on purpose), but wondering if adding these trips that provide the information they ask as to where I was at all times, would be benefitial or harmful.
I believe that the Travel History is only asking for details concerning `absenses from Canada", so travel to any other country, from any other country (besides Canada) would not be included as a single line item. Instead, you would show that during the time outside of Canada, you visited your home country and the U.S. during the period of time for that absence. Would be good to, as @armoured suggested, to add a letter of explanation.
 
  • Like
Reactions: walterg74