PR CARD RENEWAL

[ram555]

Dear Sir,
i am a permanent resident came in the year 2006 june,i came and stayed for two months and i had to return to my country for a medical emergency of my parents ,in between i did come to canada twice and i could not find a job and i had to return back,now i am back in march 2010 and i am staying since then ,i am also doing a 2 year law course in a college,my PR CARD is due for renewal in JUNE2011,i dont meet 730 days ,at the most it is onlt 400 days ,and i am short of allmost a year ,advise me what should i do?i am right now studying full time and i am also working parttime and also do night jobs here,i am desperate to stay in canada,i know i dont meet the residency requirement but i was totally my parents who remained immobile due to a hip fracture,kindly advise me what should i do?
i have six months more for my PR CARD TO EXPIRE,kindly advise me what are my options?
regards,
ramu

 

[Alabaman]

This is an earlier post by Leon. It answers your question.

Do not apply to renew your PR card until you have 730 days in Canada since landing. If you reach this date 6 months before your PR card expires, you can apply then and maybe your new PR card will then arrive before your current one expires. The processing time is quite long. If you reach this date closer to expiry of your card, apply then. If you reach this date only after your card expires, let it expire and apply then.

There is no law that states that you must always have a valid PR card while in Canada. Some older PR's who got their PR before the cards were issued and did not travel went years without getting one. You might possibly need one to prove your status sometimes, especially if you move to a new province and need a new DL and health etc. but your SIN proves that you are a PR and you have your landing papers and expired card and you can always tell people that your card is in the process of being renewed which takes months so that is a good explanation for why you don't have one.

Immigration policy also prevents them to looking further back in time than 5 years previous to your application. If you have not met the residency requirements but they don't catch you and you end up in Canada before your PR card expires, you could just sit tight until you meet the 730 days again and then apply to renew. They can not go back in time and say that you had lost your PR some years earlier.

 

[Leon]

Agreed again, sit tight and don't apply to renew your PR card until the day you can look back on the last 5 years and truly say that you have at least 730 days in Canada in that period. You should not risk leaving Canada during this time. As for the PR card being expired, I can't remember ever having to show my PR card in my daily life so you should be fine. If anybody asks, show them your COPR and/or your expired card and say that you are waiting to renew it which currently takes 7 months.

 

[black crow]

oh man, does it take 7 months for renewing a PR in toronto, if every paper and record is in order ?
Leone why so long period ?
7 months

 

[Leon]

Because immigration is very busy and it is not considered a priority to renew PR cards for PR's most of who are sitting in Canada and working and don't need them that fast anyway.

If you do need your PR card faster because you have plans to travel, you can send immigration copies of your airline tickets along with your renewal application and ask them to do it faster.

If you absolutely must travel and your PR card is expired, you can go but once you get to where you are going, apply for a PR travel document from the Canadian embassy in order to get back into Canada. Of course the travel document will not be an option for somebody who doesn't meet the residency requirements because you would have to list your absences and if you don't meet the requirements, you will not get a travel document.

 

[mjm]

Does the Immigration have all record of Leaving & Returning Back to Canada...?

When we apply for citizenship or renewal of PR, do they cross verify the record of Passport Scanning at the Airport while entering...? Since there is no record of Leaving Canada, how do they verify...?

Just a thought about how record keeping process works...

 

[Leon]

I don't think they have all records but they have some and they will definitely not tell you what they have so if you lie, you take the chance that they will see that you are lying and you will have a problem.

 

[RogerF]

What will happen if I lack the residency requirement by 9 days over the required 730 days out of the five year rule. I got my PR status in May 2005 and it expired last June 2010 but I still haven't renewed it since then. Since returning back to Canada in June 2008 I have already acquired 950 days of residency and I've got a stable job in a good company.

Do you think my PR card will be renewed without questions regarding my residency? Did I made the right decision in postponing my renewal application?

 

[Alabaman]

So you have about 145 days to citizenship?

 

[Leon]

Do you think my PR card will be renewed without questions regarding my residency? Did I made the right decision in postponing my renewal application?

Their own policy says that they may only look at the 5 year period immediately before the date you apply to renew your PR card so you did the right thing by waiting. If you meet the residency requirements for the 5 years immediately before you apply to renew, they are not allowed to go further back in time.

 

[RogerF]

Thanks Leon for answering my question. Your help is much appreciated.

 

[RogerF]

Hi Leon and Alabaman,

I received a letter from the CIC regarding an appointment for an interview to pick up my renewed PR card. The letter is printed in a pink paper.
Is this normal?

The letter requires me to bring the following.
1. All passports and travel documents
2. Original or Certified record of landing, confirmation of PR (IMM 1000 or IMM 5292) <<< which I can't find and I recently applied for a certified true copy
or other Canadian residency/ landing documents
3. Valid photo identification issued by a provincial or federal agency (ex. driving license) <<<<< I don't have a driving license, but I have health care card and SIN
Health care card and SIN card doesn't have any photo on them
4. All original documents that were submitted with my applications
5. Expired PR card if not returned <<<< I submitted it together with my applications.

Queries?
On item number 2, is the visa stamp and landing stamp on my passport considered as landing documents?
On item number 3, what other photo ID's are acceptable?

BTW, I'll be completing my 3 year residency here in Canada on June 20, so more forms for me to fill in.

Thanks,
Roger

 

[Leon]

2. If you don't have it, you have to come without it and explain that you cannot find it and have applied for a true copy.

3. So what do you usually use for ID? You carry your passport all the time? In Alberta and some other provinces, you can get a provincial ID card if you don't have a drivers license. Bring any ID you have and hope for the best.

 

[RogerF]

Good news! I got my new PR card and I would like to thank all the contributors here and in the other threads.

I found these tips very useful:

1. The day before my interview to get my PR card on June 4, I made a list of my travels in a spreadsheet and had it printed.
The list made it clear to the immigration officer where I have been during the last 5 years. The officer scanned on some random
date stamps in my passport and compared it with my list.

Here is the format. Prepare four columns as below
From Date - To Date Country Number of Days

2. Read the requirements carefully, specially the photo ID. I found out that my student ID is also a valid photo ID
Lucky me, I am currently taking a 3 month course at a local community college near where I am staying.

3. Read the forum here for more information and keep your documents organized properly.

In a few more days I will be completing my 3 year out of four year residency and I will be sending my application for citizenship.

Once again, thanks guys for your invaluable advice. Cheers - roger

 

[RogerF]

Just some additional info about the processing based in my application for renewal.

I submitted my application through a courier from Vancouver and it was received in Sydney, NS on Feb. 17.
I received the confirmation on May 21 (by checking online) and I was up for interview on June and received it on the same day.
So the application process (no urgent processing) took about 108 days +3 days (courier delivery).

Cheers,
RogerF