PR Renewal Abroad Advice

[jenbenjy]

Hi all,

I received PR in March 2017 and left Canada in November 2017 with my Canadian husband and have been living abroad ever since. The plan was to renew my PR card this month as it expires in March 2022 and I'm spending Christmas in Ontario. Unfortunately the processing times are now too long and the card wouldn't be ready by the time we'll be leaving on the 27th of December so I'm looking for some advice.

I'm thinking of applying while I'm visiting at Christmas and hoping that they will send the card to my Mother-in-law's address so she can forward it on. My worry is that they're going to request that I collect it in person which wouldn't be an issue if I could afford to fly to Canada at the drop of a hat, but unfortunately it'll be hard for me to shell out on a last minute flight in early 2022 when I've only been there at Christmas.

So my questions are:

Would it be best to let the card expire and apply closer to when we visit again? How long can the card be expired before you completely lose status?

I understand that I'll probably need a PR Travel Document when I next visit if I let my card expire but is it possible to travel to Canada on a visitor visa instead? Can you apply for a Travel Document to enter Canada when there's a new card waiting to be collected? My understanding is that you can only apply for this if your card is expired.

Finally, does anyone know if many people have to pick their cards up in person?

Thanks so much for any help,
Jen

 

[scylla]

Hi all,

I received PR in March 2017 and left Canada in November 2017 with my Canadian husband and have been living abroad ever since. The plan was to renew my PR card this month as it expires in March 2022 and I'm spending Christmas in Ontario. Unfortunately the processing times are now too long and the card wouldn't be ready by the time we'll be leaving on the 27th of December so I'm looking for some advice.

I'm thinking of applying while I'm visiting at Christmas and hoping that they will send the card to my Mother-in-law's address so she can forward it on. My worry is that they're going to request that I collect it in person which wouldn't be an issue if I could afford to fly to Canada at the drop of a hat, but unfortunately it'll be hard for me to shell out on a last minute flight in early 2022 when I've only been there at Christmas.

So my questions are:

Would it be best to let the card expire and apply closer to when we visit again? How long can the card be expired before you completely lose status?

I understand that I'll probably need a PR Travel Document when I next visit if I let my card expire but is it possible to travel to Canada on a visitor visa instead? Can you apply for a Travel Document to enter Canada when there's a new card waiting to be collected? My understanding is that you can only apply for this if your card is expired.

Finally, does anyone know if many people have to pick their cards up in person?

Thanks so much for any help,
Jen

It's not possible for you to apply for a TRV / visitor visa. You are a PR and don't qualify for a TRV. You require either a valid PR card or valid PRTD to board a plane to Canada. The alternative is to fly to the US and re-enter Canada through a land border.

Time spent outside of Canada with a Canadian citizen can in certain circumstances be counted towards your PR residency obligation - however IRCC will sometimes/often apply the "who accompanied whom" rule when making this determination. What were the circumstances under which you left Canada in Nov 2017? Did you leave based on a job offer your Canadian citizen spouse received outside of Canada? Or based on a job offer you received? Or for another reason? The answer to this question is quite important since it will factor into whether you actually meet the residency obligation and qualify to renew your PR card.

 

[BadGamer6]

It's not possible for you to apply for a TRV / visitor visa. You are a PR and don't qualify for a TRV. You require either a valid PR card or valid PRTD to board a plane to Canada. The alternative is to fly to the US and re-enter Canada through a land border.

Time spent outside of Canada with a Canadian citizen can in certain circumstances be counted towards your PR residency obligation - however IRCC will sometimes/often apply the "who accompanied whom" rule when making this determination. What were the circumstances under which you left Canada in Nov 2017? Did you leave based on a job offer your Canadian citizen spouse received outside of Canada? Or based on a job offer you received? Or for another reason? The answer to this question is quite important since it will factor into whether you actually meet the residency obligation and qualify to renew your PR card.

I think @scylla answered it quite thoroughly, but just to add onto that - if you do leave Canada after you submitted, and by the time you left they are still in process with your application, or they haven't got to your file that time, there is a considerable chance that they will let you pick up the card in person, and of course, you will have to go through the PRTD process if your card is expired by that time.