JpEtCaro]
I am traveling to the Dominican republic in 2 weeks and I am a little bit worried. I wanted to know how would it work if I got my permanent resident card stolen from the safe at the resort that I am staying at ?
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[quote author=JpEtCaro said:
Hi , but the problem with that is from the information ( or lack of ) you find on CiC is that you have to fill a form , with the appropriate document and send this by mail to mexico. Then you have to wait a month for the treatment and to receive the documents. But when your are abroad on a holiday you can not wait a month to take the plane back....I find it weird ( but nothing suprise me anymore with the immigration ) that there is no proof in the immigration/ambassy/governement that I am a PR and you let me get in the plane and after when a I arrive at my destination , then sit with immigration canada and settle everything.
Main thing is to exercise a great deal of caution if you are traveling to a location you cannot trust to be secure. The general problem you describe can affect a citizen as much as a PR, if for example the individual's identity and travel documents are stolen while they are abroad. Last time I traveled a bit off the more secure path abroad I did indeed carry photocopies of my key identity and travel documents, but also exercised great care in protecting them . . . being well aware that loss of such documents while abroad will result in far more than mere inconvenience.
The government does not yet have a database of retina scans so as to positively identify citizens or PRs without documents. We do not have embedded microchips to positively identify us.
So, yes, indeed, if your PR card is stolen while you are abroad, expect a major hassle. Especially since your passport is likely to be taken at the same time (or, if not, there will be suspicion as to how it is one was stolen and the other was not, as these are documents ordinarily kept together).
As long as there is a duly prepared police report of the theft, and absent suspicious circumstances, the main problem at the Canadian embassy would be to verify your identity. Once your identity is verified, the local Canadian authorities, in the embassy, should process preparation of sufficient travel documents to facilitate your trip back to Canada as efficiently as just about any other country would. This should only take days, at the most,
unless there is a problem verifying your identity or something triggers suspicions.
Otherwise, you do not need the PR card or even a PR Travel Document to obtain entry into Canada. When you arrive at a Canadian POE, all you need to do is prove identity and while there may be some examination and a bit of a delay, once they identify you as a Canadian PR in the system you will be allowed to enter Canada.
Immigration (neither CBSA nor IRCC) does not control whether or not you are allowed to board a flight destined for Canada. Screening passengers for proper travel documents is the airline's obligation, as prescribed by law. Generally PRs need to display either a currently valid PR card or a PR Travel Document in order for the airlines to allow the PR to board a flight destined for Canada (some practical exceptions have been allowed for those who carry a visa-exempt passport, but even that will no longer apply as of March). Alternative proof will
NOT suffice. Alternative proof, however, may facilitate obtaining a PR Travel Document from the embassy more quickly. (Hence, carrying photocopies separate from the documents themselves can help.)
In any event, overall, it is
your responsibility to protect your PR card, including to protect it from theft. Stuff happens, sure. But you cannot blame Canadian immigration for the theft of your identity and status and travel documents, any more than you could blame Canadian immigration if you are assaulted and seriously injured so that you miss your return flight.
