Re-entering Canada from USA without PR Card

[SZ84]

Good to know that you husband was able to do it easily.
I might have to re-enter Canada next week from a land border in a private vehicle as well. as i arrived in Canada on 08th March and still have not received my PR card.
can you tell us which land border your husband crossed and how long it took him at the immigration office ?
Thanks

 

[blogger123]

Good to know that you husband was able to do it easily.
I might have to re-enter Canada next week from a land border in a private vehicle as well. as i arrived in Canada on 08th March and still have not received my PR card.
can you tell us which land border your husband crossed and how long it took him at the immigration office ?
Thanks

Hello Friends,

I'm in a similar situation and have to travel to the states during the 1st week of May. I'm planning to re-enter canada after a short-trip (5 days) using a private vehicle.

So, i'm planning to fly to US but return back to canada in a private vehicle or will likely do a land crossing - via Niagara. As i don't have a return ticket, would this cause any issues at the US PoE?

Appreciate your help!

 

[dpenabill]

Good to know that you husband was able to do it easily.
I might have to re-enter Canada next week from a land border in a private vehicle as well. as i arrived in Canada on 08th March and still have not received my PR card.
can you tell us which land border your husband crossed and how long it took him at the immigration office ?
Thanks

Reminder: for a PR, obtaining entry into Canada at a PoE is no problem so long as the PR can prove identity and status; proof of identity (current passport) usually proves status as well, but it can take some time for CBSA to confirm concurrence of identity and status if the PR does not present a PR card (best), an expired PR card, or record of landing (CoPR for those who came after . . . around 2002).

Questions about compliance with the PR Residency Obligation can arise for some, but that does not affect actual entry even if the PR is obviously in breach of the PR RO. Obviously, anyone who landed within the last three years has no PR RO issues.

Hello Friends,

I'm in a similar situation and have to travel to the states during the 1st week of May. I'm planning to re-enter canada after a short-trip (5 days) using a private vehicle.

So, i'm planning to fly to US but return back to canada in a private vehicle or will likely do a land crossing - via Niagara. As i don't have a return ticket, would this cause any issues at the US PoE?

Appreciate your help!

For the return trip, for a Canadian PR, see previous observations: no problem at the PoE . . . just show passport for identity and some documentation to show PR status (and even without the latter documentation, so long as identity is established a PR will be identified as such and allowed entry once CBSA has verified concurrence of identity and status).

For potential issues at the U.S. PoE, that depends on what passport or other Travel Documents you carry and U.S. laws and regulations. Canadian PR status may be considered by U.S. authorities in screening those seeking to enter the U.S., but last I saw the U.S. does not provide reciprocal visa-waiver entry for Canadian PRs, so what matters is what passport you carry and whether you need a visa or other authorization for entry into the U.S., again pursuant to U.S. regulation.

 

[SZ84]

HI dpenabill,
thanks a lot for your detailed explanation.
i am out of Canada now and will wait for one week to see if my PR card is delivered to my home address in Canada,
since i landed in Canada on 08-March so 5th-May will be the 56th day and i am praying to GOD for my PR card to arrive before that date, so that i can fly straight to canada, instead of first going to USA and than crossing the land boarder into Canada. which makes me a bit nervous as i don't know what will happen there if and when i will show up without a PR card.

 

[dpenabill]

HI dpenabill,
thanks a lot for your detailed explanation.
i am out of Canada now and will wait for one week to see if my PR card is delivered to my home address in Canada,
since i landed in Canada on 08-March so 5th-May will be the 56th day and i am praying to GOD for my PR card to arrive before that date, so that i can fly straight to canada, instead of first going to USA and than crossing the land boarder into Canada. which makes me a bit nervous as i don't know what will happen there if and when i will show up without a PR card.

No need to worry.

Again, there will be NO problem crossing the land border into Canada even if you do not have your PR card in possession yet. Your passport and CoPR will suffice. Nothing to worry about, as long as it is you, the person who properly landed and became a PR.

This is a very common scenario. Many new immigrants must make the trip to Canada to land and then return to their previous residence or place of employment before later returning to Canada to actually settle in Canada, and for many they must do so without being able to get their PR card before going back abroad. Allowance for this scenario is one of the key reasons why the PR Residency Obligation is so generous . . . it virtually allows a new PR up to three years to come to Canada to settle (though approaching three years would be cutting it close).

Of course, without the PR card you do need to either travel via the U.S. or obtain a PR Travel Document. There should be no problem obtaining a PR TD if you need to do that.

 

[HB.Agenda2]

how does one travel to Canada from the US using a private vehicle...? rental car?

I dont have any friends who live close to the Canada-US border who could drive me to Canada... all of them live further south of the border...

what are my options to drive to Canada? do the rental companies like Enterprise, Hertz etc. give you an option to rent a vehicle in the US and return it at a Canadian airport such as Vancouver?

Note: Landed Feb 2nd, 2016... No card yet. Need to fly out May 2nd and return to Canada July 5th.

 

[SZ84]

hi Dpenabill,
thanks a lot once again, your last comment is a big source of encouragement for me.
i am planning that if i did not receive my PR card by 4-5th may then i will fly to US, then i have travel to one of the land borders for crossing
may i ask your suggestion about which land border is easier/convenient in terms of finding public transport/ taxi to and from the border.
i have two options
Option-1: go to Buffalo airport, then take a taxi to Niagara falls, walk across the rainbow bridge, than take another taxi to Toronto airport and then fly to Calgary.
Option-2: go to Seattle airport, take taxi to border (i do not know which border crossing allows the pedestrian crossing), cross the border and then take another taxi to Vancouver airport and then fly to Calgary.

 

[dpenabill]

hi Dpenabill,
thanks a lot once again, your last comment is a big source of encouragement for me.
i am planning that if i did not receive my PR card by 4-5th may then i will fly to US, then i have travel to one of the land borders for crossing
may i ask your suggestion about which land border is easier/convenient in terms of finding public transport/ taxi to and from the border.
i have two options
Option-1: go to Buffalo airport, then take a taxi to Niagara falls, walk across the rainbow bridge, than take another taxi to Toronto airport and then fly to Calgary.
Option-2: go to Seattle airport, take taxi to border (i do not know which border crossing allows the pedestrian crossing), cross the border and then take another taxi to Vancouver airport and then fly to Calgary.

If you are headed to Calgary, why not obtain a PR Travel Document and simply take the least expensive and faster route via air? I think it is around a $50 fee for the PR TD.

Beyond that, travel logistics are about traveling, not about immigration status.

I have walked, ridden a bicycle, and driven cars across the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, both directions, many times for each of these modes of transport. But frankly crossing there with suit cases, in that way, is like waving a big flag. Still no problem, assuming you are indeed a new PR who recently landed and is simply returning. But there really is no reason to over-think the trip back to Canada. You are a Canadian PR. A Canadian. So you left before obtaining your Canadian PR card, just figure out the most cost and time effective way for you to travel back to Canada. At the PoE there should be no problem.

 

[SZ84]

Hi Dpenabill,

i checked out the PRTD option as well but unfortunately it take 90 days for Canadian embassy in Pakistan to issue a PR Travel Document and i do not have that much time as my wife is pregnant and expected date of delivery of our baby is last week of May. that's why i said i will wait for another week or so to see if the PR card arrives at my home address in Calgary but if that doesn't happen than i will have to take the "more expensive" option of crossing the land boarder at Niagara falls.
but your comments have been a moral booster for me and i am not that afraid any more about crossing the land border.
Thanks a lot once again and +1 for you.

 

[SZ84]

Good morning dpenabill!

IMPORTANT Update:
By the Grace of God my PR Card was Delivered to my Home Address in Calgary yesterday, exactly 49 days after my landing. which is a miracle for me as i don't have to worry about crossing a land border anymore.
Thanks a lot for all your helpful comments.
God Bless you.
Cheers,

 

[raghdaa91]

Congrats !!!!

 

[thenumbiceman]

So crossing the border from US to Canada without PR card is allowed in a private vehicle, is it allowed if I walk across? Is that even a possibility? Taking a bus / train upto the border and walk? I am not sure please could someone guide? Also private vehicle include a rented self driven vehicle?

 

[steaky]

So crossing the border from US to Canada without PR card is allowed in a private vehicle, is it allowed if I walk across? Is that even a possibility? Taking a bus / train upto the border and walk? I am not sure please could someone guide? Also private vehicle include a rented self driven vehicle?

I've seen people walking and bicycling to the border.

 

[dpenabill]

Not all border crossings have pedestrian access. At those which do, obviously that is for pedestrians: walkers. I have taken every form of transportation there is to cross the border, except by rocket, from boat to plane, car and bicycle. Indeed, walked and bicycled across the border often when I was much younger, that is when I was middle-aged.

Many border crossings have pedestrian access but are not pedestrian friendly. Perhaps the most pedestrian friendly crossing is at the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls. And the view while taking the walk is world class.

At the Canadian PoE what a PR needs to do is to present documents establishing (1) identity, and (2) PR status.

Valid passport is best proof of identity.

Obviously the best proof of status is a valid PR card. But an expired PR card or CoPR or Record of Landing will suffice. Even lacking these, proof of identity will suffice for most PRs since the passport will be linked to the individual's client number and status in the database systems CBSA accesses; just may involve a bit more questioning and time while they verify identity and status.

On occasion some travelers are asked to show other forms of identification, like a drivers license.

Note: while the PR is entitled to entry (per statutory entitlement), and thus can not be turned back, of course a PR may be examined, including questioned about admissibility. A PR in breach of the PR Residency Obligation, for example, is "inadmissible," but still must be allowed to enter Canada. If a border officer determines the PR is inadmissible, a 44(1) inadmissibility report is issued and the PR allowed to enter Canada. If the Report is followed by a Removal Order, the PR is still allowed to enter Canada but must timely appeal the Removal Order to stay beyond 30 days.

 

[Haj21]

Hello,
My husband needs to collect his Pr card from the Toronto Office, his Pr card is expired so we will be crossing the border thru Buffalo. I wanted to know can a family member or friend pick us up from Buffalo and can we cross the border in their car? Thanks for the help