Re-entering Canada without PR Card, only CoPR and passport - by plane

[Teoyube]

Hi all,

Quick question, I landed in December 2018 but had to leave Canada to the USA on emergency. Have a valid USA visa and my passport is from Ghana. I currently have a UK work visa and already bought my ticket today from USA to the UK. My husband in Canada just called and needs my attention ASAP in Canada. My flight is from Los Angeles to Toronto Pearson ( have a 4 hour wait here) and then to London, United Kingdom. Question is upon transit in Canada, can I successfully pass through immigration (CBSA), I believe I should be allowed to fly as my trip is to the UK with a stop over in Canada. I do not have my PR card yet and I can’t apply for a PRTD in USA. Please advise, I really need to be in Canada in three days

 

[devnill]

Even for transit, you are required to have ETA or valid transit visa, I would expect that without your PR card you won't be allowed to board flight in LA.

 

[Teoyube]

Even for transit, you are required to have ETA or valid transit visa, I would expect that without your PR card you won't be allowed to board flight in LA.

My flight ticket is from USA to the United Kingdom, so I should be allowed to board as I have a valid work permit from the uk, I guess I will be asked for that and not necessarily the one for Canada because it’s only a stop-over, according to the itinerary. However, my intention is to discontinue the trip when I get to Canada for the 4 hour stop over. Instead of waiting for the connecting flight, I’ll just go to immigration.

 

[devnill]

My flight ticket is from USA to the United Kingdom, so I should be allowed to board as I have a valid work permit from the uk, I guess I will be asked for that and not necessarily the one for Canada because it’s only a stop-over, according to the itinerary. However, my intention is to discontinue the trip when I get to Canada for the 4 hour stop over. Instead of waiting for the connecting flight, I’ll just go to immigration.

It doesn't matter, Canada still requires you to have a valid status even for transit.

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/visit-canada/transit.html

Also while transiting you will have to present to CBSA as part of the process, it won't be a choice.

 

[Bs65]

My flight ticket is from USA to the United Kingdom, so I should be allowed to board as I have a valid work permit from the uk, I guess I will be asked for that and not necessarily the one for Canada because it’s only a stop-over, according to the itinerary. However, my intention is to discontinue the trip when I get to Canada for the 4 hour stop over. Instead of waiting for the connecting flight, I’ll just go to immigration.

As a PR as assume you should know you are required to either have an PR card or a PRTD to board a plane back to Canada whether that is a direct flight or simply transiting Canada.

The airline at checkin should have a board or no board decision based on your PR status. You may be lucky and the system may not have caught up at the time you try to board but that would still assume that you previously had a TRV or a transit visa. Having a UK work permit is only relevant to UK entry and not transiting Canada where even in transit travellers are still faced with clearing immigration.

Ultimately although given the guidelines it should not be, it will be a matter of luck at LAX whether you are allowed to board if the gate agent does not follow the guidelines for some reason or system has not caught up with your status. Your alternative would have been either a flight to Buffalo or some other point to cross via the land border.

Good luck.

 

[Teoyube]

As a PR as assume you should know you are required to either have an PR card or a PRTD to board a plane back to Canada whether that is a direct flight or simply transiting Canada.

The airline at checkin should have a board or no board decision based on your PR status. You may be lucky and the system may not have caught up at the time you try to board but that would still assume that you previously had a TRV or a transit visa. Having a UK work permit is only relevant to UK entry and not transiting Canada where even in transit travellers are still faced with clearing immigration.

Ultimately although given the guidelines it should not be, it will be a matter of luck at LAX whether you are allowed to board if the gate agent does not follow the guidelines for some reason or system has not caught up with your status. Your alternative would have been either a flight to Buffalo or some other point to cross via the land border.

Good luck.

Ok, if my only alternative is to fly to Buffalo, from the airport, how can I get to my destination. From Buffalo airport to Ottawa. I can’t rent a car as I currently do not drive and don’t a driver license. What would be the best option from Buffalo? Considering the weather and other factors please? Any suggestions

 

[Teoyube]

If my only alternative is to fly to Buffalo, from the airport, how can I get to my destination. From Buffalo airport to Ottawa. I can’t rent a car as I currently do not drive and don’t a driver license. What would be the best option from Buffalo? Considering the weather and other factors please? Any suggestions

 

[steaky]

If my only alternative is to fly to Buffalo, from the airport, how can I get to my destination. From Buffalo airport to Ottawa. I can’t rent a car as I currently do not drive and don’t a driver license. What would be the best option from Buffalo? Considering the weather and other factors please? Any suggestions

How about hire a taxi to Niagara Falls? And then walk and cross the Rainbow bridge border? Once in Canada, you can take domestic flight or other transportations to Ottawa.

 

[Teoyube]

How about hire a taxi to Niagara Falls? And then walk and cross the Rainbow bridge border? Once in Canada, you can take domestic flight or other transportations to Ottawa.

Ok cool, will look into that option. Thanks

 

[Chigo]

Hi. Please what is the average processing time for a PRTD? How can I successfully return to Canada after two weeks of soft landing?

 

[evdm]

Hi evdm,

Were you able to rent the car at the US location and drove to Canada with your COPR and passport without any issue? Did the CBSA ask about the car document/paperwork (rent contract, etc.). Please share your experience. Thanks!

I'm in the same situation. I have been waiting for my PR card for so long and I need to go back to Canada, i'm in the US now. I plan to rent a car (Alamo) in Seattle and drive through the border with my COPR and passport and return the car in Alamo location in Canada, would that be any issue? I'm not sure if a rental car is considered a commercial vehicle or not.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been off these forums mostly, and it's only by chance that I came across this post. I will share my experience:

Went to the rental car counter at BUF airport to pick up the car and asked if they had any Canadian-plated vehicles. Rental agent said no, didn't think so and put us in a Ford Explorer with Pennsylvania plates. Husband didn't like that car but saw a Nissan Rogue we both are comfortable driving, and asked if we could have that one instead. Turned out that it had Quebec plates.

It was at this point that I discovered that I couldn't find my passport -- uh oh -- after frantically searching for an hour and enlisting the assistance of pretty much every on-duty staff member at the airport at that time of night, the passport was found near the rental car counter where it had rolled under a bin. -- phew!! -- I was already preparing myself for a long wait at the border with only my CoPR and Ontario Driver's License as ID to try and cross.

Anyway, I digress; we drove to the Queenston Lewiston bridge only after a detour because I had my GPS set to avoid tolls by mistake. Tip: the Grand Island Bridge is still a toll road, but it's been converted to open road tolling. To avoid rental car toll administration fees either use your own e-z pass, or go online and pay the toll directly.

Back to the main point of the story: the Border:
We pulled up to an empty CBSA checkpoint and I was the driver. My husband has nexus so we scanned his card at the RFID reader and pulled forward to the officer. The agent greeted us in French (QC plates) and I quickly responded in English that we were headed to Toronto. I broke my cardinal rule for dealing with border guards and volunteered the information that this was a rental car (rule: only answer questions asked and never volunteer information). I handed over my passport with the CoPR stuck into the picture page, and my husband's passport with Nexus card.

The officer asked whether we were bringing anything back (yes, about $CAD 800 between the two of us), handed back the paperwork and we were on our way!

 

[andy1011]

Sorry for the late reply, I've been off these forums mostly, and it's only by chance that I came across this post. I will share my experience:

Went to the rental car counter at BUF airport to pick up the car and asked if they had any Canadian-plated vehicles. Rental agent said no, didn't think so and put us in a Ford Explorer with Pennsylvania plates. Husband didn't like that car but saw a Nissan Rogue we both are comfortable driving, and asked if we could have that one instead. Turned out that it had Quebec plates.

It was at this point that I discovered that I couldn't find my passport -- uh oh -- after frantically searching for an hour and enlisting the assistance of pretty much every on-duty staff member at the airport at that time of night, the passport was found near the rental car counter where it had rolled under a bin. -- phew!! -- I was already preparing myself for a long wait at the border with only my CoPR and Ontario Driver's License as ID to try and cross.

Anyway, I digress; we drove to the Queenston Lewiston bridge only after a detour because I had my GPS set to avoid tolls by mistake. Tip: the Grand Island Bridge is still a toll road, but it's been converted to open road tolling. To avoid rental car toll administration fees either use your own e-z pass, or go online and pay the toll directly.

Back to the main point of the story: the Border:
We pulled up to an empty CBSA checkpoint and I was the driver. My husband has nexus so we scanned his card at the RFID reader and pulled forward to the officer. The agent greeted us in French (QC plates) and I quickly responded in English that we were headed to Toronto. I broke my cardinal rule for dealing with border guards and volunteered the information that this was a rental car (rule: only answer questions asked and never volunteer information). I handed over my passport with the CoPR stuck into the picture page, and my husband's passport with Nexus card.

The officer asked whether we were bringing anything back (yes, about $CAD 800 between the two of us), handed back the paperwork and we were on our way!

Thanks for sharing!!!

 

[Chigo]

please help with response on below.
if my COPR is valid till August 2019, and I make a soft landing in first week of March 2019. I stay in Canada for one week and leave Canada for my home country. Can I return to canada by 3rd week of the same month (March 2019) using the same COPR?

how can i successfully return to canada in the same month without using land border through US and with no PRTD since it can hardly be processed within a week.

 

[steaky]

please help with response on below.
if my COPR is valid till August 2019, and I make a soft landing in first week of March 2019. I stay in Canada for one week and leave Canada for my home country. Can I return to canada by 3rd week of the same month (March 2019) using the same COPR?

how can i successfully return to canada in the same month without using land border through US and with no PRTD since it can hardly be processed within a week.

Unless you are US citizen, you might want to change your plans. If you have a TRV, in the first week, you can use your TRV and then in the 3rd week you use your COPR.

 

[Thornhill]

Hi All,

I have been following this thread and I feel like the answer is not very clear.

My wife is a permanent resident and we have been waiting for her forst pr card in the mail. We recently got a communication that her pictures were denied and we need to re-send. Now this has messed up some of her travel plans because she needs to fly back to the US (New York) for work in February and we will not have her card in time.

She already has her flight booked so my question is since she is a US citizen travelling on a US passport will she be denied boarding? We understand that the confirmation of permanent residency is not sufficient for the airlines but how do they know she is a pr? If we do not say anything will they still know by scanning her passport and as such, deny her boarding?

We are just stuck now because we do not know what to do. I guess the only other option is to change her flight and have her rent a car and drive back to Canada. We searched out the PRTD but even with that there is no clarity on processing times as she will need to do it in-person in New York while she is there and is only there for a week. Not sure how fast the Canadian Embassy processes these documents so she can have it in time for her return flight.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!