OMG those people aren't working at all. this is a shame to be honest! JUST HIRE MORE WORKERS OMG I CAN'T UNDERSTAND THEIR LOGIC
Refugee Travel Document - Questions and Answers
- Thread starter rainbowbee
- Start date
I sent my application to ottawa not to gatineau though!I created this topic to share my knowledge and experience with all of you. I will try to answer some important questions and concerns regarding travel as a Convention Refugee or a Protected Person living in Canada.
I’m not a lawyer, just a person who likes clarity. I am very proud to call Canada my new home. I want continue traveling and explore the world, but at the same time stay I want to stay mindful, and avoid doing anything wrong that would compromise my PR or Refugee status here. Some terms are below being simplified.
As most of you know, when you make your refugee claim, your passport is being seized by CIC or CBSA.
When my refugee claim was accepted I discovered that there are certain things we are not advised to do:
• Do not travel back to your home country
• Do not renew your home country’s passport.
• Do not travel on your home country’s passport, even to a third country, such as USA for example
• Just simply don’t have any contact with embassy of your home country.
All those things could put you at risk of losing your refugee status, because CBSA may interpret those actions as you no longer fear your home country, so you no longer need Canada’s protection.
I am not able to specify which law applies here and so on, but I know for sure that there are legal cases in which government took action and stripped or tried to strip person’s protection because they did one of above mentioned things.
Also it’s a matter of interpreting the law, so I think we should take those warnings seriously, it’s our lives and protection we are talking about.
If you want to get more information, I would suggest checking out Canadian Council for Refugees and other websites.
After I received a positive decision on my refugee claim, soon I applied for RTD and was able to get it. It says that the RTD validity period is determined by the issuing office. In my case it was issued for 2 years. I personally know at least four other cases, where people applied for RTD before becoming PRs and received it also for 2 years. So I guess it’s safe to assume that majority of people, before PR will get it for 2 years.
When I was applied for it, I noticed that on application form it says: “I understand that if I am issued a Canadian travel document and later obtain a passport issued by my country of citizenship, I am obliged to return the Canadian travel document to Passport Program, Citizenship and Immigration Canada.”
Obviously I started to get worried, because once I become a PR, CIC will return my national passport and in theory I must return RTD. I will have no choice, but to use my national passport to travel, but I don’t want to do that! What should I do?!
After more than two years, I got my PR interview, I got my passport back, at the end of my interview I decided to ask officer in person about my RTD dilemma.
So I did, I called them and I talked with call center agent at first, and explained my situation:
So finally after several minutes of back and forth, agent agreed to put a special call back request directly from “Certificate of Identity Section - Passport Program” located in Gatineau, QC.
Next day I received a call and talked with a senior officer from that department, I explained my situation to him and finally I got the missing peace of a puzzle.
Some important points and additional information:
• As a Convention Refugee or a Protected Person in Canada we do have a right to travel.
• In order to be able to travel internationally, we must have a valid Travel Document.
• The only Travel Document we entitled to is a Refugee Travel Document, forget about Certificate of Identity
• In order to apply for RTD you need to use an application form “[PPTC 190] Adult travel document application form”, form is universal and is used to apply for both – RTD and COI.
• After becoming a Permanent Resident, you are still considered to have a refugee status in Canada
• RTD issued for 2 years before PR and after becoming PR for 5 years
• If you got your national passport back when you became PR, do not use it, instead send it to “Certificate of Identity Section - Passport Program” along with your explanation letter
Travel Document - is an identity document issued by a government and allowing us to travel internationally. Generally, Travel Documents look like a passport-like booklets. The most common Travel Document is a Passport.
Government of Canada has a special department responsible for issuing Travel Documents for Refugees and Stateless Persons, and it’s called: “Certificate of Identity Section - Passport Program”, located in Gatineau, QC
That department is issuing two types of a Travel Documents:
1. Refugee Travel Document (light blue) (United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, 1951 and its Protocol of 1967): issued to persons in Canada with protected person status, including Convention refugees and persons in need of protection
2. Certificate of identity (grey or formerly brown): issued to permanent residents of Canada who are not yet Canadian citizens, who are stateless or who are unable to obtain a national passport.
Personally I would advise everyone including myself, travel only using RTD, we shouldn’t put ourselves at risk. Getting RTD for 5 years is a great solution and hopefully by the time we need to renew it, we will have our Canadian Citizenship
I will mention it again, I am not a lawyer, just sharing summary of my findings with you. If you have additional questions or information, you are welcome to ask and contribute.
Is that okay?
I sent it as express mail from canada using canada post
Hi everyone, I would also like to share my experience with countries that I have visited visa-free access using the refugee travel document. I can confirm to all of you that Italy is a visa-free access for us. I have a confirmation email from the embassy as well as stamps on my travel document which has no visa just a stamp. Now, as we all know that Italy is part of a Schengen zone. So the good news for a lot of us is the fact that they gave me the same stamp on my refugee travel document as they did with my girlfriend's Canadian passport. Often what happens is with Canadian passport holders they then go anywhere and everywhere in the Schengen zone with that stamp.
Now, I do know that Germany is also a visa free access.
The countries that I have heard are visa-free access but cannot say for a fact are Slovakia and Hungary.
My advice to all the refugee travel document holders is for now Travel to these European countries because European Union is going to be imposing a ETIAS an electronic visa requirement for all Canadian and American and Australian passport holders and more. So in my opinion, when they are going to bring in this requirement I'm pretty sure they're going to take away our visa free access for refugee travel document holders because let's be real It's not like they're going to give us visa free access if they're not giving it to Canadian passport holders. So travel as much as possible to these countries before that visa free access is actually taken away. I hope this information helps.
Now, I do know that Germany is also a visa free access.
The countries that I have heard are visa-free access but cannot say for a fact are Slovakia and Hungary.
My advice to all the refugee travel document holders is for now Travel to these European countries because European Union is going to be imposing a ETIAS an electronic visa requirement for all Canadian and American and Australian passport holders and more. So in my opinion, when they are going to bring in this requirement I'm pretty sure they're going to take away our visa free access for refugee travel document holders because let's be real It's not like they're going to give us visa free access if they're not giving it to Canadian passport holders. So travel as much as possible to these countries before that visa free access is actually taken away. I hope this information helps.
With RTD you can’t enter any EU just only Italy and Germany, you can travel to any other country inside EU, but you will be illegal. If something happened to you and the police interfere you will be in big troubles.
all other EU needs you to have Schengen visa.
I confirmed that with France and Holland .
ETIAS is electronic travel authorization, not like traditional visa process. It is pre-entry authorization. If EU implement ETIAS, it doesn't mean they are imposing Visa or take away visa free access, Now in case of EU Visa free for RTD, requirement will be the same to apply online for ETIAS, that takes minutes and will be valid for 5yrs
So will RTDs be eligible for ETIAS? And in that case will RTD holders be able to travel all Schengen area visa free? What will happen in case they make RTDs ineligible for ETIAS, does that mean that RTD holders will loose access to Germany visa free?
RTD will be eligible for ETIAS. Again, ETIAS is not visa requirement, same convention will remain, RTD will still enjoy visa free to German but they will need ETIAS before boarding flight
Hello guys,
Hope you are doing well
I need someone help me in some information regarding to RTD.
Recently my wife got the RTD and she planning to visit her children who are living in other country not in her original country.
Our concern her :
1- Can she travel and set with her children for long time around 6 months or it will not affect her statues as she is PP and PR application still under process which applied on Sep 29, 2022 .
2- During her travel, do immigration will ask for any other requirement regarding to PR application wich mean she has to come back like another medical exam or something else as she did the medical before 10 months.
Plz, your feedback is important in order to make sure there is no issue for her travel.
Thank you for you consideration in advance.
Regards.
Hope you are doing well
I need someone help me in some information regarding to RTD.
Recently my wife got the RTD and she planning to visit her children who are living in other country not in her original country.
Our concern her :
1- Can she travel and set with her children for long time around 6 months or it will not affect her statues as she is PP and PR application still under process which applied on Sep 29, 2022 .
2- During her travel, do immigration will ask for any other requirement regarding to PR application wich mean she has to come back like another medical exam or something else as she did the medical before 10 months.
Plz, your feedback is important in order to make sure there is no issue for her travel.
Thank you for you consideration in advance.
Regards.
Hi Simba,
I have a question for you, Can i apply in Person for RTD in Quebec? I applied by mail for over 2 months now and no RTD. I live in Toronto and i am thinking of going in person to resubmit the application. Is this possible? As i have an urgent trip soon, but they do not respond to my webforms. Thank you in advance.
I dont think you can do it in person, what i know all RTD applications are mailed
Okay, thanks for your response, but there was someone on this forum that said he drove there while his application was delaying and he got his RTD next day because he went there. I cant locate his post here anymore due to too many posts. So can i go there to push the already submitted application to be processed on time? I have urgent travel with my Son to get some documents for him outside Canada. Waiting for your response. Thanks
Hi everyone,
I have 1 burning question, would appreciate if someone share experience or opinion.
Which address is better to send RTD application gatineau or Attowa?
my brother sent to Attowa in feb 2022 and his enveloppe has not been opened/processed yet.
Please advise
Thanks
I have 1 burning question, would appreciate if someone share experience or opinion.
Which address is better to send RTD application gatineau or Attowa?
my brother sent to Attowa in feb 2022 and his enveloppe has not been opened/processed yet.
Please advise
Thanks
Hi there i have applied RTD November 2021 , feee has been charged on my CC 5 MAY 2022 AFTER THAT NO NEWS I EVEN DROVE THERE BUT THE OFFICE IS CLOSED AND NOBODY TO MEE HAVE SUBMIT WEBFORM 5 TIMES BUT SAME RESPONSE EVERY TIME... DONT KNOW WHAT TO DO SHOULD RE APPLY OR NOT ANY ADVISE?