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Refugee Travel Document - Questions and Answers

jack.cle113

Newbie
Dec 12, 2016
7
8
Hi,

I just have one question about renewing my refugee travel document.
I got my refugee status in 2015 and PR status in May 2016. I heard that refugee cannot travel with their home country passport, so I applied for RTD in 2015 and it will expire on June 2017. I have applied for US visa and successfully got it on my RTD. But I need to renew my RTD in order to get into the US because they require that the passport's validation must be longer than 6 months. Will the old RTD return to me with the renewed one? Because I have us visa on it.

Thanks for your patience and help!
 
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canadatraveldocument

Star Member
Oct 26, 2016
59
13
jack.cle113 said:
Hi,

I just have one question about renewing my refugee travel document.
I got my refugee status in 2015 and PR status in May 2016. I heard that refugee cannot travel with their home country passport, so I applied for RTD in 2015 and it will expire on June 2017. I have applied for US visa and successfully got it on my RTD. But I need to renew my RTD in order to get into the US because they require that the passport's validation must be longer than 6 months. Will the old RTD return to me with the renewed one? Because I have us visa on it.

Thanks for your patience and help!
first of all ,you heard fault information about refugee can't travel with their home country passport , this is 100% wrong who ever say this he may have very little brain and have no clue about that and some foolish people are keep say but not true , Second if you had your national passport before you apply refugee here in Canada you could still use it after you refugee approve because when you apply refugee inside canada immigration will take all your national IDs including your passport and they will never give you back until you get your PR the day of your PR interview and also you will get back your national IDs and passport if you withdraw your refugee application or if they approve your refugee claim you still can apply to send you back all your IDs and passport if you don't want to wait until your PR interview,,, so if immigration give it to you back your national passport you can travel with no problem . but do not renew it your passport in your embassy just apply for RTD because immigration don want you to contact your embassy or any official contact from your county until you become citizenship....and for renew it your RTD you MUST send your current RDT back then they will change it for you because my cousin he has 10 years US visa on his RTD when he want to renew it his RTD he went Ottawa by person to apply new one but they told him you must give back your older one then we will give you new one and they told him we do not care about you losing your US visa , after he got his new travel document he went back US consular they give him back his 10 years visa with out any issue
 

FISHER321

Full Member
Sep 3, 2016
31
11
canadatraveldocument said:
already you are in trouble, went home by your national passport and again you want renew it at your home country embassy or in back home this is not good and very high risk for your future,, if you do not get caught while you back to Canada then 100% be sure they will get you while you having your citizenship interview,, so don not renew it your passport,and myself i had use my national passport but never go back and i had it before i apply refugee inside Canada so i dont renew it and i want to apply RTD
why you are contradicting yourself and misleading others??????
canadatraveldocument said:
first of all ,you heard fault information about refugee can't travel with their home country passport , this is 100% wrong who ever say this he may have very little brain and have no clue about that and some foolish people are keep say but not true , Second if you had your national passport before you apply refugee here in Canada you could still use it after you refugee approve because when you apply refugee inside canada immigration will take all your national IDs including your passport and they will never give you back until you get your PR the day of your PR interview and also you will get back your national IDs and passport if you withdraw your refugee application or if they approve your refugee claim you still can apply to send you back all your IDs and passport if you don't want to wait until your PR interview,,, so if immigration give it to you back your national passport you can travel with no problem . but do not renew it your passport in your embassy just apply for RTD because immigration don want you to contact your embassy or any official contact from your county until you become citizenship....
I advise you to go back to the officer and ask him to sing up a piece of paper allowing you to use your national passport and no one is going to revoke your refugee status
 

canadatraveldocument

Star Member
Oct 26, 2016
59
13
I am very hard working man do not have time for reply or argument, my point is if you are a refugee and have your national passport use it no problem!, but if your passport getting expire do not renew your passport just apply for RTD
 
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FISHER321

Full Member
Sep 3, 2016
31
11
did you ask yourself why you shouldn't renew the passport!!!!

As previously I have given a federal court decision of a similar case, the only reason not to revoke that guy refugee status was that he didn't intend to reavail his country protection and was not holding RTD at that time...and had no info in advance.
and for your information, you are not allowed to have simultaneously both passport and RTD at a time.
you applied for RTD for the purpose of travel, hence, hiding it and using another document to travel with the intention to misuse the system is not a joke
 

canadatraveldocument

Star Member
Oct 26, 2016
59
13
As i siad before i don't have time for reply but check all my previous posts i never said you can have RTD and natainoal passpor at same time , and also if i have crappy English but i know what iam doing, there is a check list when you apply RTD you have to send your national passport if you have it,,,,

in RTD application form in page 2 section 5

Do you have any valid or expired travel document or passport from any country other than Canada?
No Yes Enclose the document (original only). If no longer in your possession, explain why


Page 5 section B

Requirements Checklist

Any valid foreign travel document or national passport issued to
you or in which your name appears


and i apply RTD and i sent my national passport too so my passport is gone for now ,i do not know if i can get back my passport after i become citizenship or not
 

Sim93

Newbie
Dec 3, 2016
5
1
Please can anybody talk about his experiences traveling to germany and europe i have a canadian refugee travel document and pr card i checked the german embassy its written that i can go to germany without visa my question is can i visit to switzerland through germany? or should i optain a visa to visit switzerland after visiting germany? Regards
 

hattabfj

Member
Jun 20, 2016
18
4
Hi guys ..
It's really tough to decide who is wrong and who is right in this discussion.

Anyway, my question is different here.. I've applied under private sponsorship refugee from outside Canada. They are proceeding my PR application, I've done the interview, and I'm waiting a call from the embassy to inform me to submit the passport to get the visa (this is expected after three months).
The question is, can I renew my passport now? before getting the call..

In interview they doesn't give any paper that my refugee claim is accepted. they just say that i'm eligible (verbally).
 
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hattabfj

Member
Jun 20, 2016
18
4
One more question..
When I apply for travel document and I have PR. Are they going to seize my national passport until I get the Canadian citizenship?
 

FISHER321

Full Member
Sep 3, 2016
31
11
hattabfj said:
Hi guys ..
It's really tough to decide who is wrong and who is right in this discussion.

Anyway, my question is different here.. I've applied under private sponsorship refugee from outside Canada. They are proceeding my PR application, I've done the interview, and I'm waiting a call from the embassy to inform me to submit the passport to get the visa (this is expected after three months).
The question is, can I renew my passport now? before getting the call..

In interview they doesn't give any paper that my refugee claim is accepted. they just say that i'm eligible (verbally).
People in this category are called resettled refugees granted permanent residency (landed status) when they arrive in Canada.
in my opinion, renew of passport is meaningless, if you meant to travel with after landing..... regardless of being sponsored refugee or protected person.
once you enter CANADA borders after granting temp PR or accepted as protected person by IRB inside Canada, CANADA GOV PROTECTS YOU, individuals /sponsors are helping you financially for 1year(or 3years for some cases) ONLY.
accordingly, you are not allowed to use national passport to travel back home /country you claimed persecution...check this out:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=610&top=11

How does Canada's refugee system work?read this :
http://settlement.org/ontario/immigration-citizenship/refugees/basic-information-for-refugees/how-does-canada-s-refugee-system-work/
 

hattabfj

Member
Jun 20, 2016
18
4
FISHER321 said:
People in this category are called resettled refugees granted permanent residency (landed status) when they arrive in Canada.
in my opinion, renew of passport is meaningless, if you meant to travel with after landing..... regardless of being sponsored refugee or protected person.
once you enter CANADA borders after granting temp PR or accepted as protected person by IRB inside Canada, CANADA GOV PROTECTS YOU, individuals /sponsors are helping you financially for 1year(or 3years for some cases) ONLY.
accordingly, ........
Thanks a lot for your reply.
I understand all of this. I read hundred of comments regarding if refugees can travel using their national passports. It's very hard decision to take. Because authorities in most countries in middle east doesn't give visa to travel document holders.
Therefore, if I have the chance now to renew my passport why not to do so? because, for sure, I can't renew it after I land in Canada. but still I'm worried that they consider renewing my passport now is a mistake and if that might change their final decision about my PR application.
In addition, I have a friend who's exactly same my situation. when they called him to send the passports to get the visa, they mentioned that the passport should be valid for 6 months !
 

FISHER321

Full Member
Sep 3, 2016
31
11
I'm worried that they consider renewing my passport now is a mistake and if that might change their final decision about my PR application.
don't worry renew of passport does affect the final decision as far as you didn't land yet.
 

fongo

Full Member
Oct 10, 2016
23
0
hattabfj said:
Thanks a lot for your reply.
I understand all of this. I read hundred of comments regarding if refugees can travel using their national passports. It's very hard decision to take. Because authorities in most countries in middle east doesn't give visa to travel document holders.
Therefore, if I have the chance now to renew my passport why not to do so? because, for sure, I can't renew it after I land in Canada. but still I'm worried that they consider renewing my passport now is a mistake and if that might change their final decision about my PR application.
In addition, I have a friend who's exactly same my situation. when they called him to send the passports to get the visa, they mentioned that the passport should be valid for 6 months !
You can renew your passport before getting the PR as long as your application still in process and you had not gotten the visa yet.
You friend has not gotten the visa yet. He is still in safe and he does not have the Canadian PR.
Canada asking the refugee not to renew his passport after getting the PR just for his safe. As refugee you should not travel outside Canada. Otherwise, be real Canadian from day one, stay in and support the Canadian community, work hard and look afterward your family in Canada.
Refugee entered Canada then from day one is trying to go back where he came from. Before applying he was in danger. After getting the PR he needs to go back and needs to ravel by his previous passport. WTH..
This is completely insane..
 

hattabfj

Member
Jun 20, 2016
18
4
FISHER321 said:
I'm worried that they consider renewing my passport now is a mistake and if that might change their final decision about my PR application.
don't worry renew of passport does affect the final decision as far as you didn't land yet.
Thanks a lot