Repatriation issue

[rodiy2k]

Hello

I’m looking for advice for a catch 22 situation. I am an American citizen living with my Canadian citizen wife in Thailand on a retirement visa. My wife sponsored me under family class in 2001 but we left Canada in 2007 and I let my PR card lapse many years ago because we didn’t know our future status.

Since my PR status never legally went away, before the pandemic we had planned on leaving Thailand in June and reestablishing residency. I have the necessary documentation to apply for a new PR card once physically in Canada and can satisfy the residency obligation using the premise of traveling outside Canada with my citizen spouse for the last five years.

Our flight from Hong Kong on Air Canada was cancelled and we plan on rescheduling for September. My concern is that Canada does not remove the current travel restrictions of only citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members traveling on “essential trips” being allowed entry. According to the government website, I’d need to prove to the gate agent prior to boarding either my status as a Permanent resident or show proof of being an immediate family member that’s traveling for an “Essential purpose” which they define as not being for “entertainment, leisure or tourism.”

Our retirement visa expires in Thailand in September and we will not have the financial requirements to extend it so we pretty much have to repatriate. Since I can’t renew my PR card from outside Canada, my expired one that I’m in possession of is probably of no value and I can’t get a PRTD because you need to surrender your passport to a consulate and that’s not an option due to various reporting issues in Thailand and they also can’t estimate the timeframe due to Covid issues.

Although I can easily prove my eligibility for entry to Canada based on being an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, I read about a guy who was denied entry to Canada at a land border with his pregnant wife who wished to leave New York City’s dangerous hospitals and given birth in her hometown. Obviously he wasn’t traveling for tourism or entertainment yet they didn’t consider being at your wife’s side while she gives birth to be “essential travel”. Real nice.

So I’m very concerned that a gate agent representing Air Canada in Hong Kong might deny my boarding because I’m unclear how to show my travel as “essential” and I don’t think they will understand that my permanent residency status is still valid because I do not possess a current PR card.

We will be up the river with no paddle if the border remains closed and restrictions remain in place in case I’m denied entry to Canadian bound plane. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how to show that my repatriation with my citizen wife is “essential”? Thanks to all .

 

[canuck78]

Hello

I’m looking for advice for a catch 22 situation. I am an American citizen living with my Canadian citizen wife in Thailand on a retirement visa. My wife sponsored me under family class in 2001 but we left Canada in 2007 and I let my PR card lapse many years ago because we didn’t know our future status.

Since my PR status never legally went away, before the pandemic we had planned on leaving Thailand in June and reestablishing residency. I have the necessary documentation to apply for a new PR card once physically in Canada and can satisfy the residency obligation using the premise of traveling outside Canada with my citizen spouse for the last five years.

Our flight from Hong Kong on Air Canada was cancelled and we plan on rescheduling for September. My concern is that Canada does not remove the current travel restrictions of only citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members traveling on “essential trips” being allowed entry. According to the government website, I’d need to prove to the gate agent prior to boarding either my status as a Permanent resident or show proof of being an immediate family member that’s traveling for an “Essential purpose” which they define as not being for “entertainment, leisure or tourism.”

Our retirement visa expires in Thailand in September and we will not have the financial requirements to extend it so we pretty much have to repatriate. Since I can’t renew my PR card from outside Canada, my expired one that I’m in possession of is probably of no value and I can’t get a PRTD because you need to surrender your passport to a consulate and that’s not an option due to various reporting issues in Thailand and they also can’t estimate the timeframe due to Covid issues.

Although I can easily prove my eligibility for entry to Canada based on being an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, I read about a guy who was denied entry to Canada at a land border with his pregnant wife who wished to leave New York City’s dangerous hospitals and given birth in her hometown. Obviously he wasn’t traveling for tourism or entertainment yet they didn’t consider being at your wife’s side while she gives birth to be “essential travel”. Real nice.

So I’m very concerned that a gate agent representing Air Canada in Hong Kong might deny my boarding because I’m unclear how to show my travel as “essential” and I don’t think they will understand that my permanent residency status is still valid because I do not possess a current PR card.

We will be up the river with no paddle if the border remains closed and restrictions remain in place in case I’m denied entry to Canadian bound plane. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how to show that my repatriation with my citizen wife is “essential”? Thanks to all .

Both the pregnant woman who is Canadian had moved out of Canada for many years and lives permanently in NY with her husband. That is why they were denied. She also has not been living in Canada. She still has many months to go in her pregnancy and covid cases are decreasing in Canada. She is returning to essentially use Ontario healthcare while not establishing residency in Ontario and likely will not meet the residency requirement to receive a OHIP. The reporting simplifies their situation.

Yes both you and your wife may encounter problems returning to Canada if flights are not running. If you don’t have the funds to support yourself in Thailand I am not sure how you plan on supporting yourself in Canada.

 

[rodiy2k]

Both the pregnant woman who is Canadian had moved out of Canada for many years and lives permanently in NY with her husband. That is why they were denied. She also has not been living in Canada. She still has many months to go in her pregnancy and covid cases are decreasing in Canada. She is returning to essentially use Ontario healthcare while not establishing residency in Ontario and likely will not meet the residency requirement to receive a OHIP. The reporting simplifies their situation.

Yes both you and your wife may encounter problems returning to Canada if flights are not running. If you don’t have the funds to support yourself in Thailand I am not sure how you plan on supporting yourself in Canada.

We have enough money to live for 40 years with a combination of both US and Canadian assets. That’s not the issue. The issue is Thailand’s rules are in limbo until at least August and wiring cash to Thailand is a separate problem that gets harder every day which is why we may not qualify for another extension of our retirement visa. My question is simply this. Does repatriation count as “essential travel”? If not, I have no choice but to drive 300 miles to Bangkok and surrender my passport to apply for a permanent resident travel document or risk being in Thailand illegally.

 

[canuck78]

We have enough money to live for 40 years with a combination of both US and Canadian assets. That’s not the issue. The issue is Thailand’s rules are in limbo until at least August and wiring cash to Thailand is a separate problem that gets harder every day which is why we may not qualify for another extension of our retirement visa. My question is simply this. Does repatriation count as “essential travel”? If not, I have no choice but to drive 300 miles to Bangkok and surrender my passport to apply for a permanent resident travel document or risk being in Thailand illegally.

You are planning on moving back to Canada not really being repatriated. Imposdible to say what will be going in June. As an America you can normally travel to Canada without a PRTD.

 

[scylla]

Hello

I’m looking for advice for a catch 22 situation. I am an American citizen living with my Canadian citizen wife in Thailand on a retirement visa. My wife sponsored me under family class in 2001 but we left Canada in 2007 and I let my PR card lapse many years ago because we didn’t know our future status.

Since my PR status never legally went away, before the pandemic we had planned on leaving Thailand in June and reestablishing residency. I have the necessary documentation to apply for a new PR card once physically in Canada and can satisfy the residency obligation using the premise of traveling outside Canada with my citizen spouse for the last five years.

Our flight from Hong Kong on Air Canada was cancelled and we plan on rescheduling for September. My concern is that Canada does not remove the current travel restrictions of only citizens, permanent residents and immediate family members traveling on “essential trips” being allowed entry. According to the government website, I’d need to prove to the gate agent prior to boarding either my status as a Permanent resident or show proof of being an immediate family member that’s traveling for an “Essential purpose” which they define as not being for “entertainment, leisure or tourism.”

Our retirement visa expires in Thailand in September and we will not have the financial requirements to extend it so we pretty much have to repatriate. Since I can’t renew my PR card from outside Canada, my expired one that I’m in possession of is probably of no value and I can’t get a PRTD because you need to surrender your passport to a consulate and that’s not an option due to various reporting issues in Thailand and they also can’t estimate the timeframe due to Covid issues.

Although I can easily prove my eligibility for entry to Canada based on being an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, I read about a guy who was denied entry to Canada at a land border with his pregnant wife who wished to leave New York City’s dangerous hospitals and given birth in her hometown. Obviously he wasn’t traveling for tourism or entertainment yet they didn’t consider being at your wife’s side while she gives birth to be “essential travel”. Real nice.

So I’m very concerned that a gate agent representing Air Canada in Hong Kong might deny my boarding because I’m unclear how to show my travel as “essential” and I don’t think they will understand that my permanent residency status is still valid because I do not possess a current PR card.

We will be up the river with no paddle if the border remains closed and restrictions remain in place in case I’m denied entry to Canadian bound plane. Does anyone have any suggestions or advice on how to show that my repatriation with my citizen wife is “essential”? Thanks to all .

Try to obtain an PRTD if at all possible. This is the only document you can obtain that will officially identify you as a PR of Canada. Under currently restrictions, quite possible you might be refused boarding without one. Obviously hard to say where things will be in September - hopefully easier / better. But of course hard to say. Do what you can to obtain the PRTD and apply as soon as you can to give plenty of time for processing.

Alternatively, repatriate yourself to America first. That's always an option and you certainly have an out if you have issues flying here.

 

[steaky]

Our flight from Hong Kong on Air Canada was cancelled and we plan on rescheduling for September.

Couldn't you take Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong instead? They are still running flights between Hong Kong and Vancouver. One flight arrived on time last night. Also, do you both meet the entry restrictions to Hong Kong? Otherwise, you might be deny entering Hong Kong as well!

 

[rodiy2k]

Thanks for the replies
The catch 22 is this; you get a PRTD by sending the application to a VAC (visa application center) which are third parties contracted by the government to process travel documents. Since nobody eligible to travel to Canada needs a travel document while the restrictions are on except idiots like me that have no current PR card, all the centers are closed indefinitely.

The embassy say we can send them the application package directly and they will “priorotoze” PRTD’s which is stupid because they’re processed only at the VAC. So they’d be putting it in a pile while holding my passport for unknown amount of time. Assuming the centers won’t open again until the restrictions are lifted, that makes it useless for me because Americans don’t need a PRTD or any visa to travel to Canada under normal circumstances.

And you need your passport every 90 days for reporting in Thailand. So basically I’m stuck waiting until July 1st to see if the scheduled date of 6/30 is allowed to expire and open the air borders again because it appears repatriation is not “essential travel” to Canada even though it’s essential to me if our visas in Thailand expire

Cathay pacific will have the same instructions for boarding so that’s not relevant. And at the moment Hong Kong isn’t even allowing transiting but we expect that to ease soon. Crappy situation.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Thanks for the replies
The catch 22 is this; you get a PRTD by sending the application to a VAC (visa application center) which are third parties contracted by the government to process travel documents. Since nobody eligible to travel to Canada needs a travel document while the restrictions are on except idiots like me that have no current PR card, all the centers are closed indefinitely.

The embassy say we can send them the application package directly and they will “priorotoze” PRTD’s which is stupid because they’re processed only at the VAC. So they’d be putting it in a pile while holding my passport for unknown amount of time. Assuming the centers won’t open again until the restrictions are lifted, that makes it useless for me because Americans don’t need a PRTD or any visa to travel to Canada under normal circumstances.

And you need your passport every 90 days for reporting in Thailand. So basically I’m stuck waiting until July 1st to see if the scheduled date of 6/30 is allowed to expire and open the air borders again because it appears repatriation is not “essential travel” to Canada even though it’s essential to me if our visas in Thailand expire

Cathay pacific will have the same instructions for boarding so that’s not relevant. And at the moment Hong Kong isn’t even allowing transiting but we expect that to ease soon. Crappy situation.

Not stupid. VACs do ZERO processing. They send the apps to the embassy/consulate, where they are processed by IRCC staff.

 

[bellaluna]

Thanks for the replies
The catch 22 is this; you get a PRTD by sending the application to a VAC (visa application center) which are third parties contracted by the government to process travel documents. Since nobody eligible to travel to Canada needs a travel document while the restrictions are on except idiots like me that have no current PR card, all the centers are closed indefinitely.

The embassy say we can send them the application package directly and they will “priorotoze” PRTD’s which is stupid because they’re processed only at the VAC. So they’d be putting it in a pile while holding my passport for unknown amount of time. Assuming the centers won’t open again until the restrictions are lifted, that makes it useless for me because Americans don’t need a PRTD or any visa to travel to Canada under normal circumstances.

And you need your passport every 90 days for reporting in Thailand. So basically I’m stuck waiting until July 1st to see if the scheduled date of 6/30 is allowed to expire and open the air borders again because it appears repatriation is not “essential travel” to Canada even though it’s essential to me if our visas in Thailand expire

Cathay pacific will have the same instructions for boarding so that’s not relevant. And at the moment Hong Kong isn’t even allowing transiting but we expect that to ease soon. Crappy situation.

Looks like you already talked to the Embassy, and they gave you instructions. As previously said, VACs do zero processing, it is IRCC, and embassies and consulates are open to provide emergency services to Canadians and their families for this very purpose. Apply for the PRTD all the same. Did your wife contact the Embassy regarding the repatriation purpose?

https://travel.gc.ca/assistance/embassies-consulates/thailand

 

[steaky]

Cathay pacific will have the same instructions for boarding so that’s not relevant. And at the moment Hong Kong isn’t even allowing transiting but we expect that to ease soon. Crappy situation.

Soon but not next month! We don't when the travel restrictions would be lifted.