RETURNING TO CANADA TO RENEW PR

[dave gill]

Hi Leon

I have been out of Canada since my last PR renewal.My PR expires in Feb 2017.So technically i have been out of Canada more than 3 years now .As for the RO requirements , i am OK with it coz my spouse is a Canadian Citizen and she has leaving with me since then.I have proof to indicate that. In fact in addition to that i have three kids who are also Canadian citizens.We do plan to go back to Canada by end of this year.

My predicament on this is that I would like to travel to Canada within the next couple of weeks to renew my PR card .I understand that it now takes 6 months and above to get a new PR card when renewed. Because of my business i would like to avoid the hassle to NOT to be able to travel outside of Canada during the process of renewal.

MY MAIN CONCERN HERE IS WILL THEY HASSLE OR ALLOW ME IN NOW ,WITHOUT MY WIFE TRAVELLING WITH ME?wILL THEY MAKE THE RO A BIG ISSUE AND DO I NEED TO SHOW THEM ALL THE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS OR DOES WIFE NEED TO BE PRESENT THERE WITH ME AT THE ENTRY IN CANADA?WHAT OTHER DOCUMENTS WILL I NEED IF THERE WOULD BE ANY OTHER OPTIONS?

Thanking you in advance for your kind response.

Regards

D.Gill

 

[Leon]

So first, it seems that your PR card has less than 9 months to expire which is one of the requirements to be able to renew.

Also, your application should originate within Canada and you should give a Canadian mailing address for them to contact you. However, you should not lie in any case and be fully honest that you do not actually live in Canada but live overseas with your spouse. Since you do not actually live in Canada, it is highly possible that they will require you to pick up your card in person once it's renewed which means you will have to go again. However, as you are moving at the end of the year anyway, that will probably coincide.

As for entering Canada without being reported for not meeting the residency obligation, you should take a copy of your wife's passport and your marriage certificate and why not your last tax return or something that shows you are living together. Maybe a letter from your wife would be nice too. And in case you run into a clueless immigration officer who doesn't know about the exemption on the RO for a spouse accompanying a Canadian, you should print out a page from this document:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/op/op10-eng.pdf - page 15 where it says:

6.1 Accompanying outside of Canada

A28(2)(a) (ii) and (iv) provide that each day a permanent resident is outside of Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or, in the case of a child, a parent with whom they ordinarily reside, it is deemed a day of physical presence in Canada.

Probably nobody will ask but if they do, you are prepared.

 

[dave gill]

Hi Leon

Thanks for your feedback .I really do appreciate it.You're right its always the case of CLUELESS green immigration officers that I am afraid off.

On the renewal part i do want to go now and renew it.In the interim ,can I leave Canad and then apply for a single entry visa without my PR card?Will issue me a visa even though my PR card is still in the process of renewal?

The reason for renewing now is to expedite the renewal process coz i have to travel back and forth for my business.

Hoping i could renew it now...coz i have been told that it will take more than six months for PR renewal.

Your kind suggestion on the single visa entry ...

Thanks you so much.

DGill

 

[Leon]

Hi Leon

Thanks for your feedback .I really do appreciate it.You're right its always the case of CLUELESS green immigration officers that I am afraid off.

On the renewal part i do want to go now and renew it.In the interim ,can I leave Canad and then apply for a single entry visa without my PR card?Will issue me a visa even though my PR card is still in the process of renewal?

The reason for renewing now is to expedite the renewal process coz i have to travel back and forth for my business.

Hoping i could renew it now...coz i have been told that it will take more than six months for PR renewal.

Your kind suggestion on the single visa entry ...

Thanks you so much.

DGill

You said your old card is valid until February so you should have your new card before your old card expires. However, in case you don't, travel could become problematic. You can not apply for a visitor visa when you are a PR. When you are overseas without a PR card, the proper way is to apply for a PR travel document, however, this can take longer than you would like. Another way to get back is if you have or can get a US visa would be to fly to the US and enter Canada by land with your expired PR card and proof that you meet the RO and have applied for a new one.

 

[dave gill]

hi Leon

I am afraid to even think of the US way of doing it.I usually freak out on this kind alternatives.

Leon...do they allow PR to leave Canada(for any purpose) while their PR is in the process of renewal?Do they allow special permit or approval to leave Canada and then comeback before the PR is renewed ?

Normally how long does it take for the PR renewal?Really sorry to bug with this questions.

 

[Leon]

hi Leon

I am afraid to even think of the US way of doing it.I usually freak out on this kind alternatives.

Leon...do they allow PR to leave Canada(for any purpose) while their PR is in the process of renewal?Do they allow special permit or approval to leave Canada and then comeback before the PR is renewed ?

Normally how long does it take for the PR renewal?Really sorry to bug with this questions.

You are always free to leave Canada for any or no reason unless you are in prison.

There is no permit that you can apply for beforehand if your PR card is expired that allows you to re-enter. Basically, if your PR card is expired and you have to leave, you can apply for a travel document from a Canadian embassy as soon as you arrive in your destination country. However, as PR travel documents can sometimes take weeks if not months to process, you might just be stuck there a bit longer than you would like.

Hence the US option. There is absolutely no problem going through the US except when you arrive in the US, you could have a problem if you don't have a return ticket and can not prove that you are a PR and will be entering Canada. There is no problem entering Canada by land with an expired PR card. You are a PR, they have to let you enter.

Right now, the processing time for a PR card renewal is listed as 84 days. Check here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/ for updated times.

I don't see any reason for you to worry. You go now, apply to renew your card. Your card gets renewed and either mailed to your mailing address or you will be asked to pick it up within 6 months. You move to Canada at the end of the year using your old PR card which is still valid and then either pick up your new card at your mailing address or at the CIC office. End of story.

 

[dave gill]

thanks Leon

I get the picture now.Really i was thinking that i had to surrender my old PR card for the renewal.Since that not the case i guess travelling in and out is not an issue with the exception that i have to prove RO every time i get into Canada.

Once again,many thanks for your clear logical explanation.

Take care.God Bless.

DGill

 

[Leon]

thanks Leon

I get the picture now.Really i was thinking that i had to surrender my old PR card for the renewal.Since that not the case i guess travelling in and out is not an issue with the exception that i have to prove RO every time i get into Canada.

Once again,many thanks for your clear logical explanation.

Take care.God Bless.

DGill

Some years ago, they made you mail in your old PR card when you applied to renew but now they only require you to do that if it's already expired. Otherwise, you get to keep your old card to use and if they mail the new one, they trust you to destroy the old one but if you are asked to pick it up, they will likely take your old one in exchange.

 

[dave gill]

clearly make sense to me now.

Many thanks.