SECONDARY REVIEW, an insult to Canadian Permanent Residents

[Cameron2020]

After waiting for 7 years to get a Canadian permanent visa and going through all those difficult procedures, I thought my residency was really permanent and I do not have to go through those hassles any more, but I was wrong ...

I spent 2 months to prepare all documents and forms they required for PR card renewal and sent them about 7 months before my PR expiry date to make sure I would not stay without PR card.
I had already bought my airplane ticket to travel 6 months later and sent it to them to consider urgent processing just in case. However, they not only did not do it on normal time, but they sent it for secondary review!!!
So far they have kept me waiting for 4 months after they started second review and whenever I contacted them, they said there is no time limit for us.

They did not care about my travel plan at all and when I objected about it, they behave as if I never sent them any ticket and asked me to send it again. When I sent them the ticket and prove of payment, again they ignored it and considered it as invalid!!!! When I objected again, they asked me to send them my ticket!!! Can you believe it? They don’t even check what has been sent to them before.

I had to leave Canada 2 months ago with the same ticket that they considered that as invalid and now my card is expired and I cannot go back to my family. They simply say take a travel document and come back to Canada, as if it is as easy as drinking water. Getting a travel document as they suggested is as difficult as getting PR card, because again the same documents should be sent to them and maybe it has to go for another secondary review in the embassy this time!!! This is a vicious cycle.

Plus, there is no Canadian embassy in my country and I have to travel to another country to get that. Unfortunately the Canadian embassy has given visa issue to a private company and they know really nothing. When I asked them how should I prove I have been in Canada for more than 2 years in the last 5 years, she replied:
1. You can provide your Record of Landing or Confirmation of your Permanent Residence to apply for Travel document.
That's all she knows about the required documents.

They do not even send my passport back by post!!!!!!!! They said they only post inside the country not outside!!! That means I should spend so much money and time and travel to another country to get a travel document in order to enter the country which is supposed to be my second country!!!

This is how it is behaved with a 5 year permanent resident of Canada, or it can be a 10 year or a 15 year one.

 

[scylla]

How much time did you spend outside of Canada in the last five years? Typically when someone is sent to secondary review, it's due to either long or frequent travel which has made CIC concerned that you don't meet the residency requirements.

Some of the strongest proof you can provide that you were in Canada are things like employment slips/school enrollment letters and credit card statements that show purchases in Canada - and also travel records (proof of all of your travel in and out of Canada in the form of flight itineraries). Other things that can help are property rental agreements / utility bills, tax returns, bank statements, etc.

 

[quasar81]

Problem is not Secondary review, but it is the time it takes. its just shameful.

We'll less shameful than people waiting for citizenship judges for 2-3 years for decision on citizenship applications.

 

[Blueboy1980]

How much time did you spend outside of Canada in the last five years? Typically when someone is sent to secondary review, it's due to either long or frequent travel which has made CIC concerned that you don't meet the residency requirements.

Some of the strongest proof you can provide that you were in Canada are things like employment slips/school enrollment letters and credit card statements that show purchases in Canada - and also travel records (proof of all of your travel in and out of Canada in the form of flight itineraries). Other things that can help are property rental agreements / utility bills, tax returns, bank statements, etc.

I don't think long and frequent travel is the reason for secondary review. I had only been outside Canada for 18 days in the past 6 years and that was just 2 x 9 day trips to the UK. Mine went for secondary review which took a total of 7 months in secondary. I had no documentation missing or any cause for concern so I'm not sure why mine ended up in secondary. I sent my application off March of last year and only yesterday got my renewed PR card. It typically takes 12 months from receipt of a letter notifying of secondary review for the card to be issued. ( I found this out via someone who works at CIC even though CIC won't tell you that)

 

[ttrajan]

The main issue is they don't have immigration while leaving Canada and they can't check online how many days we stayed in Canada. In my country in click of the button they can check how long we stayed in our country. Most of the Canada PRs are working outside Canada since there is no jobs available in the market now.

 

[kateg]

The "Permanent" part of permanent resident is that we have the right to reside permanently in Canada, which is separate from the privilege to leave and return.

The PR card (and travel document) is used to re-enter Canada. It's not needed to stay in Canada, which is why it's not a particularly high priority. The goal is for you to live in Canada, and stay in Canada, and travel to other countries (and back) is a risk (you may violate your obligations), and non-essential.

 

[emamabd]

The goal is for you to live in Canada, and stay in Canada, and travel to other countries (and back) is a risk (you may violate your obligations), and non-essential.

I thought Canada is a free country, where basic human rights can be exercised (like travelling anywhere and returning back while meeting the RO)

 

[kateg]

I thought Canada is a free country, where basic human rights can be exercised (like travelling anywhere and returning back while meeting the RO)

Like any free country, you are free to leave. Returning is a right for Citizens - for everyone else, it's a privilege, and they are free to place what restrictions upon it they wish. Permanent Residents have the right to enter, but that does not mean that the airlines necessarily have a right to take you.

 

[methyl]

The "Permanent" part of permanent resident is that we have the right to reside permanently in Canada, which is separate from the privilege to leave and return.

The PR card (and travel document) is used to re-enter Canada. It's not needed to stay in Canada, which is why it's not a particularly high priority. The goal is for you to live in Canada, and stay in Canada, and travel to other countries (and back) is a risk (you may violate your obligations), and non-essential.

You're spreading a bunch of misinformation. All PRs have the right to enter Canada, this is an essential right. The government makes it difficult for some to obtain proof of PR. If you present yourself at the border by whatever means, Canada has to let you in, regardless whether you are in possession of PR card, or temporary permit, or without anything except for your passport. That is why you can enter overland from US without any of these except for passport.
PRs have as much right to enter and leave Canada as citizens, there are no distinctions for this right in law.

Also you cannot judge what is essential and what is not for a given person - people have families to visit, people have emergencies, people have a life to live and see the world, people have a right to decide to spend winter vacations in warmer places if they worked hard to afford it, and CIC is effectively blocking these rights - how is a person going to have a week's vacation while successfully obtaining a temp entry permit? Or did vacations with families/kids become non-essential, and Canada has turned into a labour camp?

There should really be a legal challenge to CIC over this unaccountable process. Until that happens they will continue to treat people like cattle.