CEC_2174 said:
Hello Seniors I am caught in a tricky situation, I want to travel out of Canada for an urgent family issue next month.
Currently I have my Work Permit and Work Visa both Valid until March 2013
I got Passport request from Detroit, I wish to get my passports stamped next week and then Plan to travel out of Canada.
1. If I do my landing at Port of Entry, my Work Visa will be cancelled as soon as I do my Landing activities.
2. If I just get my Passports stamped in Detroit and delay my landing, and travel out of Canada and do my Landing after a month.
Is PR Card Must for Travel..?
What are the options I have? Kindly suggest
Lets' start from the beginning so there's no confusion:
Once you are issued with a 'Confirmation of Permanent Residency' (CoPR) document (or stamped PP) from your PPR you need to activate your PR (i.e. land as PR/immigrant) before the expiry date. The CoPR can only be used once (to enter and activate PR). When your PR becomes activated at 'landing' your PR card will automatically begin processing and this takes 2 months. The PR card is the only form of ID for PRs to re-enter Canada. The stamp in your passport or the CoPR that you used to 'land' will not be accepted if you do not have this PR card.
Options:
(1) if you 'land' before you leave for your family visit - your PR will be activated and your PR card will start to be processed automatically BUT you can immediately make an application for the PR card under urgent processing (do this even though your card has already started the 60 day processing) - there is this option on the CIC website.
(2) if you 'land' before you leave for your family visit - take your chances and let the PR card get processed normally (i.e. don't apply for urgent processing). If you have not received the card by the time you leave and you are visiting a country for the amount of time it takes to process your card then ask a trusted friend to pick up your card and send it to your visiting country address (via express post) before you leave your visiting country to re-enter Canada.
(3) OR apply for a travel document from a Canadian consulte in the country you are visiting
**If you do not have the PR card nor the PR travel document to prove that you are a PR the airline will not let you board the flight to your Canadian destination upon re-entering**
(4) Do not 'land' (i.e. activate permanent residency) before your family visit - i.e. wait until you you come back from your visiting country. At this point you will be back in Canada and can then wait for the processing of your PR card (without the stress). But take note of the expiry date of your PR activation.
I'm in a similar situation in which I just got my CoPR and could activate it by next week but then I have to leave in mid-Dec for a month. I think I'll do option 4 as my WP is valid till April 2013.
Cheers.
