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Travel Document for PR vs Travel Document for Refugess

luiquao

Member
Oct 12, 2012
11
0
I have a PR card and I urgently need to travel to the States and it will take approx. 3-4 months for me to have my national passport renewed. So I am bit confused: I found what looks like 2 types of Travel Documents:

1) Application for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad)
cic website / english/information/applications/travel.asp

2) Another type of a document for protected, stateless persons and for those who are unable to obtain a national passport for a valid reason.
passport canada website / info/form.aspx?lang=eng&region=NonCA

I am not a refugee or a stateless person (but I kind of a person who is unable to obtain a national passport for a valid reason though) so what document should I apply for to go to the US?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,901
22,148
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Are you planning on flying?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,901
22,148
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Just to add... A Travel Document definitely won't help you. First of all, you can only obtain a Travel Document once you are outside of Canada. It's not a document you can use to enter the US (i.e. it's not a replacement for your passport). A Travel Document is something you apply for when you don't have a PR card and need to re-enter Canada. Since you have a valid PR card - the Travel Document won't help you at all.

I don't know if you qualify to apply for a protected / stateless person document if you aren't actually protected or stateless.

Note that you will also need to obtain a US visitor visa (having a Canadian PR card doesn't mean you can enter the US without a visitor visa). You won't be able to apply for the visitor visa until you either have a renewed passport or something you can use as a substitution for the passport.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
95,901
22,148
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
luiquao said:
Not sure. Might take a bus as well. Does it make any difference?
It probably doesn't make any difference. Again, the Travel Document won't help you at all. It's not a substitute for a passport - it's a substitute for a PR card (which you have). A Travel Document won't let you enter the US (you won't even get on the bus / airplane with this document).

And based on the link below, you won't qualify for the Refugee Travel Document since you aren't a conventional refugee or a person in need of protection and can't supply any of the proof required to get a Refugee Travel Document:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=610&t=11

I think you need to start working on renewing your national passport. I'm not sure there's a substitute.