My PR card expired in June 2023 and I have not received my new one, I am supposed to be traveling on December 17th to Cancun I don’t have time to apply for a PRTD if I leave. I am wondering if I can fly back to the US and drive through the border? I have been in Canada 5 years straight so I have met my RO and I do have documentation to prove my residency I’m just a little concerned because I am told it is at the discretion of the officer to let me in. Is it worth the risk? Also noting that my passport linked to my PR has expired I am dual citizenship and the other passport I have is valid but not linked to my pr.
Travelling to Canada by car with expired pr card
- Thread starter Teatreeoil14
- Start date
Yes, you can drive through the border with your expired card. Happy travels.
You should be fine.
They like to repeat that language but in this case, it is NOT actually at the officer's discretion - the laws and regs read PRs SHALL be admitted if the officer is satisfied they are a PR (that is, your identity). ('Shall' being legislative for 'must.')
In practice, they take this very seriously - if they can link you-the-PR (in their computer) to you-the-traveller (from all your various docs and names/DOB match etc), they will (read 'must') let you in. (I mean, assuming no egregious discrepancy like age/photo/all other descriptors simply don't match)
They don't really seem to play with the being satisfied part.
Just to add a bit to observations by @armoured . . . NO RISK unless there is real cause to question/doubt your identity.
The same is said of all travelers, including Canadian citizens, that border officials have discretion in allowing travelers to enter Canada.
Even if you have and are presenting a valid PR card, for example, technically the decision to allow entry into Canada is at the border official's "discretion."
"Discretion" is a very loaded term, covering a very broad range of decision-making, ranging from very narrowly confined discretion, which is what applies to border official decision-making in regards to applications to enter Canada by Canadians (meaning both citizens and PRs), or somewhat broad discretion, which is what applies to border official decision-making in regards to applications to enter Canada by Foreign Nationals with visa-exempt passports (for example), to the very broad discretion border officials have in conducting examinations of travelers applying for entry into Canada, applicable to all travelers including Canadians.
For reference: The "right of return" is among those rights Canadians have, including PRs as well as citizens, which have been described as "Shamlou rights," based on the Federal Court decision in Shamlou v Canada (Minister of Citizenship and Immigration) (1995), 103 FTR 241 (FCTD), and the right of return as part of these rights has been affirmed in multiple Federal Court of Appeal decisions (that is, courts whose rulings establish binding precedent), and have been recently referenced as specifically applicable to Canadian PRs in Huang v. Canada, 2023 FC 1491, https://canlii.ca/t/k14ql (not to Huang's advantage however; can get complicated).
Thank you all so much! This has been very helpful. I also found out that with the valid passport I own (British) I can cross the border without an eta (something I could not get because of my pr status).
The British passport and the ETA have nothing to do with it. As a pr you'd be let in at the border - and you should show and say you are a PR at the border. (They'll find out anyway)
The ETA is necessary to board a flight to Canada, not for 'the border'.
(Since there are no exit controls on USA side, you'd hypothetically be let in without a valid passport - IF the border agents are satisfied you are you eg you have good documents otherwise. And I say hypothetically not because I really have any doubt you'd be let in, but because don't do this; very much not recommended and you might spend ages at the border because, yeah, they might have to let you in but they can make it slow. Just like a citizen who lost their passport but had photocopies and other good Id actually would be fine at the border - eventually)
PR card and other prescribed documents for travel with a private vehicle
A PR travelling in a private vehicle such as a car, truck, motorcycle or recreational vehicle that they own, borrowed or rented does not need a PR card or a PRTD when crossing the land border. While not mandatory, it is preferable that they use their PR card or a PRTD to allow an officer to easily assess the individual’s identity. However, permanent residents can use other documents to return to Canada in this case, if they do not have their PR card on hand.
[source]
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/permanent-residence/card/departmental-policy.html#s6
I arrived back on the 24th of December it took literally 2 minutes and barely any questions except “where are you coming from?” and “did you bring anything back?” a quick look and scan of our passports and we were on our way.
nice.. which land border did you cross? one of my friend's husband also entered via NGF border with expired PR card and he has lived in Canada for only 2 months. The border officials asked similar questions and he entered without any problems.
This is all very helpful!
Would you all be able to confirm that this thread applies to me as well?
US citizen / Canadian PR
Land crossing in my own vehicle at Niagara
Expired PR card - already applied for renewal
Just planning to go to the states for a few days and want to make sure I won't run into trouble at the border returning to Canada.
Any extra documents I should carry to prove my PR status?
Thanks!
Would you all be able to confirm that this thread applies to me as well?
US citizen / Canadian PR
Land crossing in my own vehicle at Niagara
Expired PR card - already applied for renewal
Just planning to go to the states for a few days and want to make sure I won't run into trouble at the border returning to Canada.
Any extra documents I should carry to prove my PR status?
Thanks!