URGENT processing time for a travel document- father seriously ill in the uk

[ulsterman82]

HI all,

im living in canada with Permenent resident status but no pr card, just found out my dad is seriously ill in hospital and need to get home, tried in vain to find out processing time for when i get there to obtain this document which would allow me to travel back without pr card. as i have a 2 week old son back here who is not in the greatest of health and im pretty much in a catch 22 situation typical of it to be a bank holiday here! tried in vain for processing times!

thanks

 

[Rob_TO]

If you hold a visa-exempt UK passport, you don't need a travel document.

When flying back to Canada just don't mention your PR status to airline. Just tell them you're traveling to Canada on your visa-exempt passport. And once at Canada airport, you don't require a PR card as CBSA can easily tell your PR status if you just show them your passport and COPR.

 

[ulsterman82]

thanks for the reply! i would have to book a return ticket to stop them asking! oh such a pain! although maybe i could use my copr landing doc as proof although it says its not a travel document you are right in the sense i dont need a visa from a visa exempt country, its the airline that gets twitchy i suppose!

 

[Rob_TO]

i would have to book a return ticket to stop them asking!

This is not necessarily true. Countless people (including my wife) have returned back to Canada just fine on a single ticket with no PR card and no return or exit trip back out of Canada. In the vast majority of cases, the airlines don't push for a return ticket for visa-exempt travelers.

However if upon checking into your flight home they do demand a return ticket, then you can always just buy a fully refundable 1-way return ticket on the spot, and cancel it immediately after for a full refund.

although maybe i could use my copr landing doc as proof although it says its not a travel document

DO NOT DO THIS!! As soon as the airline finds out you're a PR, they may demand a PR card and will not even let you board with a return ticket without showing the PR card. COPR is NOT a travel document, and most airline employees will just be trained to accept a valid PR card and nothing else.

It's really better to just not mention your PR status at all, and travel like you were a visitor/tourist.

 

[ulsterman82]

|Thanks ever so much for your advice! I really appreciate it!