URGENT- re entering Canada

[meiko3886]

Hey, I need help. Im Canadian PR since August 5th (common law sponsorship application). I still dont have my PR Card tho, coz they extended waiting time.. Me and my bf (my sponsor) went to Poland for xmas, to visit my family. Before our trip i applied for travel document to safely come back to Canada. After sending many emails to embassy in Warsaw,finally today they told me, that my application is sent back to me,because of mistake in bank draft.
Now here is my QUESTION!
Whats the chance i will be able to re-enter Canada on my biometric passport, with my COPR in my hand, my sponsor with me and rejected application for travel document with all supporting documents (rental agreement, joint account documents etc..) ?? I know its up to Immigration Officer, but anyone heard about simillar cases? Usually polish citizens can enter Canada without visa up to 6 months just on their biometric passport. Ive been in Canada for last 2,5 years and now im staying just 17 days in Poland. I also could never find information whats the time needed between 2 visits in Canada as visitor.
Please help!!!

 

[rhcohen2014]

do you require a visa to enter canada? if not, then you don't need travel document or PR card. you just need your passport. i believe the travel document is more for the airline, so they know you are allowed to enter canad. your copr will be helpful, though they will see when they scan your passport you are a PR.

 

[meiko3886]

Polish citizens dont need visa to enter Canada up to 6 months, if they own biometric passport (and i have one). I was calling Canadian Embassy in Poland today and they told me its risky, because Custom Officer will decide if i can enter Canada or not.
On the Embassy's website they wrote:
1. Do I need a returning resident permit?

If you are a Permanent Resident outside Canada and do not have a valid Permanent Resident Card, your Permanent Resident Card has expired, or you have lost your Permanent Resident Card, and you wish to return to Canada, you need to apply for a Travel Document.

Also on other website they wrote, that travel document is a must. But then u said i can enter as visitor. Can i reenter on my biometric passport so soon? I heard i need to have a break between visiting Canada as tourist for few months, but im not sure about it,so i wish someone could help to make it clear to me..
Sorry to bother, im really scared to find myself stuck at the border.. thanks in advance.

 

[rhcohen2014]

it is my understanding, if you are visa exempt, you don't need a travel document. for example, someone from the US or the UK can simply get on a plane with their passport because they don't need a visa to enter canada. they don't need to apply for a travel document to prove they can travel to canada - their passport does that for them, nor do they need to have their pr card present. from what i understand, the travel document is to TRAVEL to canada - not to ENTER canada! so if you can get on a plane and TRAVEL to canada with just your passport, you don't require a travel document!


As for when you get to canada and encounter immigration, as soon as they swipe your passport (or see your COPR), they will see you are a PR, and allow you in. if they ask about the pr card, you can tell them you have yet to receive it. they can simply verify that information by looking you up in their system.

again, visa exempt applicants don't require a travel document to prove they are a pr. Their passport and COPR do just that. of course the website is going to say you must have certain documentation to enter canada. it doesn't mean it's true for every single person traveling to canada from that country - especially if they are visa exempt and already landed as PR! you are not entering as a visitor - you are no longer a visitor - you can only now enter as a PR, which is now your official status in canada.

look at it this way, if you weren't so concerned with a travel document and pr card, and you were just an average person from your country with a bio-metric passport, would you be allowed to travel to canada with JUST your passport? you've already said yes! so why would this change just because you landed as a pr? it doesn't. all that changes is your status when entering canada - which will be verified by your passport and copr. remember the embassy is NOT CBSA, so they don't always know how CBSA handles entries because they are not the ones doing the job! All the embassy is doing is reading "rules" from the website. if you want an answer from a governing agency, then call the CBSA office where you intend to enter through. they will tell you what THEY require.

 

[Cathy645]

Hey, I need help. Im Canadian PR since August 5th (common law sponsorship application). I still dont have my PR Card tho, coz they extended waiting time.. Me and my bf (my sponsor) went to Poland for xmas, to visit my family. Before our trip i applied for travel document to safely come back to Canada. After sending many emails to embassy in Warsaw,finally today they told me, that my application is sent back to me,because of mistake in bank draft.
Now here is my QUESTION!
Whats the chance i will be able to re-enter Canada on my biometric passport, with my COPR in my hand, my sponsor with me and rejected application for travel document with all supporting documents (rental agreement, joint account documents etc..) ?? I know its up to Immigration Officer, but anyone heard about simillar cases? Usually polish citizens can enter Canada without visa up to 6 months just on their biometric passport. Ive been in Canada for last 2,5 years and now im staying just 17 days in Poland. I also could never find information whats the time needed between 2 visits in Canada as visitor.
Please help!!!

Hi you really don't need travel document if you are visa exempt. My husband is UK passport holder and he didn't have any problem to get into Canada last year after we came back from holiday even he didn't have PR card with him because his PR card was renewing. But he did have to explain it to customs officer.

Good luck

 

[little_apple]

it is my understanding, if you are visa exempt, you don't need a travel document. for example, someone from the US or the UK can simply get on a plane with their passport because they don't need a visa to enter canada. they don't need to apply for a travel document to prove they can travel to canada - their passport does that for them, nor do they need to have their pr card present. from what i understand, the travel document is to TRAVEL to canada - not to ENTER canada! so if you can get on a plane and TRAVEL to canada with just your passport, you don't require a travel document!


As for when you get to canada and encounter immigration, as soon as they swipe your passport (or see your COPR), they will see you are a PR, and allow you in. if they ask about the pr card, you can tell them you have yet to receive it. they can simply verify that information by looking you up in their system.

again, visa exempt applicants don't require a travel document to prove they are a pr. Their passport and COPR do just that. of course the website is going to say you must have certain documentation to enter canada. it doesn't mean it's true for every single person traveling to canada from that country - especially if they are visa exempt and already landed as PR! you are not entering as a visitor - you are no longer a visitor - you can only now enter as a PR, which is now your official status in canada.

look at it this way, if you weren't so concerned with a travel document and pr card, and you were just an average person from your country with a bio-metric passport, would you be allowed to travel to canada with JUST your passport? you've already said yes! so why would this change just because you landed as a pr? it doesn't. all that changes is your status when entering canada - which will be verified by your passport and copr. remember the embassy is NOT CBSA, so they don't always know how CBSA handles entries because they are not the ones doing the job! All the embassy is doing is reading "rules" from the website. if you want an answer from a governing agency, then call the CBSA office where you intend to enter through. they will tell you what THEY require.

Not a 100% true. I am visa-exempt from Germany, traveled to the States and on my way back they wanted to see a Canadian visa although I don't need one. Thank god, my expired work permit was still in there and they didn't check the date on in. They let me board the plane.

No issues at the Canadian border. Received my visitor stamp without any problems.

The airline can refuse to let you on the plane if you don't have a return ticket or some kind of visa. In the OP's case it should be fine because she has the COPR with her

 

[meiko3886]

Thanks a lot guys, those answers made me feel i can do it. Entering Canada shouldnt be harder for PR than for regular visitor. Plus i will have my partner/sponsor with me, ill have COPR and ill have that returned travel document application package with everything filled in,just the wrong bank draft Ill even have joint account details and rental agreement of canadian appartment and some pr proves (also copy of ecas status that shows my PR is complete and PR Card application is in progress).
Thanks again, love this forum :-*

 

[jitendrakumar]

i have also same problem ,i have COPR but not a PR card and i want to go my country urgently on previous worker visa ,which is valid or not valid for re-enter in canada please reply me.

 

[rhcohen2014]

i have also same problem ,i have COPR but not a PR card and i want to go my country urgently on previous worker visa ,which is valid or not valid for re-enter in canada please reply me.

if you landed as a pr, then your previous work permit is now void. as scylla said, if you require a visa to enter canada, you need either a pr card or pr travel document.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Thanks a lot guys, those answers made me feel i can do it. Entering Canada shouldnt be harder for PR than for regular visitor. Plus i will have my partner/sponsor with me, ill have COPR and ill have that returned travel document application package with everything filled in,just the wrong bank draft Ill even have joint account details and rental agreement of canadian appartment and some pr proves (also copy of ecas status that shows my PR is complete and PR Card application is in progress).

You don't need any of that extra stuff. Your passport is sufficient for CBSA, as they will see your PR status in the system.

 

[truesmile]

On our last re-entry into Canada, my wife's passport was not good enough. Quote from CBSA, "all this tells me is you're illegal in Canada", and only upon producing her PR card was she allowed re-entry.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

On our last re-entry into Canada, my wife's passport was not good enough. Quote from CBSA, "all this tells me is you're illegal in Canada", and only upon producing her PR card was she allowed re-entry.

When we entered, the CBSA officer swiped my partner's passport, saw his PR status in the system and waved us on without even a mention his PR card. My partner's landing officer specifically told us that all he needed to re-enter Canada was his passport.

Looks like you got the incompetent and/or mean officer.

 

[rhcohen2014]

On our last re-entry into Canada, my wife's passport was not good enough. Quote from CBSA, "all this tells me is you're illegal in Canada", and only upon producing her PR card was she allowed re-entry.

how can that even be true? her passport would show she is LEGAL in canada, because her pr status is connected to it. as canuck said, as soon as it scans, thy would see it. i agree, you just got a nasty officer!

 

[truesmile]

He was nice enough about it. I was thinking perhaps the difference is between passports for visa-exempt vs non visa-exempt . . . The latter in our case. ??

We'll never know, we'll be in the Nexus lane next time. The whole family are members now.

 

[Rob_TO]

The airline can refuse to let you on the plane if you don't have a return ticket or some kind of visa. In the OP's case it should be fine because she has the COPR with her

This is usually very very rare. Of course a visa-exempt traveler doesn't need a visa, and how much they really want to analyze if you have a return or onward ticket, is up to the airline employee you get. Most times they don't insist on it if you simply explain your passport is visa-exempt, and can just mention you have alternate plans to leave Canada (like by car or yet-to-be purchased ticket).

In the rare case the airline absolutely demands to see a return or onward ticket, you can always just buy a full refundable one on the spot then cancel it minutes later once you pass the gate.

I would advise against mentioning anything about PR status. Once you let the cat out the bag that you're a PR, they may demand nothing less then a valid PR card to allow boarding. And remember the COPR is not a valid travel doc. So best to just stick to the story you're traveling on visa-exempt passport and that's it.

Once back in Canada, PR card is not required at all. Passport + COPR is more than enough. Although CBSA can give you a hard time if they feel like it, you are pretty much guaranteed to be let in.