What are the issues if I let my PR card expire while I'm outside of Canada and choose to renew it years later?

[Murica2Canada2019]

Hello!

Background: My PR card is set to expire in about ~9 months. I haven't been physically in Canada for most of the 5 year period due to a job relocation but my partner is a Canadian citizen so I do meet all of the requirements to renew the PR card. Because we live in the US and are close to the border, we only drive into Canada and in 99% of cases would never take commercial travel into the country.

Questions:

1. If I am not planing to live in Canada again for say another 5-10 years, should I just let the PR card expire and renew it sometime in the future when it's more relevant to my living situation?
2. As a US citizen, can't I still travel into Canada by commercial vehicle as long as I have my NEXUS card and/or passport? Or would the expired PR card override this aspect and they'd refuse my entry?
3. Other than travel convenience and staying "up to date" with Canadian immigration, what exactly is the risk of me not renewing my PR card?

In summary: I can easily renew the PR card; I'm just trying to decide if its worth the effort right now or if it makes more sense to wait until later as long as I'm not setting myself up for failure or major issues in the future if we ultimately need to move back to and settle in Canada.

 

[Ponga]

Hello!

Background: My PR card is set to expire in about ~9 months. I haven't been physically in Canada for most of the 5 year period due to a job relocation but my partner is a Canadian citizen so I do meet all of the requirements to renew the PR card. Because we live in the US and are close to the border, we only drive into Canada and in 99% of cases would never take commercial travel into the country.

Questions:

1. If I am not planing to live in Canada again for say another 5-10 years, should I just let the PR card expire and renew it sometime in the future when it's more relevant to my living situation?
2. As a US citizen, can't I still travel into Canada by commercial vehicle as long as I have my NEXUS card and/or passport? Or would the expired PR card override this aspect and they'd refuse my entry?
3. Other than travel convenience and staying "up to date" with Canadian immigration, what exactly is the risk of me not renewing my PR card?

In summary: I can easily renew the PR card; I'm just trying to decide if its worth the effort right now or if it makes more sense to wait until later as long as I'm not setting myself up for failure or major issues in the future if we ultimately need to move back to and settle in Canada.

It might not be so cut and dry.


IRCC has been known to consider the `who followed whom' when assessing a PR's compliance with the R.O. when residing abroad with their Canadian spouse or partner. If you are saying the you took the job and your Canadian partner followed you...you can see how in the eyes of IRCC, it was the Canadian citizen that followed the Permanent Resident, right? This is NOT to say that your renewal application would be denied, only that your theory that you "...do meet all of the requirements to renew the PR card." may not be totally accurate.

You cannot renew your card while being abroad. You must be in Canada to renew your PR card. You would only really need a valid PR card if you travel back to Canada via a commercial carrier....yes, even a PR that is a U.S. citizen with a valid U.S. passport is at risk, albeit apparently a small risk, of being denied boarding by the carrier without a valid PR card. The commercial carrier regulations have NOTHING to do with CBSA requirements for a PR to enter Canada. None.

FWIW, your expired card would still work for the CBSA officer that you would see when you've arrived, but would likely be questioned (perhaps at length) as to why it is expired.

Good luck!

 

[Murica2Canada2019]

Thanks for responding. I have been reading up on the "who followed whom" aspect and it seems somewhat rare to be used against a PR renewal unless it's a blatantly egregious abuse of the process. In my case, I have strong evidence of residential ties to Canada and proof of cohabitation as well, both in Canada and the United States. I'll accept there's some chance that "who-followed-whom" could come into play, but I will be surprised if so.

In any case, I've decided that I will submit for PR renewal after all and do my best to provide supporting evidence for the accompaniment aspect of spending time outside of Canada. I realized that waiting to deal with renewal later just on the basis of convenience for myself could ultimately make my situation harder and spoil the hard work it took to make it this far in the immigration process.

Thanks again for the input!