When landed, but no PR card yet, can one still travel by air without problem?

[V_]

If a landed PR needs to travel out and back to Canada by air but doesn't have his PR card yet, is it a problem?

I've researched this forum and someone said:

''If you are visa exempt, you can come back to Canada without a PR card if you have your landing papers''

Is this still valid?

Thanks a lot.

 

[CDNPR2014]

yes, if you are visa exempt, generally you only need your passport to TRAVEL to canada commercially (ie: get on the plane). When you arrive at immigration in canada, you can use your passport and your landing document (COPR) to enter, your PR card is not required if you have these items. Keep in mind, travelers will now need an ETA to travel to canada, so i don't know how that effects visa exempt travelers needing a PR card to get on a plane.

 

[Andynd1uk]

If a landed PR needs to travel out and back to Canada by air but doesn't have his PR card yet, is it a problem?

I've researched this forum and someone said:

''If you are visa exempt, you can come back to Canada without a PR card if you have your landing papers''

Is this still valid?

Thanks a lot.

To be safer than sorry it wouldn't harm you to obtain an ETA, they cost around $7.00 and are valid for a period of up to 5 years. The mandatory use of ETA has now been put back to November 2016 so if you're travelling prior to November there's no need to worry.

 

[Rob_TO]

If a landed PR needs to travel out and back to Canada by air but doesn't have his PR card yet, is it a problem?

I've researched this forum and someone said:

''If you are visa exempt, you can come back to Canada without a PR card if you have your landing papers''

The problem is boarding a plane.
Before Nov 9 (when eTA becomes mandatory), a visa-exempt traveler can board a plane using just visa-exempt passport and making sure not to mention to airline they're a PR.
After Nov 9, it's not possible for visa-exempt travelers to do this anymore (unless US citizen and eTA exempt).

For people without visa-exempt passports, or after Nov 9 for others, a PR Travel Document will be required to fly directly back to Canada.

Or one can cross into Canada by land at anytime, no PR card or Travel Doc is needed.

To be safer than sorry it wouldn't harm you to obtain an ETA, they cost around $7.00 and are valid for a period of up to 5 years. The mandatory use of ETA has now been put back to November 2016 so if you're travelling prior to November there's no need to worry.

No, PRs are not eligible for eTA. Anyone that's already landed as a PR will be declined if they try to apply for eTA.

 

[km9203]

The problem is boarding a plane.
Before Nov 9 (when eTA becomes mandatory), a visa-exempt traveler can board a plane using just visa-exempt passport and making sure not to mention to airline they're a PR.
After Nov 9, it's not possible for visa-exempt travelers to do this anymore (unless US citizen and eTA exempt).

For people without visa-exempt passports, or after Nov 9 for others, a PR Travel Document will be required to fly directly back to Canada.

Or one can cross into Canada by land at anytime, no PR card or Travel Doc is needed.

No, PRs are not eligible for eTA. Anyone that's already landed as a PR will be declined if they try to apply for eTA.

Quick question - kinda related.

So say, I go home to the UK to visit when I finally get PR. I will get a flight to UK, then a flight back to Canada. Will the airline be suspicious that because I am a UK citizen, I will just have a one way flight to Canada? Do you have to disclose that you are a Canadian PR when at the checkin desk in UK? How does it work?

 

[Rob_TO]

Quick question - kinda related.

So say, I go home to the UK to visit when I finally get PR. I will get a flight to UK, then a flight back to Canada. Will the airline be suspicious that because I am a UK citizen, I will just have a one way flight to Canada? Do you have to disclose that you are a Canadian PR when at the checkin desk in UK? How does it work?

Quite the opposite, you should NOT declare you're a PR. This whole loophole is contingent on you deceiving the airline that you are actually a foreign national and not a PR. Once they find you're a PR, they may demand PR card or PR TD to allow boarding.

Process has been changing leading up to eTA date (now Nov 9 but who knows if will be extended again). There's a small chance at some point Canada will share necessary info with airline to automatically identify you as a PR and deny boarding with no PR card or TD. However to date this has not yet happened to anyone.

Some airlines don't like checking in visa-exempt travelers on 1-way tickets and can cause problems. Others don't seem to care. So should be prepared to by a cheap, fully refundable onward ticket from Canada to show them as proof if they demand it, and just cancel it after.

 

[km9203]

Quite the opposite, you should NOT declare you're a PR. This whole loophole is contingent on you deceiving the airline that you are actually a foreign national and not a PR. Once they find you're a PR, they may demand PR card or PR TD to allow boarding.

Process has been changing leading up to eTA date (now Nov 9 but who knows if will be extended again). There's a small chance at some point Canada will share necessary info with airline to automatically identify you as a PR and deny boarding with no PR card or TD. However to date this has not yet happened to anyone.

Some airlines don't like checking in visa-exempt travelers on 1-way tickets and can cause problems. Others don't seem to care. So should be prepared to by a cheap, fully refundable onward ticket from Canada to show them as proof if they demand it, and just cancel it after.

Even when you have PR card you shouldn't declare it...? Sorry I meant after I have my PR card!

 

[Rob_TO]

Even when you have PR card you shouldn't declare it...? Sorry I meant after I have my PR card!

When you have valid PR card in hand, then you obviously show your PR card to the airline and there will be no issues.

Its the situation when one has landed as a PR but has not received their PR card yet, or if a PR card expires or is lost and someone needs to travel, that the above applies.