The government of Canada has announced that new permanent resident cards issued will have a fresh appearance and enhanced security features ‘to keep pace with changing technology.’

The Canadian Permanent Resident Card is a wallet-sized plastic card containing pertinent information (height, eye colour, gender, etc.) on the cardholder as well as a laser-engraved photograph and signature. Other personal data are encoded on the card and are accessible only by authorized Canadian Immigration Officials.

Among the new features, permanent resident cards will have:

• new specifications for the cardholder’s photograph;
• the removal of the immigration category from the card;
• an increase to the number of characters permitted for a holder’s name, from 20 characters for the last name and 15 characters for the given name, to 28 characters each for both the given and last names; and
• new security features, including inks that are resistant to copying, a new foil graphic embedded in the card and a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) chip with an identification number unique to the card.

In a statement posted on its website, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) stated that ‘The RFID chip does not contain personal information. The RFID chip contains only a unique identifier. When a PR is moving through a land border crossing, an RFID-enabled PR card is securely and accurately read by readers. As the RFID chip is read, the unique identifier is transmitted to a secure database and acts as the key to authorize the return of the traveller’s biographical information from the database. The information is displayed to the Border Service Officer as the vehicle pulls up to the inspection booth. The installation of RFID chip readers at land border crossings is scheduled to begin in 2016.’

Canadian permanent residents planning to re-enter Canada on commercial carriers (plane, train, bus and boat) will be required to show their Permanent Resident Card to confirm their permanent resident status before boarding. Canadian Permanent Residents not in possession of a Permanent Resident Card will have to apply for a Temporary Travel Document from the nearest Canadian Immigration Visa Office in order to travel to Canada on a commercial carrier.