Permanent Residents in Canada Need Valid PR Card to Travel Abroad
Going home for the holidays can be more of an adventure than traveling to a foreign country and meeting the aborigines. Yet, every year with Christmas approaching, most of us find themselves homeward bound. Especially so new immigrants - many long for the familiarity of their countries, their families, the familiar foods, language, traditions. One thing immigrants to Canada need to remember this Christmas (besides buying presents for all nephews and nieces) is to make sure they have a valid PR card by the time they leave Canada.
The Permanent Resident Card is the official proof of your status as a permanent resident in Canada, and therefore a document of utmost importance when you decide to travel back to Canada. You will be requested to provide it even before you board a plain, bus or ship to Canada, and again at the Customs. In order to travel abroad, children of permanent residents also need PR cards, unless they were born in Canada and are Canadian Citizens. In this case, they will need a valid Canadian passport.
You are eligible for a Permanent Resident Card only if you have entered Canada legally and you have been granted permanent resident status but you are not yet a Canadian citizen. You need to apply for a PR card if you received a permanent resident status before June 2002 or you need to replace an expired, lost or stolen PR card.
If you became a permanent resident before June 2002, you were issued a document Immigrant Visa and Record of Landing (IMM 1000). You will need it in order to get a PR card. If you became a permanent resident after June 2002, you will have received your PR card automatically as part of the immigration process.
The PR card expires every five years. If you plan to travel outside Canada, you should check the expiry date and apply for a new one at least 90 days before your planned dates of travel. If you require an urgent processing of your PR card application, you have to attach a photocopy of your airplane, ship or bus ticket or an e-ticket with a proof of payment. There is a government fee of $50 for regular applications.
In order to apply for a Canadian PR card, first you need to get an application kit from the immigration services, read the guide and complete the application form. Remember to attach all necessary documents i.e. expired PR card, photocopy of valid passport, photographs. The next thing is to pay the fee for processing your application. Make sure you print your IMM5401 receipt of payment form and include it with your application. The last thing is to mail your application to the address provided on your application kit.
If you need to replace a lost, stolen or expired PR card, you will need to fill out an application and pay a fee of $50. Follow the same procedure described above. In case of a lost or stolen card, you will have to contact the Call Centre of Canadian Immigration authorities immediately after you find the card missing.
Canadian Immigration Authorities will not process applications, which are incomplete or wrong. In this case, it will be returned to you with a list of additional information you need to provide. When you have this information, you can resend your application. You can go through the application process on your own; however, if you do not wish to take chances or need to travel urgently, you can contact professionals who will make it easy for you at www.immigroup.com
