When your PR card expires outside Canada

When you have attained PR of Canada, you can travel in and out of Canada anytime and all you need is a PR card to present at the time when you re-enter Canada. This confirms their status as Permanent Resident of Canada. PR card has specific validity and it needs to be renewed. If you are traveling outside Canada for a longer period and what is PR card is expired during that time?

There is no need to panic if one faces the situation of expired PR card outside Canada. Most of the people get confused while dealing with the issues of PR card and PR status. Most of the PR card is of five years, however some last for lesser time period. If one’s PR card expires that doesn’t mean that the status as a PR expires. A PR needs to present their PR card if they go out of Canada for some time and want to return to Canada again, as PR card endorses their actual PR status. In the case of expired PR card, one cannot use the card to re-enter Canada. The exception is while travelling by road.

A person cannot apply for new PR card from outside Canada. In other words a new PR card can only be applied if a person is within Canada. In this scenario one has the option to apply for PRTD i.e. Permanent Resident Travel Document, which helps a person to re-enter Canada after the approval of PRTD. After the issue of PRTD it is customarily valid for six months and can only be used once. During this period of six months one has to apply for new PR card.

It is mandatory to have Canadian PR status in order to apply for PRTD and while applying they should be outside Canada. The cost of applying is $50 CAD. The usual way of applying for PRTD is by mail through the nearby Canadian Visa Application Centre (VAC). For the permanent residents overseas a searchable list of VACs and other various resources has been provide by the government website.

To provide the facility of PRTD application and services information, government provides a list of VACs and the services delivered as because of COVID-19 situation some of the VACs are not accepting the PRTD application and few might have been completely closed. One can apply online if in case unable to send their application to the VAC. Whether applying by VAC or online, in both the cases, as a part of application one has to send their original passport. After the application they might be called for face to face or virtual interview. The applicant will receive the PRTD if the application would be successful which would be the counterfoil on the passport.

There is no particular time period or prediction about the process for a PRTD as each case is different and also because of the present COVID-19 circumstances.