1. Canadian permanent residents must scan their PR Card when crossing the border starting from 2017
Since April 30, 2017, Canadian permanent residents must present their PR Card upon entering or leaving the Canadian border for customs officers to scan and record. This allows the immigration department to track the exact residency duration of permanent residents in Canada, combat fraudulent immigration, and ensure that Canadians do not exceed a six-month stay in the United States within a year.
2. How to return to Canada if your PR Card has expired
For Canadian permanent residents, once a PR Card expires, the only way to return to Canada is to apply for a "Permanent Resident Travel Document" (PRTD) at a visa office abroad. If you are currently in Canada but do not have a valid PR Card and need to travel abroad, can you apply for it domestically? The answer is no; you must apply at a nearby visa office in the United States. There is no need to worry about being unable to return to the country if the application is rejected, as the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will typically make special accommodations.
If a permanent resident is outside the country and their PR Card has expired, they must apply for a "Permanent Resident Travel Document" at a local visa office to return. However, for some permanent residents who are currently in Canada without a PR Card—such as those who landed before the PR Card was implemented and never applied, new immigrants who have just arrived but have not yet received their card, or those whose renewal application has not yet been approved—if they have an urgent need to travel abroad, they may wonder if they can apply for a "Permanent Resident Travel Document" while in Canada.
The workaround is to visit a nearby visa office in the United States, such as in New York or Seattle, to apply in person. Officials emphasize that the public does not need to worry about being unable to return to Canada if the application is rejected; if it is truly rejected, CBSA officers will generally make accommodations to allow them to return to Canada.
3. PR Card renewal requires tax returns for the last 5 years
In June, the immigration department revised the regulations for PR Card renewal, requiring the submission of two years of tax returns, which caused panic among many non-residents for tax purposes. Unexpectedly, this July, the immigration department introduced even stricter regulations, requiring applicants to submit personal income tax assessments for two of the past five years, or transcripts from an accredited post-secondary institution for the past five years, to prove that they have indeed resided in the country. In addition, all school-age children must also submit proof of enrollment for the past five years.
4. PR Card renewal requirement: 2 years of residency within 5 years
According to the PR Card renewal regulations, permanent residents must reside in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period to be eligible for renewal. The "2 years within 5 years" requirement is not calculated from the date of landing, nor from the date the PR Card was received. There are two ways to calculate it: first, by counting back five years from the date the PR Card renewal application is submitted to see if the two-year residency requirement is met; second, by counting back five years from each date of entry into Canada.
In other words, as long as you can prove that you meet the two-year residency requirement through any of the three residency calculation methods mentioned above, you satisfy the condition of residing in Canada for two years within a five-year period.
If you are living abroad with a spouse who is a Canadian citizen, you are exempt from this requirement. Therefore, many "astronaut" families have the spouse return to their country of origin after obtaining citizenship to live with their partner who holds a PR Card, ensuring that their immigration status is not lost. Many of these individuals also apply to become non-residents for tax purposes.
5. The immigration bureau has the right to retrieve your entry and exit records from Canadian customs.
A new item, item 23, has been added to the new PR Card application form IMM5444, where the immigration bureau requires you to provide your entry and exit records from Canadian customs for the past five years.
6. The immigration department's "killer move"
PR Card renewal requires a residential address in Canada, and applicants are required to have a fixed residence in Canada. Since October 2013, the immigration bureau has required applicants to have a fixed residence in Canada. If it is found that the applicant does not have a fixed residence in Canada, the immigration bureau will conduct a strict review.
If you have the above issues, do not handle them blindly. In the process of retaining your PR Card, you will need to provide many valid Canadian documents. If any of your documents are missing or expired, please find a professional immigration lawyer specializing in PR Card retention to help you, ensuring that you can successfully and timely complete the relevant procedures for retaining your PR Card.
