Permanent Resident Card

Who needs a PR Card and why?

As a Canadian permanent resident traveling outside of Canada, if you hold a passport from a country whose citizens are required to have a visa to visit Canada, you will be asked to present your PR Card before you board the carrier (airline, ship, etc) that will take you back to Canada. All Permanent Residents of Canada must show their PR card to a Canada Border Services officer when returning to Canada from international travel. The PR Card is the only ID which shows proof of permanent resident status when returning to Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, ship, bus, or train). Permanent residents from countries whose citizens do not require a visa to travel to Canada may be allowed entry into Canada based on the strength of their passports alone, but entry is not guaranteed (attempt at your own risk).

• The government fee is $50.
• Please click here for Citizenship and Immigration Canada's website.
• NOTE: If you apply directly with the government, please remember that CIC does not offer walk-in service - all applications must be mailed or couriered to the processing centre.
• CIC will not pre-review your application to ensure the forms and documents are correct before filing – all applications must be completed in full before being sent to the government.

• Immigroup service fee charges are $295 pus taxes and a $50 government fee.
• We review every part of your application to ensure it is complete, accurate and mistake-free; not offered by the government.
• We complete the application for you if you require it; not offered by the government.
• We advise you of any additional steps you need to take and of any additional documentation you must provide; the government offers only general guidelines, not specific advice.
• We advise you of any problems you may encounter from filing the application; the government offers only general guidelines, not specific advice.
• We verify all supporting documentation prior to submission; not offered by the government.
• We give you unlimited business-hours phone support from 8am-6pm EST.
• We respond to most questions within 1 business day.
• We submit your application to the government for you.
• We track the status of your application for you.

• Countries whose citizens do not need a visa to enter Canada as a visitor More info>>

Andorra	Estonia	South Korea	Poland*	Switzerland
Antigua and Barbuda	Finland	Latvia	Portugal	Taiwan*
Australia	France	Liechtenstein	Saint Kitts and Nevis	United Kingdom
Austria	Germany	Lithuania*	Samoa	United States
Bahamas	Greec	Luxembourg	San Marino
Barbados	Hungary	Malta	Singapore
Belgium	Iceland	Monaco	Slovakia
Brunei	Ireland	Netherlands	Slovenia
Croatia	Israel*	New Zealand	Solomon Islands
Cyprus	Italy	Norway	Spain
Denmark	Japan	Papua New Guinea	Sweden

• Citizens of Israel require an Israeli passport to waive the visa requirement. Holders of any other type of Israeli travel document require visas
• Citizens of Lithuania and Poland require biometric passports to enter Canada without visas
• Citizens of Taiwan must have passports containing their ID number in order to enter Canada without a visa

• Traveling without a PR card More info>>
• Do so at your own risk
• Do you hold a valid Passport on the above list?
• Do you have your expired PR Card?
• Have you already filed your PR card application with Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) and have a copy of the full application to take with you? Having a copy of the application is extremely helpful when the customs agent asks for proof that you are a permanent resident. If the decision has been made on the application, it is also beneficial to show a printed copy of this as well; if not, print the page showing that the application is received and in process.Click here for Application Status.
  You may advise the customs agent that the application has already been filed, the a positive decision has been made (if applicable), and that you will make sure not to leave without it in the future. Remember, they hold all the power, so be pleasant.
• Please feel free to contact us if you need help or aren’t sure what to do
• Worst Case Scenario More info>>

If you left Canada without your valid PR card, you may not be allowed to enter Canada and you may have to stay in the country you are traveling from.

You will likely be told that to enter Canada without your valid PR Card, you must visit the closest Canadian Diplomatic Mission (Canadian Embassy, Consulate, or High Commission) responsible for issuing a Permanent Resident Returning to Canada Single Entry Travel Document. A Permanent Resident Travel Document is similar to a visa which is attached to your passport. This document is valid for a limited period of time and enables you to gain entry to Canada only once.

• I don’t have one of the above Passports More info>>
Immigroup does not advise any permanent resident to leave Canada without a valid PR Card. If you must leave under emergency circumstances and do not have time to wait for your PR card to be issued (2-4 weeks with urgent processing), click here to read about the Permanent Resident Travel Document. To have your PR Card application processed with urgency the following are required:
• Minimum 3 weeks between the date your application is submitted and your departure date
• Completed application free of errors and omissions. NOTE: When applications are returned by CIC, the officer may only indicate some of the mistakes they have noticed rather than every problem which needs to be corrected for the application to be processed. If your application has more than one mistake, up to a month can be added to the processing time each time the application is returned. However, if your application has been returned, this means that a CIC officer is assigned to your file and you do not have to start from the beginning again.
• Proof of Urgency. This must be in the form of a travel itinerary or ticket on a commercial carrier for which at least partial payment has been made.
• I can’t wait 3 weeks before traveling More info>>

If you need to travel before your PR Card can be issued, you must apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document at the nearest Canadian Diplomatic Mission (Canadian Consulate, Embassy, or High Commission).

• Please remember the following:
• Have the Travel Document application filled out correctly before you leave.
• Have all necessary supporting documents. Document check list for Travel Document application
• Before leaving Canada, find out which Canadian Diplomatic Mission is responsible for the country you are travelling to. NOTE: Not all Canadian Diplomatic Missions issue Travel Documents. Diplomatic Missions are very busy, and it is always safer (and sometimes faster) to take your application in person rather than mailing your personal documents to them. Reasons not to mail your application include: potential loss of personal documents, difficulty in communicating with the Diplomatic Mission, and lack of options to check the status of your application.
• If you don’t have a choice and you must mail your application then follow these guidelines:
• Research the nearest Canadian Diplomatic Mission to your travel destination before sending your application
• Determine how you are allowed to check the status of your application (phone, fax, email)
• Just because it’s written on the website does not make it so: confirm everything by phone.
• Give yourself ample time for this process.
• Did you know? Immigroup can be your representative and communicate with the Canadian Diplomatic Mission on your behalf as well as review your application before you go. Click here if you need our assistance with the Travel Document process.