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History of the Canadian Permanent Resident Card

The Canadian Permanent Resident Card became the legal proof of status document required for Canadian Permanents Residents to re-enter Canada on any commercial carrier (i.e. airplanes, boats, trains or buses) on December 31, 2003. The PR Card was created as a replacement for the IMM 1000 Record of Landing Document previously issued to new permanent residents of Canada upon arrival.
The Canadian Permanent Resident card was introduced in an effort to increase Canadian border security. The card has many added security features and is designed to provide Permanent Residents of Canada with a more secure, convenient means of proving their status.

The PR Card is designed to protect the privacy of the cardholder as well as being more difficult to tamper and duplicate illegally. Security features include:

• Only non-secure personal information is printed on the card. Personal information that was previously included on the IMM 1000 Record of Landing document, or the Confirmation of Permanent Residence document, is encoded on the card and available only to authorized officials.
• The photograph and signature of the PR Card’s holder is laser engraved in the card.
• Security features aimed at preventing duplication and tampering include ultra-violet images, tactile lettering and micro-text printing.

Canadian Permanent Residents who do not have a PR Card, are outside of Canada and wish to return via commercial carrier must contact there nearest Canadian visa office to apply for a limited use travel document.



What is a Canadian Permanent Resident card and why do I need one?

The Canadian Permanent Resident Card, or PR Card, is the proof of status card required for permanent residents, including children, who wish to re-enter Canada on a commercial carrier - meaning a bus, boat, train or airplane. PR Cards wallet sized plastic cards that are issued to all newly arrived Canadian immigrants as part of the immigration process.
Once the information and photograph on your Confirmation of Permanent Residence document have been verified, Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) will send your Canadian Permanent Resident card in the mail. If you did not provide a mailing address at the time of entry it is best to do so as quickly as possible. This can be done through the Citizenship and Immigration Canada website or by calling Immigroup.

Canadian Permanent Residents who attained status before June 28, 2002 will require a PR Card should they wish to travel and return to Canada via commercial carrier.