# Expired PR Card



## bobsupp (Mar 12, 2012)

Hi All,

I am British. I have a PR Card for residence in Canada. It is about to expire.

I lived in Canada for around 5.5 years and 4 years of that I held the PR status. I've been away from Canada for one year and am now planning to return to Canada.

My flight to Canada is on June 21st, this year. My PR card will expire June 14th, this year.

I had several phone conversations with the Canadian Embassy in London, UK about this and it appeared that I had to get a Travel Document to cover the fact that the card had expired.

I took a day off work. I spent a lot of money to travel to London. I went into the office and presented a stack of documents that I had confirmed would be enough and after much discussion the six different staff at the Embassy all told me that I didn't need one because I was British.

I argued that I had been told that I did need one and that I had come along way etc., but the supervisor said that I don't need one and then I left.

So, now I'm sitting here without a Travel Document and the stress level has just gone through the roof. 

What should I expect when I get to the airport now that I don't have a valid PR card or a Travel Document?

Should the Canadian Embassy in London be trusted on this or do I need to take it any further?

As I am British, can I simply travel to Canada (with only a one way ticket) and renew my PR card when I get there and expect no trouble?

I'm grateful for all advice and would be especially thankful if you could indicate in your answers if you know-for-a-fact or simply believe what you suggest.

Thank you everyone.

BobSupp


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## RhychelleW (Jan 25, 2013)

That sounds terribly confusing and frustrating. It would be good if you could you get that in writing from them so when you do land you have proof you at least tried to attain, but was not provided, a travel document?


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## Liam(at)Large (Sep 2, 2012)

Won't be an issue. They will shepherd you to immigration on arrival (with all your documents), give you a piece of paper and tell you to get it renewed sooner, rather than later.


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## thinkering (Apr 24, 2013)

This is super interesting. I hope they did not misinterpret your inquiry thinking you are seeking temporary entry into Canada instead of arriving as a permanent resident.

If London is not willing to issue a travel document, try get it in writing as the poster above suggested to explain your missing document - the CIC team upon arrival in Canada may have a different opinion.

Keep in mind that you don't lose PR status when your card expires, that is simply proof of your PR status. You have PR status until that is formally taken away from you. From what you've shared, you also continued to meet residency requirement, so no big issues there. Worst case in this scenario, from what I've heard, is that if CBSA/CIC at the airport don't believe you have maintained PR residency requirements, then they still need to let you in; however, setup an immigration appointment/hearing for you so that they can consider taking your status away.

I think Section 11.3 of the CIC Enforcement Operational Manual is helpful in your case (quoted for your reference below):

*11.3. Establishing permanent resident status without documents*
BSOs at ports of entry have the discretion to authorize the entry of permanent residents, even in the absence of documentation. If documentary evidence is not available, the BSO at Immigration Secondary must establish the person’s permanent resident status through questioning and checking the person’s status in FOSS. The status of persons who became permanent residents before 1973 has to be verified by contacting the Query Response Centre at National Headquarters at: [email protected]. Once a BSO is satisfied that a person is a permanent resident, the examination should be concluded and the person should be allowed to enter Canada without delay.

So in theory, if London is unwilling to determine your PR status, the BSO will need to do that upon arrival in Canada.

*Funny Fact*
Permanent residents only need to carry their PR card with them if using commercial transport to re-enter Canada. You can re-enter Canada without a PR card by walking across a land border or being driven in a personal vehicle across a land border. I read this in the regulations somewhere, and tested it just for fun a few years back. I was asked for my PR card, stated that I did not have it as I was not travelling on a commercial carrier, and the officer grinned and let me through without any additional questions.


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