Expired PR card

[samira702]

We recieved our Pr cards in July 2002 and after recieving them we returned back to our country. I never went back to Canada and so my PR cards and all other cards expired in July 2007. Now we would like to know what should I do now to return to Canada.
thanks

[PMM]

Hi

We recieved our Pr cards in July 2002 and after recieving them we returned back to our country. I never went back to Canada and so my PR cards and all other cards expired in July 2007. Now we would like to know what should I do now to return to Canada.
thanks

Re-apply if you qualify.  www.cic.gc.ca

PMM

[Leon]

Yes, re-apply.  To keep your PR status, you would have needed to reside in Canada for at least 2 out of any 5 years.

[toby]

For clarity, I take it that someone can be a permanent resident even after the PR card has  expired.

So, in this case, IF the person could somehow get into Canada, maybe as a tourist, then stay the required 2 years of residence during the ensuing 5 years, then he could "restore" his PR status and apply for another PR card.

Is this correct? Or would this person be considered to have entered Canada under false pretences, as a tourist when he really was a lapsed permanent resident, intending to overstay his tourist visa in order to reinstate permanent residence?

All this ignores a vital issue here: why would someone obtain permanent residence only to immediately leave Canada, knowing the PR would lapse?

[Leon]

Entering as a tourist when you are really a PR would be misrepresentation.  That doesn't mean that somebody might not get away with it.  There are people who get away with all kinds of things and others who get caught.

People apply for PR for different reasons.  Maybe they wanted to immigrate to Canada but by the time their number comes up, they have something else going on.  Maybe they didn't apply themselves but went in on their parents application.  Maybe they are in the US hoping for a green card and decided to apply for PR as insurance in case their work visa is cancelled before the green card comes through.

When somebody gets the PR, they might have a good job somewhere or they are studying and they are not ready to move right away.  Time flies and before they know it, it's already 3 years since they landed and their PR is gone.  Some people also don't know about the residency requirements and just think that as long as they go to Canada before their PR card expires, they are ok to renew it.