Demonstrating residency obligation AFTER returning to Canada

[jhoyland]

Sorry for the long story: I received PR status in 2004 and got a PR card, from 2009 I was living outside Canada (in Denmark) with my Canadian wife and our children during which time my PR card expired. I have now returned to work - to do so I applied for a PR travel document through the Canadian High Commission in London. To do so I had to demonstrate I met the residency obligation which I did through living with my Canadian wife in Denmark the whole time. I recieved this document (actually a stamp in my passport) and returned to Canada. Now I need to apply for a new card. The guide for IMM5444 suggests I need to AGAIN prove the residency obligation providing supplementary information - is this really the case? Since I needed to prove it to get the travel document to get back here in the first place or does the CIC in Nova Scotia just not trust a document issued by the Canadian High Commission in London? I'm going to assume this is the case and I need to prove it again but my main question is:
I have to send my WIFE's passports (current and expired) our marriage certificate and proof that we lived together for the period in question (just as I did 2 months ago to get the travel document) - do these really need to be originals. If so that's a pain as my wife is still in Denmark and wont be joining me until June so she has to send her passport to me for me to send it to Nova Scotia and then I need to send it back again to her in Denmark for her to be able to travel back here to Canada. Is this really the case or can use copies?

Sorry again for the long question!

James

 

[MarioYYZ]

Never ever send original passports. Copies will do (preferably colored, and translated if not in English/French). However, if they ask you to pick your cards up at a local office, they may ask to see the original documentation for verification.