What to do about ----- PR card collection?

[vanlover]

I understand that you have 1 yr to land in Canada after the medical. In addition, it takes about a month to receive the PR card once you are in Canada. Where to do stay if you have no friends in Canada? If you are only there to collect the PR card and then return to your country of origin because you don't want to move to Canada yet. What if you have work commitments and can only visit Canada for 2 weeks, can you ask them to send the PR card to your country ?http://[flash=200,200] :)[/flash]

[PMM]

Hi

I understand that you have 1 yr to land in Canada after the medical. In addition, it takes about a month to receive the PR card once you are in Canada. Where to do stay if you have no friends in Canada? If you are only there to collect the PR card and then return to your country of origin because you don't want to move to Canada yet. What if you have work commitments and can only visit Canada for 2 weeks, can you ask them to send the PR card to your country ?http://[flash=200,200] :)[/flash]

1.  If you don't have a friend, then you have to give CIC an address in Canada within a 180 days.  If you don't then, then you have to apply for a new PR card and pay the fee of $50.00.
2.  They won't send them outside Canada or to PO Box.

[Leon]

I have heard someone say that a P.O. Box was accepted in his case.  Otherwise, I have heard that you could arrange a street address with UPS and have them forward your mail to your address in home country.  However, immigration would prefer that you use your real address in Canada to minimize the possibility of your PR card getting lost.

If you don't have an address, it is not a problem.  Just tell them when you land that you are only staying for 2 weeks and to please hold your card.  When you are ready to return to Canada to stay, if you are visa exempt to Canada, you can go with your passport and landing papers and if you need a visa, you apply for a PR travel document at the Canadian embassy where you live.

Once you are in Canada to stay and have an address, if it is 6 months or less since you landed, you can contact CIC, tell them to send your PR card and they will.  If it is more, like PMM said, fill out an application for a card, pay $50, get new photos and send it in but in that case, they will not mail it, they will make you pick it up at their local office and it will take a bit longer.

[vanlover]

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If you don't have an address, it is not a problem.  Just tell them when you land that you are only staying for 2 weeks and to please hold your card.  When you are ready to return to Canada to stay, if you are visa exempt to Canada, you can go with your passport and landing papers and if you need a visa, you apply for a PR travel document at the Canadian embassy where you live.

Thanks Leon. Knowing this has put my mind at ease. We all have work commitments or others to complete that require time to do before the big move to Canada. Have you encountered this situation yourself? How long can you put the card on hold? 

[Leon]

Thanks Leon. Knowing this has put my mind at ease. We all have work commitments or others to complete that require time to do before the big move to Canada. Have you encountered this situation yourself? How long can you put the card on hold? 

If you don't want to have to apply for it and wait for months and have to pick it up, you can put it on hold for up to 6 months.

Once you come back to Canada to stay and inform immigration that you now have an address, if it is less than 6 months since you landed, they will mail the PR card to you same as for any new PR.  It currently takes 37 business days or about 7 weeks, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

If it is more than 6 months, you have lost your chance at the first free PR card and so you will have to fill out an application, see http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/prcard.asp, pay $50, get new photos and apply to get a PR card.  This application will then go the same route as a PR card renewal, the processing time is much longer, about 5 months now and you will have to pick this card up in person at the local CIC office where you live when it is ready.  This you can do as long as you still meet the residency requirements, that is as long as you have not spent 1095 days or more outside Canada since you landed as a PR.