YVR Landing as PR without meeting Residency Obligation 730 days

[Buletruck]

Got it. My card has expired and I haven’t met my RO. So what are the chances of being reported at the land border at this point?

The most responsible answer I can give to that is: it depends on the CBSA officer you encounter. There seems to be a lot of latitude in their discretion. A lot will depend on how far out of compliance you are and whether you have H&C reasons for not meeting RO. Despite what many here will tell you, pretty much everything you can present for H&C, they have to consider it. It may not be great reason(s), but it's all applicable. When you make your entry, be prepared in advance. Documents, timelines, etc. showing up and throwing out a net hoping to catch a break won't work well. Have a plan.

And for god sake, only answer exactly what you are asked. Don't expand, no flowery stories....exactly what they ask and nothing more.

 

[Buletruck]

I don't think anyone has precise numbers, but if you are ok with a very rough ballpark figure, consider it 50/50.

I was somehow under the impression though that if in the end the final determination goes your way, and it's decided to allow you to retain PR (based on H&C or whatever reason), then those days will retroactively count after that decision is handed down.

That's correct. They are allowed in that decision. But during the appeal, days are suspended until the decision is made.

 

[canuck78]

The most responsible answer I can give to that is: it depends on the CBSA officer you encounter. There seems to be a lot of latitude in their discretion. A lot will depend on how far out of compliance you are and whether you have H&C reasons for not meeting RO. Despite what many here will tell you, pretty much everything you can present for H&C, they have to consider it. It may not be great reason(s), but it's all applicable. When you make your entry, be prepared in advance. Documents, timelines, etc. showing up and throwing out a net hoping to catch a break won't work well. Have a plan.

And for god sake, only answer exactly what you are asked. Don't expand, no flowery stories....exactly what they ask and nothing more.

Also tough to predict because anecdotally there does appear to be more people being reported under this governent versus the last.

 

[Vinu Ku]

Hello everyone,

I would appreciate your advice regarding my Canadian PR status and whether I have any options based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds.

Here is my timeline:

• I became a Canadian Permanent Resident in 2021.
• I landed in Canada in 2021, stayed for about 2 months, received my PR card, and then returned to India.
• The reason I returned was because my mother was seriously ill. She had suffered a brain stroke in 2016, developed Parkinson's disease, and became completely bedridden. I was her primary caregiver.
• During this period, I was not working because I was taking care of my mother full-time.
• Around the same time, my wife received a job opportunity in Germany and moved there. She became the only earning member of our family, while I remained in India to care for my mother. Occasionally, I visited Germany to maintain my dependent residence status, but I spent most of my time in India with my mother.
• In 2023, I returned to Canada and stayed for approximately 6 months in Toronto. During that time, I worked for about 3 months on a contract position.
• I left Canada again at the end of December 2023 to return to India because my mother still required my care.
• In mid-2024, I travelled to Germany to stay with my wife for some time.
• Sadly, my mother passed away in 2025.
• After her passing, I planned to return to Canada permanently. However, we then found out that my wife was pregnant, so I postponed my plans once again to support her during the pregnancy.

My PR card is now due to expire in October 2026, and I understand that I have not met the 730-day residency obligation.

I have extensive evidence to support my circumstances, including:

• Medical records
• Hospital documents
• Parkinson's diagnosis
• Stroke-related records
• Other documents showing that I was my mother's primary caregiver

My questions are:

1. Do I have any realistic chance of keeping my PR status based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) considerations?
2. Can I proactively write to IRCC explaining my circumstances before my PR card expires?
3. Does IRCC ever grant relief or allow PR renewal in situations like mine?
4. Would it be better to travel to Canada before my PR card expires and apply for renewal from within Canada, or is there another strategy that would give me the best chance of keeping my PR?
5. Has anyone here successfully renewed PR after failing to meet the residency obligation due to caring for a seriously ill parent?

Becoming a Canadian permanent resident was a goal that took years of hard work. I never intended to abandon Canada permanently. My absences were entirely due to exceptional family circumstances, first because I was the sole caregiver for my bedridden mother, and later because of my family's situation in Germany.

I would sincerely appreciate any advice or experiences from members who have dealt with similar situations.

Thank you.

 

[canuck78]

Hello everyone,

I would appreciate your advice regarding my Canadian PR status and whether I have any options based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds.

Here is my timeline:

• I became a Canadian Permanent Resident in 2021.
• I landed in Canada in 2021, stayed for about 2 months, received my PR card, and then returned to India.
• The reason I returned was because my mother was seriously ill. She had suffered a brain stroke in 2016, developed Parkinson's disease, and became completely bedridden. I was her primary caregiver.
• During this period, I was not working because I was taking care of my mother full-time.
• Around the same time, my wife received a job opportunity in Germany and moved there. She became the only earning member of our family, while I remained in India to care for my mother. Occasionally, I visited Germany to maintain my dependent residence status, but I spent most of my time in India with my mother.
• In 2023, I returned to Canada and stayed for approximately 6 months in Toronto. During that time, I worked for about 3 months on a contract position.
• I left Canada again at the end of December 2023 to return to India because my mother still required my care.
• In mid-2024, I travelled to Germany to stay with my wife for some time.
• Sadly, my mother passed away in 2025.
• After her passing, I planned to return to Canada permanently. However, we then found out that my wife was pregnant, so I postponed my plans once again to support her during the pregnancy.

My PR card is now due to expire in October 2026, and I understand that I have not met the 730-day residency obligation.

I have extensive evidence to support my circumstances, including:

• Medical records
• Hospital documents
• Parkinson's diagnosis
• Stroke-related records
• Other documents showing that I was my mother's primary caregiver

My questions are:

1. Do I have any realistic chance of keeping my PR status based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) considerations?
2. Can I proactively write to IRCC explaining my circumstances before my PR card expires?
3. Does IRCC ever grant relief or allow PR renewal in situations like mine?
4. Would it be better to travel to Canada before my PR card expires and apply for renewal from within Canada, or is there another strategy that would give me the best chance of keeping my PR?
5. Has anyone here successfully renewed PR after failing to meet the residency obligation due to caring for a seriously ill parent?

Becoming a Canadian permanent resident was a goal that took years of hard work. I never intended to abandon Canada permanently. My absences were entirely due to exceptional family circumstances, first because I was the sole caregiver for my bedridden mother, and later because of my family's situation in Germany.

I would sincerely appreciate any advice or experiences from members who have dealt with similar situations.

Thank you.

Extremely hard to predict if you’re going to be reported when you land. You should land before your PR card expires. If you’re not reported the best way to keep your PR would be to not leave for two years and stay off IRCC’s radar. The big issue is you now have a family who don’t have status. Your other option is to try to apply for a PR card renewal with H&C factors. That still may take around a year and hard to predict the results. I would speak to a lawyer. Also hard to comment without knowing how much time you spent in Germany.

 

[Vinu Ku]

Extremely hard to predict if you’re going to be reported when you land. You should land before your PR card expires. If you’re not reported the best way to keep your PR would be to not leave for two years and stay off IRCC’s radar. The big issue is you now have a family who don’t have status. Your other option is to try to apply for a PR card renewal with H&C factors. That still may take around a year and hard to predict the results. I would speak to a lawyer. Also hard to comment without knowing how much time you spent in Germany.

Thanks for you advice Canuck78. I am still not sure, I approached the one IRCC consultant and she told me to take my case to IRCC but chances of PR renewal is very less. what you suggest shall i send mail to IRCC first or directly look for any lawyer?

 

[canuck78]

Thanks for you advice Canuck78. I am still not sure, I approached the one IRCC consultant and she told me to take my case to IRCC but chances of PR renewal is very less. what you suggest shall i send mail to IRCC first or directly look for any lawyer?

Would work with a lawyer. Nobody can predict whether you will be reported when you enter Canada. You’d only be able to apply for PR card renewal based on H&C in Canada and you should remain in Canada during processing. How much time did you spend in Germany? Whether you can remain separated from your family also needs to be a consideration when you decide what you want to do.

 

[abff08f4813c]

I approached the one IRCC consultant and she told me to take my case to IRCC but chances of PR renewal is very less. what you suggest shall i send mail to IRCC first or directly look for any lawyer?

I agree with the response that you'll have the best possible chance working with a lawyer, but I also understand the consultant's pessimism here. There are a handful of things about the timeline which seem to make for less than the strongest possible case for H&C, though of course there may be a way to overcome each one of these.

Here is my timeline:

• I became a Canadian Permanent Resident in 2021.
• I landed in Canada in 2021, stayed for about 2 months, received my PR card, and then returned to India.
• The reason I returned was because my mother was seriously ill. She had suffered a brain stroke in 2016, developed Parkinson's disease, and became completely bedridden. I was her primary caregiver.

So the medical issues with your mother started in 2016, but you became a PR in 2021? Why did you start the PR process so late instead of starting earlier back in 2016? (Potential response: You did, and have some documents that you collected in late 2015 or so, before your mom's stroke interrupted the process before you could formally launch the application with IRCC.)

Why did you not wait for a resolution on your mom's part before starting the PR process? (Potential response: You feared aging out and so wanted to apply before it was too late, and you had tried to apply during a period where things seemed to have settled down and additional help was available.)

• Around the same time, my wife received a job opportunity in Germany and moved there. She became the only earning member of our family, while I remained in India to care for my mother.

Why this arrangement? Was your wife caring for your mother during your PR application process? Why not have you come to Canada and earn a living here and sending money back to your wife and mother? (Potential response: The wife was indeed caring for the mother during the PR application process and the original plan was for you to immigrate as a PR to Canada and stay while your wife cared for your mother back home, until the mother either recovered or the unfortunate thing happened. After this, you would sponsor your wife for PR to come join you in Canada.)

• Occasionally, I visited Germany to maintain my dependent residence status, but I spent most of my time in India with my mother.
• In mid-2024, I travelled to Germany to stay with my wife for some time.

Who took care of your mother while you were in Germany? Why couldn't this person take care of your mother the entire time, allowing you to live in India? Were you the only person available to take care of your mother? (Potential response: With your wife in Germany, you were the only person available to take care of your mother the entire time. When you visited Germany, you placed your mother into an institutional care centre, but the expense of this was such that you could only afford it for short period of times, not the multi-year long duration required to maintain PR in Canada.)
(Alternate potential response: You took care of a neighbour's relative at the same time you watched over your mother. When you visited Germany, you were lucky as that neighbour was able to look over their relative and your mother when you were gone, but this neighbour simply was not available to watch over anyone on a full-time or permanent basis.)

• In 2023, I returned to Canada and stayed for approximately 6 months in Toronto. During that time, I worked for about 3 months on a contract position.
• I left Canada again at the end of December 2023 to return to India because my mother still required my care.

What happened in 2023 that you were able to leave your mother behind for six months? Who cared for her in your absence, and why couldn't that person look over your mother for the remaining years? (Potential response: Your wife got a few months of leave from her role in Germany during this time, allowing her to return and watch over your mother while you came to Canada.)

(Alternative potential response: You got the job offer in Canada, and the combination of funds from your Canadian contract and your wife's German job allowed you to hire a professional caretaker for your mother during the duration of your Canadian stay. But since you lost your Canadian contract, you held on as long as you could have, but had to return to take care of your mother personally when the funds for the professional caretaker ran out.)

• Sadly, my mother passed away in 2025.
• After her passing, I planned to return to Canada permanently. However, we then found out that my wife was pregnant, so I postponed my plans once again to support her during the pregnancy.

This might be the hardest one. A lot of single women are able to get through a pregnancy without any family support. I completely understand that it may be against your culture (and rightfully so), but - culture does not make for an H&C. You will be asked why you specifically had to go support your wife, why no one else was available, and why she could not come with you to Canada during this time instead of vice versa (you going to Germany to be with her). (Potential response: your wife knew no one in Germany who was willing to help her despite her years in Germany - Europe is sort of famous for being more aloof socially and being harder to make friends than say, in North America - and your mother's situation caused your savings were depleted, meaning that it was not possible to walk away from your wife's income and benefits at that time.)

My questions are:

1. Do I have any realistic chance of keeping my PR status based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) considerations?
2. Can I proactively write to IRCC explaining my circumstances before my PR card expires?
3. Does IRCC ever grant relief or allow PR renewal in situations like mine?
4. Would it be better to travel to Canada before my PR card expires and apply for renewal from within Canada, or is there another strategy that would give me the best chance of keeping my PR?
5. Has anyone here successfully renewed PR after failing to meet the residency obligation due to caring for a seriously ill parent?

1 - Again would defer to the consultant you have already seen, the lawyer you will see, and what the other forum member already posted.
2 - Not sure this is advisable - typically you prepare the documents but only show when asked. Would double check this point with the lawyer.
3 - See the answer to 5.
4 - Agree with the other poster, traveling before expiry is best. Otherwise, you'd have to apply for a PRTD from abroad where the odds go against you significantly more. Worst case scenario, would it be an option to start over from scratch with PR and immigrate afresh as an economic migrant again?
5 - Success stories of a similar nature have been reported on this forum before, see for example https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...-for-senior-h-c-reasons.828318/#post-11008796 - but H&C is so variable that it can sometimes be hard to draw conclusions from others' cases.

Edit: Final thing I'd add - if you manage to find and work with an experienced lawyer who is experienced with H&C PR cases, go with that lawyer's advice, even if it seems to contradict something I wrote here. I'm just an intelligent layman, but that's nothing compared to someone who's taken on and won against IRCC before.

 

[canuck78]

I agree with the response that you'll have the best possible chance working with a lawyer, but I also understand the consultant's pessimism here. There are a handful of things about the timeline which seem to make for less than the strongest possible case for H&C, though of course there may be a way to overcome each one of these.

So the medical issues with your mother started in 2016, but you became a PR in 2021? Why did you start the PR process so late instead of starting earlier back in 2016? (Potential response: You did, and have some documents that you collected in late 2015 or so, before your mom's stroke interrupted the process before you could formally launch the application with IRCC.)

Why did you not wait for a resolution on your mom's part before starting the PR process? (Potential response: You feared aging out and so wanted to apply before it was too late, and you had tried to apply during a period where things seemed to have settled down and additional help was available.)

Why this arrangement? Was your wife caring for your mother during your PR application process? Why not have you come to Canada and earn a living here and sending money back to your wife and mother? (Potential response: The wife was indeed caring for the mother during the PR application process and the original plan was for you to immigrate as a PR to Canada and stay while your wife cared for your mother back home, until the mother either recovered or the unfortunate thing happened. After this, you would sponsor your wife for PR to come join you in Canada.)

Who took care of your mother while you were in Germany? Why couldn't this person take care of your mother the entire time, allowing you to live in India? Were you the only person available to take care of your mother? (Potential response: With your wife in Germany, you were the only person available to take care of your mother the entire time. When you visited Germany, you placed your mother into an institutional care centre, but the expense of this was such that you could only afford it for short period of times, not the multi-year long duration required to maintain PR in Canada.)
(Alternate potential response: You took care of a neighbour's relative at the same time you watched over your mother. When you visited Germany, you were lucky as that neighbour was able to look over their relative and your mother when you were gone, but this neighbour simply was not available to watch over anyone on a full-time or permanent basis.)

What happened in 2023 that you were able to leave your mother behind for six months? Who cared for her in your absence, and why couldn't that person look over your mother for the remaining years? (Potential response: Your wife got a few months of leave from her role in Germany during this time, allowing her to return and watch over your mother while you came to Canada.)

(Alternative potential response: You got the job offer in Canada, and the combination of funds from your Canadian contract and your wife's German job allowed you to hire a professional caretaker for your mother during the duration of your Canadian stay. But since you lost your Canadian contract, you held on as long as you could have, but had to return to take care of your mother personally when the funds for the professional caretaker ran out.)

This might be the hardest one. A lot of single women are able to get through a pregnancy without any family support. I completely understand that it may be against your culture (and rightfully so), but - culture does not make for an H&C. You will be asked why you specifically had to go support your wife, why no one else was available, and why she could not come with you to Canada during this time instead of vice versa (you going to Germany to be with her). (Potential response: your wife knew no one in Germany who was willing to help her despite her years in Germany - Europe is sort of famous for being more aloof socially and being harder to make friends than say, in North America - and your mother's situation caused your savings were depleted, meaning that it was not possible to walk away from your wife's income and benefits at that time.)


1 - Again would defer to the consultant you have already seen, the lawyer you will see, and what the other forum member already posted.
2 - Not sure this is advisable - typically you prepare the documents but only show when asked. Would double check this point with the lawyer.
3 - See the answer to 5.
4 - Agree with the other poster, traveling before expiry is best. Otherwise, you'd have to apply for a PRTD from abroad where the odds go against you significantly more. Worst case scenario, would it be an option to start over from scratch with PR and immigrate afresh as an economic migrant again?
5 - Success stories of a similar nature have been reported on this forum before, see for example https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...-for-senior-h-c-reasons.828318/#post-11008796 - but H&C is so variable that it can sometimes be hard to draw conclusions from others' cases.

Edit: Final thing I'd add - if you manage to find and work with an experienced lawyer who is experienced with H&C PR cases, go with that lawyer's advice, even if it seems to contradict something I wrote here. I'm just an intelligent layman, but that's nothing compared to someone who's taken on and won against IRCC before.

Think we should avoid giving people ideas of what they could potential use as reasons for their choices. We don’t have the full story and these reasons may also not be something that IRCC will accept as H&C reasons.