PR card stolen + COPR lost

[hpark3]

Hi,

My car was broken into yesterday and my wallet with my PR card in it got stolen.
I have a trip planned to the states (October 12-19, Vegas - LA) and I applied for a new PR card today.

Here is my situation:

- PR was newly issued in July 2019
- CoPR paper is lost
- copy of my the PR card is with my previous employer (in the process of retrieving it)
- New card application was submitted with 'Urgent' sign on it
- I have the provincial driver's license
- I have a Korean passport (visa-exempt)

if anyone could spare some time to answer my questions below, that would be greatly appreciated (I am extremely stressed and frustrated with the whole situation...

1. PR card processing time says 21 days - is there any possibility of them getting it processed any earlier than that if I marked it 'urgent'?

2. Does anybody have experience with getting the temporary travel document at the LA office? I only get the generic information from them and when I called, it was all automated voice.

3. I know if I don't have an actual PR card with me, I won't be able to board. So.. I am going to rent a car and drive from Seattle to Abbotsford. I called the border office and they couldn't give me a clear answer as to what I need to bring and if I will be able to enter Canada. Does anybody have any experience to share or knowledge?

Here is the website that says I don't need PR card if I enter by land:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=064

Does anybody know who got rejected to enter Canada in this situation? (I read some stories where ppl with expired PR status was rejected to enter Canada but I am not sure if that is appliable to me)

Thank you all for your time and help!!!!!!!

 

[dpenabill]

The land border crossing option should work. Your passport plus provincial drivers license should suffice. It is possible you will be referred to Secondary at the PoE but that should be no big deal. Primary check will be to verify your identity. For that purpose, your passport plus drivers license should easily suffice (passport alone will suffice in most cases). Once they have verified your identity, it is usually easy (with some exceptions) for them to verify your PR status. That should suffice. May take a bit longer for some than others. So allow that the crossing may take a little longer than usual.

Beyond that, there is a small risk they will be more cautious and thorough. If you want to carry some additional documents which might help, any documents with your IRCC client identification number, even if it is just an old communication from IRCC, that might be some insurance if you are one of the few for whom it is not immediately easy to verify status. Having your provincial health card could help.

Mostly you may need to be patient while they do what they do to verify your identity and status. Once they verify your status they will allow you to enter Canada.


Beyond that:

I have no experience regarding the LA office and have seen little reliable reporting about dealing with that office.

In reference to the PR card processing time: the current processing time is amazingly fast compared to historical norms. The routine processing time currently is faster than many reports about urgent processing timelines in the past. I do not know how the urgent processing request will affect the timeline for any particular individual, even assuming IRCC does expedite the application. All that said, in conjunction with no guarantees the application will be processed within the current routine timeline scheduled, and no guarantee that even if the process is expedited a new card would be delivered in time for your trip, the practical options are limited: cancel; reschedule; or, as you contemplate, plan travel to accommodate a land border crossing. (PR TD might be an option but here too the timeline offers little hope let alone promise that will meet your needs.)

Hi,

My car was broken into yesterday and my wallet with my PR card in it got stolen.
I have a trip planned to the states (October 12-19, Vegas - LA) and I applied for a new PR card today.

Here is my situation:

- PR was newly issued in July 2019
- CoPR paper is lost
- copy of my the PR card is with my previous employer (in the process of retrieving it)
- New card application was submitted with 'Urgent' sign on it
- I have the provincial driver's license
- I have a Korean passport (visa-exempt)

if anyone could spare some time to answer my questions below, that would be greatly appreciated (I am extremely stressed and frustrated with the whole situation...

1. PR card processing time says 21 days - is there any possibility of them getting it processed any earlier than that if I marked it 'urgent'?

2. Does anybody have experience with getting the temporary travel document at the LA office? I only get the generic information from them and when I called, it was all automated voice.

3. I know if I don't have an actual PR card with me, I won't be able to board. So.. I am going to rent a car and drive from Seattle to Abbotsford. I called the border office and they couldn't give me a clear answer as to what I need to bring and if I will be able to enter Canada. Does anybody have any experience to share or knowledge?

Here is the website that says I don't need PR card if I enter by land:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=064

Does anybody know who got rejected to enter Canada in this situation? (I read some stories where ppl with expired PR status was rejected to enter Canada but I am not sure if that is appliable to me)

Thank you all for your time and help!!!!!!!

 

[hpark3]

The land border crossing option should work. Your passport plus provincial drivers license should suffice. It is possible you will be referred to Secondary at the PoE but that should be no big deal. Primary check will be to verify your identity. For that purpose, your passport plus drivers license should easily suffice (passport alone will suffice in most cases). Once they have verified your identity, it is usually easy (with some exceptions) for them to verify your PR status. That should suffice. May take a bit longer for some than others. So allow that the crossing may take a little longer than usual.

Beyond that, there is a small risk they will be more cautious and thorough. If you want to carry some additional documents which might help, any documents with your IRCC client identification number, even if it is just an old communication from IRCC, that might be some insurance if you are one of the few for whom it is not immediately easy to verify status. Having your provincial health card could help.

Mostly you may need to be patient while they do what they do to verify your identity and status. Once they verify your status they will allow you to enter Canada.


Beyond that:

I have no experience regarding the LA office and have seen little reliable reporting about dealing with that office.

In reference to the PR card processing time: the current processing time is amazingly fast compared to historical norms. The routine processing time currently is faster than many reports about urgent processing timelines in the past. I do not know how the urgent processing request will affect the timeline for any particular individual, even assuming IRCC does expedite the application. All that said, in conjunction with no guarantees the application will be processed within the current routine timeline scheduled, and no guarantee that even if the process is expedited a new card would be delivered in time for your trip, the practical options are limited: cancel; reschedule; or, as you contemplate, plan travel to accommodate a land border crossing. (PR TD might be an option but here too the timeline offers little hope let alone promise that will meet your needs.)

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer my question!!! this helps a lot
I just talk to the IRCC agent and they said it's all up to the officer.. and I also found this..

Permanent residents outside Canada

If you are a permanent resident outside Canada and you are planning on returning to Canada:

• On a commercial carrier (plane, boat, train or bus):
  • please make sure to have a valid Permanent Resident card (PR card) in your possession,
• Aboard a private vehicle:
  • it is not necessary to have the PR card with you,
  • you can use one of the following immigration documents:
    • Record of Landing (IMM 1000), or
    • Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292 or IMM 5688)

I am still a little nervous because I don't have those immigration documents with me .. and it's a huge trouble if I get rejected at the border..
Does anybody know any case where ppl get rejected to re-enter?

 

[dpenabill]

Does anybody know any case where ppl get rejected to re-enter?

Unless there is some reason why border officials might question the genuineness, the authenticity, of your passport or have reason to suspect some kind of fraud (such as you are not the one who was granted PR status), a returning PR is NOT likely to encounter much if any challenge at the border, let alone risk being denied, when the PR presents a passport plus provincial drivers license.

PRs are statutorily entitled to enter Canada. If a border official is aware the traveler is a Canadian PR, the border official cannot deny entry. And will not.

Passport plus Canadian provincial drivers license should be enough. Probably a good idea to have a copy of the police report regarding the lost PR card. Beyond that, additional documents like health card, correspondence from IRCC with the individual's client number, paperwork showing name and Canadian address, even a copy of the application submitted for a new PR card, which includes the statement as to loss of the PR card, any of these could help if the border officials are skeptical or suspicious (which is NOT likely unless there is something indicating reason to be suspicious).

The documents referenced are the preferred documents for supporting a claim that an individual is a Canadian PR. But again, just your passport should readily facilitate confirming your status in the system . . . so unless there is a concern about your identity or fraud, the odds are very good there will be NO problem or, at most (with exceptions if fraud is suspected), some questions in Secondary and a wait while they do what they do to confirm identity and status.


More Explanation:

Lots of people are not allowed entry at a PoE . . . they are all Foreign Nationals (FNs) not Canadians.

Canadians are entitled to enter Canada. Canadian citizens have a Charter right to enter Canada. Canadian Permanent Residents have a statutory entitlement to enter Canada, which most in law refer to as a privilege but is known more generally as a "right" to enter, albeit it is a statutory right rather than a Charter right. (Reminder: In Canadian immigration law, Canadian PRs are Canadians, NOT FNs.)

Those denied entry into Canada are Foreign Nationals

-- who are inadmissible (for various reasons), or
-- who do not have authorization to enter Canada and the border officials do not give them authorization to enter (sometimes this decision is discretionary, but some types of authorization cannot be granted at a PoE), or
-- who are otherwise NOT allowed entry in the discretion of the PoE officials (for example, border official apprehends the FN is coming to Canada to work without authorization to work, or the FN does not have sufficient funds, or the FN appears likely to overstay, or the FN is perceived to be acting contrary to Canada's immigration laws, which includes making misrepresentations)​

That is, a Canadian PR must be allowed to enter Canada. Border officials do not have discretion to deny entry.

The trick, to the extent there is a trick, is that the burden of proving both identity and status is on the Canadian. Just showing up at a land crossing PoE and claiming to be Canadian does not necessarily mean the border officials will conclude the individual is a Canadian (citizen or PR). So, sure, it is possible for a Canadian to apply for entry at a PoE (this application is made just by approaching the Primary Inspection Line at a PoE) and be denied entry . . . BUT only if the PoE officials conclude the individual is NOT a Canadian (not a citizen and not a PR).

Positively establishing identity will usually be enough, and perhaps this is more true for a PR than some citizens since ALL PRs are in the GCMS system and have an immigration client number (Canadians by birth in Canada or by descent may not be in the system until there is some transaction in which they become a "client"). In most circumstances a PR's passport is directly linked, in GCMS, to the individual's GCMS records, and those records will confirm PR status.

So the only practical potential for a problem is if there is some reason to doubt the traveler is who he claims to be. You almost certainly are aware of any such possibility if there is one.


All that said, some people opt to avoid even small risks; I know Americans who are Canadian PRs, who, unlike other PRs, can board a flight to Canada without presenting a PR card, who nonetheless cancelled trips rather than travel abroad without a valid PR card. Some people need more assurance, guarantees even, and will elect to not take even a small risk of problems. Many others will confidently navigate some risks, prepared for this or that contingency.

So what option you exercise, whether to cancel, reschedule, or plan return trip via a land crossing, is YOUR PERSONAL decision.

Odds are very good, or VERY, VERY GOOD, there will be no problem if you have in hand, arriving at the PoE, your passport plus provincial drivers' license, and especially if you also have a copy of the application for a new card together with a copy of the police report. So long as there has not been anything fishy going on relative to your PR card or status in Canada.