Asked to come pick up PR card in person
- Thread starter julies39
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salahuddin2
Full Member
- May 1, 2014
- 31
- 0
- Category........
- FSW
- NOC Code......
- 2133
- LANDED..........
- 18-09-2017
Hello all,
I have received letter from IRCC to collect PR card from Etobicoke on 10th Nov 2022. However I am outside Canada and cannot meet this deadline.
Please tell if some one was able to reshcule the appointement and how ? my case is H&C and not meeting the RO.. and have been asked to come in person inteview.
are there chances that i wont get a PR card ?
I have received letter from IRCC to collect PR card from Etobicoke on 10th Nov 2022. However I am outside Canada and cannot meet this deadline.
Please tell if some one was able to reshcule the appointement and how ? my case is H&C and not meeting the RO.. and have been asked to come in person inteview.
are there chances that i wont get a PR card ?
You are afraid of being reported, but yet you applied to get the PR card? Your case is H&C, so you should be applying for a PRTD from outside Canada. Once you have a PRTD, use it to enter Canada and you would have chances to get a PR card.
salahuddin2
Full Member
- May 1, 2014
- 31
- 0
- Category........
- FSW
- NOC Code......
- 2133
- LANDED..........
- 18-09-2017
salahuddin2
Full Member
- May 1, 2014
- 31
- 0
- Category........
- FSW
- NOC Code......
- 2133
- LANDED..........
- 18-09-2017
I am outside Canada and will be entering via USA land border.
The letter says that your PR card is generated however I will have to showcase all H&C documents and go through the interview. As i will be leaving behind my kids so I have to return in 2 days ..... the whole challenge is time... I have a time slot of just 2 days that i can spend in Canada for PR collection and then i have return to attend my kids.
So curious about the following:
1- If all goes good, will I be able to collect the PR the same day ?
2- If i do not showup; then will i be able to schedule the appointment with in 2-3 months (as PR will be destroyed after 180 days)
I doubt anyone can tell you for certain on either question. Yes, there is a possibility you will be given the card the same day, but not a guarantee. I have not seen any reports on how long it can take to reschedule an appointment.
You should know that I don't believe you are guaranteed to have no issues at the border, and that there is a high probability the officer interviewing you at the appointment will know about that entry (and whatever other notes an officer may put on your file).
Since they have gone to the trouble of schedulign an interview, they may find that (what seems to be) your lack of presence and settling in Canada, lack of ties and (evident) plan to depart again are not things that support a positive H&C determination. I've no idea what will actually happen though.
Hi all,
Asking for a friend here. She applied for her PR card renewal application in Sep 2025 and received the following reply from the officer after he asked whether she is in Canada or not and asked her travel history again:
Dear applicant,
Please be advised that since you are not physically present in Canada, I am not able to proceed with full assessment on your PR card renewal application.
Please note that IRCC Etobicoke is processing Permanent Resident card renewal applications only if client(s) are in Canada. If you are not in Canada, your card cannot be mailed to you or picked up by someone else on your behalf. It also cannot be issued overseas.
If you’re outside Canada and don’t have a valid PR card, you need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada.
You may apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) at the nearest Visa Application Centre or Canadian Visa Office. To find information on how to apply for a PRTD, go to:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...rvices/new-immigrants/pr-travel-document.html
Please submit your Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) application as quickly as possible, as processing times may be longer than expected, depending on the assigned visa office. Please await the PRTD final determination from the visa office before returning to Canada.
Your PR card will be held at the Etobicoke IRCC office for 180 days, as of the date of the First Notice Appointment Letter. As the letter indicates, if you do not visit the Etobicoke IRCC office within 180 days, your PR Card will be returned to PRC-Sydney and will be destroyed, pursuant to R58(3).
If you receive a PRTD determination after the 180 days has lapsed, you may need to submit a new application and associated fees to obtain a new PR Card. In this case, please verify - by emailing IRCC.HIOBDIODPRCD-DRPDONIDGOI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca if your PR card is still being held at Etobicoke IRCC or if has been retuned to PRC-Sydney so you can be informed on whether you may be required to re-apply for a new PR Card.
Should you have questions or need more information, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc.html, or you may call the IRCC National Call Centre 1-888-242-2100.
Thank you,
My questions are:
1. since she is outside of Canada right now and her current PR card is still valid until march 2026, she can travel with the same?
2. can she walk in at the Etobicoke IRCC office once she is here or she needs an appointment letter because she has just received email response and no letters from the officer?
3. does this mean that the officer wants to have a face to face interview with her?
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any replies will be appreciated.
Asking for a friend here. She applied for her PR card renewal application in Sep 2025 and received the following reply from the officer after he asked whether she is in Canada or not and asked her travel history again:
Dear applicant,
Please be advised that since you are not physically present in Canada, I am not able to proceed with full assessment on your PR card renewal application.
Please note that IRCC Etobicoke is processing Permanent Resident card renewal applications only if client(s) are in Canada. If you are not in Canada, your card cannot be mailed to you or picked up by someone else on your behalf. It also cannot be issued overseas.
If you’re outside Canada and don’t have a valid PR card, you need a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada.
You may apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) at the nearest Visa Application Centre or Canadian Visa Office. To find information on how to apply for a PRTD, go to:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...rvices/new-immigrants/pr-travel-document.html
Please submit your Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) application as quickly as possible, as processing times may be longer than expected, depending on the assigned visa office. Please await the PRTD final determination from the visa office before returning to Canada.
Your PR card will be held at the Etobicoke IRCC office for 180 days, as of the date of the First Notice Appointment Letter. As the letter indicates, if you do not visit the Etobicoke IRCC office within 180 days, your PR Card will be returned to PRC-Sydney and will be destroyed, pursuant to R58(3).
If you receive a PRTD determination after the 180 days has lapsed, you may need to submit a new application and associated fees to obtain a new PR Card. In this case, please verify - by emailing IRCC.HIOBDIODPRCD-DRPDONIDGOI.IRCC@cic.gc.ca if your PR card is still being held at Etobicoke IRCC or if has been retuned to PRC-Sydney so you can be informed on whether you may be required to re-apply for a new PR Card.
Should you have questions or need more information, please visit https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/contact-ircc.html, or you may call the IRCC National Call Centre 1-888-242-2100.
Thank you,
My questions are:
1. since she is outside of Canada right now and her current PR card is still valid until march 2026, she can travel with the same?
2. can she walk in at the Etobicoke IRCC office once she is here or she needs an appointment letter because she has just received email response and no letters from the officer?
3. does this mean that the officer wants to have a face to face interview with her?
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Any replies will be appreciated.
1. Yes.
2. I think that form letter has become hopelessly mangled by not removing irrelevant parts. There is no card as yet to pick up. When she arrives back in Canada, she should apply for the card then.
3. As above, I think if the letter has no specific date, there is no point in showing up in their office - since they didn't accept the application for a card, there is no card.
Does show they may actually be verifying people are actually applying while in Canada.
EDIT . . . much of what I posted below is not applicable if this is the same friend discussed here:
As it seems very likely this is about the same individual, I was inclined to simply delete the below post, which is oriented to a PR who is in RO compliance and otherwise has no reason to think they could be subject to inadmissibility proceedings for misrepresentation.
Will leave this . . . and post separately taking into account the circumstances discussed in September.
What the situation is, and importantly, what could be at stake, depends on the particular details in her specific situation. There are some significant, variable if-this, then-that scenarios which preclude giving direct answers to the questions you ask.
I suggest ignoring off-the-wall and irrelevant comments like "since they didn't accept the application for a card, there is no card." IRCC obviously accepted the application and in fact referred it to the local office for additional processing, which it will not proceed to complete until you have notified them you are in Canada . . . or enough time has passed in the meantime that the local office returns the application to CPC-Sydney, which will mean it has been deemed abandoned and if that happens you will need to make a new application.
Big factor in how this will go, and what needs to be done in the meantime, is the status of her compliance with the Residency Obligation . . . her RO compliance both NOW and continuing into the future (making sure, for example, that she returns to Canada BEFORE being outside Canada more than 1095 days within the previous five years).
The request for her to resubmit her travel history in conjunction with question about being outside Canada suggests there might be a question about whether she was IN Canada at the time the PR card application was made.
IF . . . if she is continuing to be in RO compliance and she was IN Canada when the application was made:
. . . no problem . . . no difficult problem anyway . . .
That is, if she was in Canada when she made the application (and thus left after making the application), and if there is no problem returning to Canada before being outside Canada more than 1095 days within the previous five years, odds are good there is not any serious issue or problem. It is just about logistics. If she can return to Canada relatively soon, she can contact IRCC to inform them she is here, in Canada, and then (based on the communication quoted) IRCC will likely either schedule an appointment, either for an interview or for her to physically pick-up a PR card, or give her instructions about when to come into the local office to pick-up a PR card. Either way there will almost certainly be an interview.. That could be a cursory formality, mostly to verify it is her, and that she has returned to Canada, and to affirm the information she has submitted. OR it could be a more strict, probing interview. If the latter is what will be happening, a probing interview, they will likely ask her to bring some documents to be examined, and the outcome might not be a five year card but, rather, a one-year card pending further processing.
Main thing is for her to come to Canada and then contact IRCC to get further instructions. As long as she can get here within a couple or three months, her application is still in process (paused, waiting for her to notify IRCC she is in Canada), so here too ignore the off-the-mark suggestion "When she arrives back in Canada, she should apply for the card then." No need to make another application unless she does not get back and notify IRCC before they return the application/file to CPC-Sydney.
Note, however, local office practices vary. What is done in a particular case can vary. So there are some various ways this could go, in terms of what the Etobicoke office will specifically do in her case. Basically she needs to return to Canada in order to complete the PR card application process, and contact IRCC when she is here.
If she cannot return to Canada relatively soon . . . it is hard to forecast when in practice it would be too late for getting a card through this application and a new application will need to be made.
As long as she continues to be in RO compliance, and assuming there were no misrepresentations made in the application (no clicking the box for "in" Canada when she was not in Canada, for example), it should not matter much if she does not get here in time to complete the process with this application in the local office. Some additional cost and inconvenience, having to make a new application.
Otherwise . . . if RO compliance is in issue . . . or if in the process of applying she checked "in" Canada when she was not in Canada . . .
The sooner she is back in Canada the better. Once in Canada, promptly notify IRCC and be prepared to follow through with the process, including being prepared to attend an interview and present supporting documents in the interview.
What is likely to happen, in particular, is difficult to forecast because there are so many individual details that can make a difference.
Validity of current PR card (ostensibly valid until March 2026) and returning to Canada:
It does not appear that a new PR card has been issued, as yet. Which is probably good, because if a PR card was already issued that would render the previous PR card no longer valid. Actual date that happens seems to be difficult to ascertain.
But this is not for-sure clear. I do not know how, other than trying to use it, to check/verify a PR card is still valid in a situation where it could be rendered invalid before the date it expires.
So long as she does not remain outside Canada beyond 1095 days within the previous five years, she should be OK making a PR TD application if necessary.
Some Observations About IRCC Communication:
Many communications from IRCC include quite a lot of if-it-applies information covering variable situations. So, rather often some of the information (sometimes much of the information) in the communication does not apply to the particular recipient of the communication and it is up to the individual to read the communication in context, sorting out what parts do apply to them. The information is also mixed with a lot of boilerplate, some of which will likewise apply to some recipients and not others. This can make it difficult to sort out precisely what the communication means for the individual receiving it.
But throwing one's hand up and shrugging off the communication as hopelessly mangled is NOT an option. One brushes off, dismisses, or otherwise ignores communications from IRCC at their peril.
It is important to carefully read through the communication trying, as best one can, to understand what it means for them in particular, and this requires correlating information in the communication with the individual's particular circumstances.
OVERALL . . . this communication is not perfectly clear but it is not nearly so confused as it has been made out to be. Assuming there is no reason to apprehend IRCC has cause to revoke PR status for inadmissibility (not for RO breach or misrepresentation or criminality or security), the application has been referred to the local office and is on hold there pending her notifying them she is in Canada. If she gets here and notifies them before the application is deemed abandoned, she will just need to follow the instructions she gets at that time. Probably a good idea to communicate that she intends to return to Canada soon and that she will in fact notify them when she is back in Canada.
As it seems very likely this is about the same individual, I was inclined to simply delete the below post, which is oriented to a PR who is in RO compliance and otherwise has no reason to think they could be subject to inadmissibility proceedings for misrepresentation.
Will leave this . . . and post separately taking into account the circumstances discussed in September.
What the situation is, and importantly, what could be at stake, depends on the particular details in her specific situation. There are some significant, variable if-this, then-that scenarios which preclude giving direct answers to the questions you ask.
I suggest ignoring off-the-wall and irrelevant comments like "since they didn't accept the application for a card, there is no card." IRCC obviously accepted the application and in fact referred it to the local office for additional processing, which it will not proceed to complete until you have notified them you are in Canada . . . or enough time has passed in the meantime that the local office returns the application to CPC-Sydney, which will mean it has been deemed abandoned and if that happens you will need to make a new application.
Big factor in how this will go, and what needs to be done in the meantime, is the status of her compliance with the Residency Obligation . . . her RO compliance both NOW and continuing into the future (making sure, for example, that she returns to Canada BEFORE being outside Canada more than 1095 days within the previous five years).
The request for her to resubmit her travel history in conjunction with question about being outside Canada suggests there might be a question about whether she was IN Canada at the time the PR card application was made.
IF . . . if she is continuing to be in RO compliance and she was IN Canada when the application was made:
. . . no problem . . . no difficult problem anyway . . .
That is, if she was in Canada when she made the application (and thus left after making the application), and if there is no problem returning to Canada before being outside Canada more than 1095 days within the previous five years, odds are good there is not any serious issue or problem. It is just about logistics. If she can return to Canada relatively soon, she can contact IRCC to inform them she is here, in Canada, and then (based on the communication quoted) IRCC will likely either schedule an appointment, either for an interview or for her to physically pick-up a PR card, or give her instructions about when to come into the local office to pick-up a PR card. Either way there will almost certainly be an interview.. That could be a cursory formality, mostly to verify it is her, and that she has returned to Canada, and to affirm the information she has submitted. OR it could be a more strict, probing interview. If the latter is what will be happening, a probing interview, they will likely ask her to bring some documents to be examined, and the outcome might not be a five year card but, rather, a one-year card pending further processing.
Main thing is for her to come to Canada and then contact IRCC to get further instructions. As long as she can get here within a couple or three months, her application is still in process (paused, waiting for her to notify IRCC she is in Canada), so here too ignore the off-the-mark suggestion "When she arrives back in Canada, she should apply for the card then." No need to make another application unless she does not get back and notify IRCC before they return the application/file to CPC-Sydney.
Note, however, local office practices vary. What is done in a particular case can vary. So there are some various ways this could go, in terms of what the Etobicoke office will specifically do in her case. Basically she needs to return to Canada in order to complete the PR card application process, and contact IRCC when she is here.
If she cannot return to Canada relatively soon . . . it is hard to forecast when in practice it would be too late for getting a card through this application and a new application will need to be made.
As long as she continues to be in RO compliance, and assuming there were no misrepresentations made in the application (no clicking the box for "in" Canada when she was not in Canada, for example), it should not matter much if she does not get here in time to complete the process with this application in the local office. Some additional cost and inconvenience, having to make a new application.
Otherwise . . . if RO compliance is in issue . . . or if in the process of applying she checked "in" Canada when she was not in Canada . . .
The sooner she is back in Canada the better. Once in Canada, promptly notify IRCC and be prepared to follow through with the process, including being prepared to attend an interview and present supporting documents in the interview.
What is likely to happen, in particular, is difficult to forecast because there are so many individual details that can make a difference.
-- RO compliance is what it is, but that is very specific to the individual.
-- Potential misrepresentation, if that is an issue (if there were some untrue statements in the application), that could be serious; if she made misrepresentations of fact, such as claiming to be in Canada when she wasn't, it might be time to see a lawyer.
Validity of current PR card (ostensibly valid until March 2026) and returning to Canada:
It does not appear that a new PR card has been issued, as yet. Which is probably good, because if a PR card was already issued that would render the previous PR card no longer valid. Actual date that happens seems to be difficult to ascertain.
But this is not for-sure clear. I do not know how, other than trying to use it, to check/verify a PR card is still valid in a situation where it could be rendered invalid before the date it expires.
So long as she does not remain outside Canada beyond 1095 days within the previous five years, she should be OK making a PR TD application if necessary.
Some Observations About IRCC Communication:
Many communications from IRCC include quite a lot of if-it-applies information covering variable situations. So, rather often some of the information (sometimes much of the information) in the communication does not apply to the particular recipient of the communication and it is up to the individual to read the communication in context, sorting out what parts do apply to them. The information is also mixed with a lot of boilerplate, some of which will likewise apply to some recipients and not others. This can make it difficult to sort out precisely what the communication means for the individual receiving it.
But throwing one's hand up and shrugging off the communication as hopelessly mangled is NOT an option. One brushes off, dismisses, or otherwise ignores communications from IRCC at their peril.
It is important to carefully read through the communication trying, as best one can, to understand what it means for them in particular, and this requires correlating information in the communication with the individual's particular circumstances.
OVERALL . . . this communication is not perfectly clear but it is not nearly so confused as it has been made out to be. Assuming there is no reason to apprehend IRCC has cause to revoke PR status for inadmissibility (not for RO breach or misrepresentation or criminality or security), the application has been referred to the local office and is on hold there pending her notifying them she is in Canada. If she gets here and notifies them before the application is deemed abandoned, she will just need to follow the instructions she gets at that time. Probably a good idea to communicate that she intends to return to Canada soon and that she will in fact notify them when she is back in Canada.
Last edited:
As noted in above post:
and in looking at details posted in September, yeah, the particular details will make a difference . . .
My previous post covers the process generally and hopefully is informative in that regards even though it was mostly oriented to a scenario in which the PR is in RO compliance, not someone who applied while in RO breach and then foolishly (if PR is a priority) left Canada. (As the forum strongly suggested, for a PR in breach it is best to wait to apply when back to stay, preferably waiting until in RO compliance, but at the least back and staying in Canada).
Make no mistake: this application could be in trouble, her PR status could be in trouble . . . the sooner back in Canada, the better the odds.
.
The fact she was in Canada at the time she made the PR card application is good. But other aspects of this situation are not so good.
Obviously she did not go in the direction forum participants suggested. I am guessing the reason she applied before leaving rather than waiting until she had returned has to do with plans to continue traveling internationally and, because of that, wanting a new valid PR card sooner rather than later, so she could facilitate future travel without interruption.
If only it was that simple.
If keeping Canadian PR status is a priority, that was probably an unwise choice. But that's done, in the hopper one might say.
Not sure it was clear to you or her, but of course a new PR card would not solve her RO compliance issues if she continued to travel outside Canada. Even with a brand new PR card, a PR who has been outside Canada for more than 1095 days within the previous five years is in breach of the RO.
Her status now very much depends on H&C relief. That's one of the few aspects of this that is clear.
In any event, given the RO breach, given the fact that she meets the definition of inadmissible, and now given that her PR card application is on hold in a local office pending notice she is in fact back in Canada (again, even though the communication from IRCC is not perfectly clear, it is not nearly so confusing as others have painted it), the sooner she is IN Canada and notifies IRCC she is here and ready to proceed, the better her odds of saving her PR status.
However, that might pose some problems.
It is difficult to discern for sure if this application was referred to the local office with a tentative approval based on H&C reasons, pending her response to some questions and picking up the card in person, but that seems the most likely scenario. Being outside Canada stuck a pin in that balloon. (One thing for a PR meeting their obligations to be outside Canada after applying for a new PR card; quite a different thing for an inadmissible PR to leave Canada.)
It is quite possible there was a tentative approval and the current PR card is no longer valid. As I noted in my previous post, I do not know how to verify if the card has been invalidated or not.
Meanwhile, try to get back to Canada sooner rather than later, and be prepared . . .
It looks like this was going to be OK if she had not left Canada, but she did, so all bets are off now. If obtaining a lawyer's help is practically available to her, that might be a good idea, sooner rather than later.
What the situation is, and importantly, what could be at stake, depends on the particular details in her specific situation. There are some significant, variable if-this, then-that scenarios which preclude giving direct answers to the questions you ask.
and in looking at details posted in September, yeah, the particular details will make a difference . . .
My previous post covers the process generally and hopefully is informative in that regards even though it was mostly oriented to a scenario in which the PR is in RO compliance, not someone who applied while in RO breach and then foolishly (if PR is a priority) left Canada. (As the forum strongly suggested, for a PR in breach it is best to wait to apply when back to stay, preferably waiting until in RO compliance, but at the least back and staying in Canada).
Make no mistake: this application could be in trouble, her PR status could be in trouble . . . the sooner back in Canada, the better the odds.
.
The fact she was in Canada at the time she made the PR card application is good. But other aspects of this situation are not so good.
Obviously she did not go in the direction forum participants suggested. I am guessing the reason she applied before leaving rather than waiting until she had returned has to do with plans to continue traveling internationally and, because of that, wanting a new valid PR card sooner rather than later, so she could facilitate future travel without interruption.
If only it was that simple.
If keeping Canadian PR status is a priority, that was probably an unwise choice. But that's done, in the hopper one might say.
Not sure it was clear to you or her, but of course a new PR card would not solve her RO compliance issues if she continued to travel outside Canada. Even with a brand new PR card, a PR who has been outside Canada for more than 1095 days within the previous five years is in breach of the RO.
Her status now very much depends on H&C relief. That's one of the few aspects of this that is clear.
In any event, given the RO breach, given the fact that she meets the definition of inadmissible, and now given that her PR card application is on hold in a local office pending notice she is in fact back in Canada (again, even though the communication from IRCC is not perfectly clear, it is not nearly so confusing as others have painted it), the sooner she is IN Canada and notifies IRCC she is here and ready to proceed, the better her odds of saving her PR status.
However, that might pose some problems.
It is difficult to discern for sure if this application was referred to the local office with a tentative approval based on H&C reasons, pending her response to some questions and picking up the card in person, but that seems the most likely scenario. Being outside Canada stuck a pin in that balloon. (One thing for a PR meeting their obligations to be outside Canada after applying for a new PR card; quite a different thing for an inadmissible PR to leave Canada.)
It is quite possible there was a tentative approval and the current PR card is no longer valid. As I noted in my previous post, I do not know how to verify if the card has been invalidated or not.
Meanwhile, try to get back to Canada sooner rather than later, and be prepared . . .
. . . hopefully she can still use the current PR card which expires in March 2026, to travel to Canada. If so, she should be prepared for increased scrutiny at the Port-of-Entry. Not for sure, but quite likely her GCMS is now flagged. Hard to forecast outcome of that, but possibilities are border officials waive her through deferring to local IRCC officials to assess H&C and decide whether she keeps PR status or not . . . or border officials could proceed with inadmissibility and issue a Removal Order (which can be appealed). Either way, be prepared for some extensive questioning.
. . . if the current PR card will not work to make the trip to Canada, and she cannot travel via the U.S. to apply for entry into Canada at a U.S./Canadian border crossing, she will need to make a PR TD application and be sure to make the H&C case as good as she can. This might not go well in which case she can appeal, and having been in Canada this year she will be entitled to a PR TD to travel here pending an appeal.
It looks like this was going to be OK if she had not left Canada, but she did, so all bets are off now. If obtaining a lawyer's help is practically available to her, that might be a good idea, sooner rather than later.