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Going on Vacation with Expired Pr card

Great Sage

Full Member
Nov 17, 2010
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South Korea
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Hello, looking for advice or feedback.

I've been resident in Canada for over 10 years now. My 2nd PR cars expired in may. I applied for renewal in September, thinking this would be plenty of time to get my new card so that I can join my UK family in Mexico for a week in April 2022.

Now I am worried that it won't come in time. Does anyone know any of the following.

How long from my application being acknowledged as in process on the website does it tend to take to get the card?

What is likely to happen if I go on the trip with my card not yet renewed?

If I can't come back into Canada with an expired card is it a solution to buy a ticket from Canada to the UK so that I can say I am not entering with intention to stay illegally? I then cancel that ticket and wait for my PR card.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. This is giving me anxiety.
 

YVR123

VIP Member
Jul 27, 2017
6,545
2,501
Hello, looking for advice or feedback.

I've been resident in Canada for over 10 years now. My 2nd PR cars expired in may. I applied for renewal in September, thinking this would be plenty of time to get my new card so that I can join my UK family in Mexico for a week in April 2022.

Now I am worried that it won't come in time. Does anyone know any of the following.

How long from my application being acknowledged as in process on the website does it tend to take to get the card?

What is likely to happen if I go on the trip with my card not yet renewed?

If I can't come back into Canada with an expired card is it a solution to buy a ticket from Canada to the UK so that I can say I am not entering with intention to stay illegally? I then cancel that ticket and wait for my PR card.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. This is giving me anxiety.
Your "workaround" likely won't work. The airline is highly unlikely to let you board the flight to Canada without a PR card.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,892
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Toronto
Category........
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Buffalo
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App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
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VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
Hello, looking for advice or feedback.

I've been resident in Canada for over 10 years now. My 2nd PR cars expired in may. I applied for renewal in September, thinking this would be plenty of time to get my new card so that I can join my UK family in Mexico for a week in April 2022.

Now I am worried that it won't come in time. Does anyone know any of the following.

How long from my application being acknowledged as in process on the website does it tend to take to get the card?

What is likely to happen if I go on the trip with my card not yet renewed?

If I can't come back into Canada with an expired card is it a solution to buy a ticket from Canada to the UK so that I can say I am not entering with intention to stay illegally? I then cancel that ticket and wait for my PR card.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. This is giving me anxiety.
You need either a valid PR card or valid PR Travel Document in order to board a plane and fly to Canada. This will apply even if you have a flight from Canada to the UK. The PR Travel Document is something you can only apply for once you are outside of Canada.

If you don't have your PR card by then and don't have enough time outside of Canada to get a PR Travel Document, then the other option is to fly to the US on your return flight and re-enter Canada through a land border using a private vehicle.
 

Great Sage

Full Member
Nov 17, 2010
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South Korea
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So if I show up at the airport with an expired card, they will keep me in Mexico and I'll need to fly back to the UK?
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,892
20,518
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
So if I show up at the airport with an expired card, they will keep me in Mexico and I'll need to fly back to the UK?
Airline won't let you board a plane to Canada if all you have is an expired PR card.
 

scylla

VIP Member
Jun 8, 2010
92,892
20,518
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Buffalo
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
28-05-2010
AOR Received.
19-08-2010
File Transfer...
28-06-2010
Passport Req..
01-10-2010
VISA ISSUED...
05-10-2010
LANDED..........
05-10-2010
And I can't pretend I'm a visitor who intends to leave with a ticket to the UK?
A visitor from the UK needs at eTA to board a plane to Canada. You can't get an eTA since you are a PR card holder.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
15,417
7,850
So if I show up at the airport with an expired card, they will keep me in Mexico and I'll need to fly back to the UK?
More likely they'll tell you to get on a plane to buffalo and find a way across the border; your expired pR card and UK passport will be enough to get across the land border (but not on to a direct flight to Canada).
 

Great Sage

Full Member
Nov 17, 2010
26
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South Korea
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Do they let you into the US without a return ticket? Or maybe an ESTA is enough? I'm in Manitoba so I guess I could fly to Minnesota and cross the border.
 

YVR123

VIP Member
Jul 27, 2017
6,545
2,501
Well, there is still some time beore April 2022. May be your PR card would be here before that...
 

jakklondon

Hero Member
Oct 17, 2021
582
139
Hello, looking for advice or feedback.

I've been resident in Canada for over 10 years now. My 2nd PR cars expired in may. I applied for renewal in September, thinking this would be plenty of time to get my new card so that I can join my UK family in Mexico for a week in April 2022.

Now I am worried that it won't come in time. Does anyone know any of the following.

How long from my application being acknowledged as in process on the website does it tend to take to get the card?

What is likely to happen if I go on the trip with my card not yet renewed?

If I can't come back into Canada with an expired card is it a solution to buy a ticket from Canada to the UK so that I can say I am not entering with intention to stay illegally? I then cancel that ticket and wait for my PR card.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. This is giving me anxiety.
Some Hermetic clowns sitting high up and deciding these matter (very often in violation of existing charters of human rights and even against existing laws and constitutions of the states) made it difficult ,in the past two decades, for ordinary people to travel freely across the borders. You can still make it, but you will have to inconvenience yourself, fly to the US with your UK passport and then cross into Canada in private vehicle or on your feet. If you buy a return ticket through Canada with an end destination in UK, you will be unable to board a plane flying to Canada. Only US citizens who are PRs can board a plane to Canada without eta. As UK citizen, you must have valid PR or get eTA, but Canadian PR (who is not US citizen) can't get eTA.
 

Great Sage

Full Member
Nov 17, 2010
26
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What's an eta?

It seems insane that any Tom, Dick or Mick can come to Canada on holiday but a 10 year resident and tax payer can't leave and return because his card is in the post.
 

steaky

VIP Member
Nov 11, 2008
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What's an eta?

It seems insane that any Tom, Dick or Mick can come to Canada on holiday but a 10 year resident and tax payer can't leave and return because his card is in the post.
ETA = Electronic travel authorization
 

Great Sage

Full Member
Nov 17, 2010
26
0
South Korea
Job Offer........
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So are they more lenient at land borders?

I think my plan will be to fly from Mexico to Fargo then drive the couple of hours north to Winnipeg.