International travel after landing without PR card HELP!!

[danny87]

Hi,

I will need to leave Canada for a week or so by plane after I land. I will leave 3 months after my landing.
Will that be enough time for my PR card to arrive?? The CIC website states around 2 months for new PR cards at the moment, so it gives me an extra month. However in my experience CIC is not the most reliable party when it comes expected waiting times.

As some further background, I am from a visa-exempt country, I will not be out of country long enough to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document.

In case it all goes wrong, can anybody tell me (out of experience perhaps) if it is possible to board my flight back to Canada as a PR without a PR card or valid travel document (since COPR isn't valid for this purpose, f***ing stupid though) and how I would be able to re-enter at the airport without too much problems.

I assume right now it shouldn't be too much of an issue since I am from a visa-exempt country, but with the new ETA regulation, and not being able to get one as a PR, that might be somewhat more difficult.

Please HELP! Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

 

[Rob_TO]

The new eTA system is not yet mandatory meaning they are still allowing people to fly without them (until later this year in the Fall).

You should be able to travel on just your visa-exempt passport if it comes down to that. There have been a few cases recently of people doing this with no problem.

Basically when checking into your flight you need to pretend you're a foreign national and not a PR. If the airline finds out you're a PR, they may then demand only a valid PR card to allow boarding. Up to now an airline can NOT tell if you're a PR unless you voluntarily tell them, however what info they can see on you from CIC/CBSA in their system can change at any time, so there is some risk.
Also some airlines have been picky on visa-exempt travelers going to Canada on a 1-way ticket. Though most seem to allow it with no problem.

 

[danny87]

The new eTA system is not yet mandatory meaning they are still allowing people to fly without them (until later this year in the Fall).

You should be able to travel on just your visa-exempt passport if it comes down to that. There have been a few cases recently of people doing this with no problem.

Basically when checking into your flight you need to pretend you're a foreign national and not a PR. If the airline finds out you're a PR, they may then demand only a valid PR card to allow boarding. Up to now an airline can NOT tell if you're a PR unless you voluntarily tell them, however what info they can see on you from CIC/CBSA in their system can change at any time, so there is some risk.
Also some airlines have been picky on visa-exempt travelers going to Canada on a 1-way ticket. Though most seem to allow it with no problem.

Thanks for the advice!

I applied for eTa this morning and got approved, since I am not a permanent resident until the 3rd of May. So I now have an eTa valid for 5 years, even though shortly hereafter I'll be a PR. That way, if I don't have my PR card on time, I have the eTa and my COPR, do you think that'll work?

 

[MilesAway]

ETAs are cancelled once you become a PR.
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/eta-is-canceled-upon-receipt-of-pr-t406754.0.html

 

[mega_option101]

ETAs are cancelled once you become a PR.
http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/eta-is-canceled-upon-receipt-of-pr-t406754.0.html

Thanks for the information - that slightly complicates things.