Permanent residence granted but no PR card yet. Can I still use my BOWP to reenter Canada?

[dogfrog232]

I recently applied for a permanent residence card having received my COPR. My card hasn't arrived yet and I need to leave Canada for a family funeral at short notice. It appears that my BOWP is still valid, along with an ETA until 2024.

My question is whether it is possible to reenter Canada using the BOWP and ETA, or whether I have to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

I am employed here in Canada and need to return soon after my trip, and I worry that the PRTD application may take a long time to process.

I would be grateful for your advice. Anyway, what a strange situation in that it seems easier to get into Canada before you receive COPR compared to just afterwards.

 

[scylla]

I recently applied for a permanent residence card having received my COPR. My card hasn't arrived yet and I need to leave Canada for a family funeral at short notice. It appears that my BOWP is still valid, along with an ETA until 2024.

My question is whether it is possible to reenter Canada using the BOWP and ETA, or whether I have to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

I am employed here in Canada and need to return soon after my trip, and I worry that the PRTD application may take a long time to process.

I would be grateful for your advice. Anyway, what a strange situation in that it seems easier to get into Canada before you receive COPR compared to just afterwards.

Temporary visas are generally cancelled once you have landed and become a PR. So best to assume the eTA and BOWP will no longer be valid and you'll need a PR card or PRTD to return. Other option is to travel to the US and re-enter Canada through a US/Canada land border.

 

[dogfrog232]

Temporary visas are generally cancelled once you have landed and become a PR. So best to assume the eTA and BOWP will no longer be valid and you'll need a PR card or PRTD to return. Other option is to travel to the US and re-enter Canada through a US/Canada land border.

Thanks for the advice, obviously not what I wanted to hear. The IRCC website says that both documents are still valid so haven't been cancelled yet.

 

[scylla]

Thanks for the advice, obviously not what I wanted to hear. The IRCC website says that both documents are still valid so haven't been cancelled yet.

You can certainly roll the dice and hope they are still valid when you are scheduled to return. Make sure you have a back up plan in case they aren't and you're denied boarding.

 

[Naheulbeuck]

Thanks for the advice, obviously not what I wanted to hear. The IRCC website says that both documents are still valid so haven't been cancelled yet.

Not sure where you saw that on the website, all temporary visas are cancelled for the simple fact that you no longer meet the requirements of such visas. It works in the same way as someone who becomes inadmissible, even if their visa on paper is still valid, in the system that person is no longer allowed to enter Canada under such visa.

The consequences are quite different as of course, even if you'd be refused at the border under your temporary visa, you'd be allowed in as a PR. But it is made very clear throughout that PRs should enter either with a valid PR card or PRTD. The gamble is whether the agent processing your file pushed the button to invalidate in the system your current visas or not. If they did, the airline will refuse boarding, once they scan it, it tells them it is not valid and they won't take any risk as they would have to pay your return flight if turned down at the border, if they didn't, then the airline has no way to know that your visa is no longer valid, and will let you board. At the border your PR status will let you in the country. We've seen both reports here.

Depending on your circumstances, you'd be better off getting a PRTD or you'd be better off taking the gamble but make sure you plan for the case where you are refused boarding. Airlines make it clear it is the responsibility of the customers to make sure they have proper authorization therefore they won't cover your flight change and you won't find out until just before getting on the plane.

 

[penacare]

I recently applied for a permanent residence card having received my COPR. My card hasn't arrived yet and I need to leave Canada for a family funeral at short notice. It appears that my BOWP is still valid, along with an ETA until 2024.

My question is whether it is possible to reenter Canada using the BOWP and ETA, or whether I have to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

I am employed here in Canada and need to return soon after my trip, and I worry that the PRTD application may take a long time to process.

I would be grateful for your advice. Anyway, what a strange situation in that it seems easier to get into Canada before you receive COPR compared to just afterwards.

Pease let me know how did it go as I am in the same boat, I want to travel outside of Canada but without a PR Card is impossible to get back. DO you know if you can re-enter Canada trough the US border just with your COPR?

 

[YVR123]

Pease let me know how did it go as I am in the same boat, I want to travel outside of Canada but without a PR Card is impossible to get back. DO you know if you can re-enter Canada trough the US border just with your COPR?

Either enter via US land border (depending on if you can enter into US) using COPR or apply for PRTD.

 

[Rynn1]

I recently applied for a permanent residence card having received my COPR. My card hasn't arrived yet and I need to leave Canada for a family funeral at short notice. It appears that my BOWP is still valid, along with an ETA until 2024.

My question is whether it is possible to reenter Canada using the BOWP and ETA, or whether I have to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

I am employed here in Canada and need to return soon after my trip, and I worry that the PRTD application may take a long time to process.

I would be grateful for your advice. Anyway, what a strange situation in that it seems easier to get into Canada before you receive COPR compared to just afterwards.

What did you do? Did the BOWP/ETA work fine?

 

[scylla]

What did you do? Did the BOWP/ETA work fine?

It's pointless to ask what happened to someone else in this situation. In the vast majority of cases temporary visas are canceled in the system once someone becomes a PR and you can no longer use them to travel. Occasionally this doesn't happen immediately. But that's all up to chance.

If you want to try to use your temporary visa to re-enter Canada by air, you need to be prepared for the possibility the airline will refuse you boarding since the document will no longer show as valid in their systems. If you are refused boarding, then you will need to show either a valid PR card or a valid PR Travel Document to be allowed to fly.

 

[Rynn1]

Gotcha. Fair enough. I’m in a similar situation but a bit more awkward. I have my COPR but it is currently invalid because it expired in August 2021 (despite only receiving the confirmation in April)

I’m waiting for my first PR card to be sent to me but is unlikely to arrive by the time I need it travel for Christmas.

When applying for PRTD do you know if
(A) the COPR needs to be valid / in date
(B) the number of days I’ve been a PR is only 230 - which is less than the needed 730 to prove residency obligation - but I’ve been working in Canada since January 2019 on a work permit. Is it ok to apply for one of the days is less than 730?

cheers!

 

[armoured]

Gotcha. Fair enough. I’m in a similar situation but a bit more awkward. I have my COPR but it is currently invalid because it expired in August 2021 (despite only receiving the confirmation in April)

I’m waiting for my first PR card to be sent to me but is unlikely to arrive by the time I need it travel for Christmas.

When applying for PRTD do you know if
(A) the COPR needs to be valid / in date
(B) the number of days I’ve been a PR is only 230 - which is less than the needed 730 to prove residency obligation - but I’ve been working in Canada since January 2019 on a work permit. Is it ok to apply for one of the days is less than 730?

cheers!

Once you land and the COPR is 'stamped', it doesn't expire per se - i.e. do not lose it! - but is just another piece of evidence that you became a PR at such-and-such a date. Unfortunately wont' be enough to board a plane to Canada - but if you come through usa for example you can show at border as evidence you are (became) a PR.

a) copr is good evidence for applying for the prtd.
b) for those in first five year period, it's easiest to think of the RO as being you must not be out of Canada more than 1095 days (you're sort of given credit for days remaining) in those first five years. If you 'landed' in april of these year, there are ~4.5 years remaining so mathematically impossible for you to have been out of Canada too much. You're in compliance and fine to apply for PRTD.

 

[Rynn1]

(A) The COPR isn’t stamped. I received it by email from CIC. The only instructions that came with were to send it away with passport photo + print version of it to get my PR Card. I received it in the middle of covid so there were no other instructions to get it stamped or anything (same for my friends). On IRCC, it says the COPR expired August 2021 but on the COPR itself it say it is valid for 1 year but it was only printed March 2021
(B) Sounds good!

 

[armoured]

(A) The COPR isn’t stamped. I received it by email from CIC. The only instructions that came with were to send it away with passport photo + print version of it to get my PR Card. I received it in the middle of covid so there were no other instructions to get it stamped or anything (same for my friends). On IRCC, it says the COPR expired August 2021 but on the COPR itself it say it is valid for 1 year but it was only printed March 2021
(B) Sounds good!

So you have an ecopr and you probably got notification at same time you are a pr, that's the same thing really. Just they've changed procedures for those in Canada during COVID.

 

[Rynn1]

Gotcha! Makes sense. Just don’t want to be stuck outside of Canada on some bizarre technicality!

thanks for your help