PR card lost in the mail, how to apply for a new one

[mira_johnson]

Hello,

I have a BIG concern.
We are newly landed permanent residents and were told our PR cards were sent in the mail last month. Even after a period of 6 weeks, it never arrived. It is officially lost and immigration cannot trace it. We are now outside Canada and trying to understand the next steps possible. We are both not in a good position to travel to Canada yet, at the very least not the both of us.

My questions are the following:
1) Why does it mention on cic's website that it is necessary to apply for replacement PR cards IN Canada? The application is readily available online. Why can't we apply for it from abroad and have the PR cards sent to a friend inside Canada?
2) If we were to successfully apply for new PR cards and have them shipped to a friend/an address in Canada: Is there an immigration/Canadian law that states that the PR cards could not be sent by international post abroad? If so, could you please provide a link?
3) Could a third person/friend bring our PR cards on an international flight from Canada to where we are, if sending PR cards by international mail is too risky or illegal?

Please advice! I am feeling so lost and can't locate the information I need.
Thanks in advanced

 

[zardoz]

Hello,

I have a BIG concern.
We are newly landed permanent residents and were told our PR cards were sent in the mail last month. Even after a period of 6 weeks, it never arrived. It is officially lost and immigration cannot trace it. We are now outside Canada and trying to understand the next steps possible. We are both not in a good position to travel to Canada yet, at the very least not the both of us.

My questions are the following:
1) Why does it mention on cic's website that it is necessary to apply for replacement PR cards IN Canada? The application is readily available online. Why can't we apply for it from abroad and have the PR cards sent to a friend inside Canada?
2) If we were to successfully apply for new PR cards and have them shipped to a friend/an address in Canada: Is there an immigration/Canadian law that states that the PR cards could not be sent by international post abroad? If so, could you please provide a link?
3) Could a third person/friend bring our PR cards on an international flight from Canada to where we are, if sending PR cards by international mail is too risky or illegal?

Please advice! I am feeling so lost and can't locate the information I need.
Thanks in advanced

The official answer to your question is here. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=047&top=10

That's the policy that IRCC apply and you will have to work within it. Apply for a Travel Document to come back to Canada.

 

[Rob_TO]

Hello,

I have a BIG concern.
We are newly landed permanent residents and were told our PR cards were sent in the mail last month. Even after a period of 6 weeks, it never arrived. It is officially lost and immigration cannot trace it. We are now outside Canada and trying to understand the next steps possible. We are both not in a good position to travel to Canada yet, at the very least not the both of us.

My questions are the following:
1) Why does it mention on cic's website that it is necessary to apply for replacement PR cards IN Canada? The application is readily available online. Why can't we apply for it from abroad and have the PR cards sent to a friend inside Canada?
2) If we were to successfully apply for new PR cards and have them shipped to a friend/an address in Canada: Is there an immigration/Canadian law that states that the PR cards could not be sent by international post abroad? If so, could you please provide a link?
3) Could a third person/friend bring our PR cards on an international flight from Canada to where we are, if sending PR cards by international mail is too risky or illegal?

Please advice! I am feeling so lost and can't locate the information I need.
Thanks in advanced

Are you by chance a US citizen? If so, you can just travel on your US passport as for this no PR card or PR TD is needed.

If you hold any other visa-exempt passport, then you can take a risk and check if your eTA is still valid and linked to your passport: https://onlineservices-servicesenligne.cic.gc.ca/eta/applicationQuery
If it's still valid and IRCC/CBSA has not yet cancelled it, then you can try to hop on a plane back to Canada using just your passport. The eTA though should be cancelled at some point after you become a PR, if it hasn't already been.

Or, you can travel to USA and cross into Canada by land border. Again for this no PR TD is required.

Or finally apply for the PR TD.

To your question on getting a new PR card, part of the application asks for your current residential address. Since you would put an address outside Canada (anything else would be misrepresentation), then even if IRCC processes the app they will most likely not mail the card. They will demand you pick it up at a local IRCC office. So this option will probably not be possible for you.

 

[rockytg]

You need to apply for a PR travel travel document for returning to Canada.

As far as your PR card is concerned I am assuming it is not more than six months since you landed in Canada and if that is the case you are entitled to get a new PR card without paying fees for it. For the new PR card you would first be required to call ÇIC and tell them that the PR card was never received. After that you will be told to sign a solemn declaration (CIC representative would let you know the form) and send it via fax or post.
Solemn declaration has a field for permanent address, so may be you can ask CIC executive on whether you can fill in your friends/relative address in that field in case you do not have a permanent address.

 

[mira_johnson]

The official answer to your question is here. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?qnum=047&top=10

That's the policy that IRCC apply and you will have to work within it. Apply for a Travel Document to come back to Canada.

I read this too, but it's not very informative. Sure, I can apply for a Travel Document to come back to Canada, but I would only be able to travel there for the time being. Which means I still wouldn't have my own "Canadian address" in the matter of time it takes for Canada to process a new card (approx 80 days from what I calculated on their website).

 

[mira_johnson]

Are you by chance a US citizen? If so, you can just travel on your US passport as for this no PR card or PR TD is needed.

If you hold any other visa-exempt passport, then you can take a risk and check if your eTA is still valid and linked to your passport: https://onlineservices-servicesenligne.cic.gc.ca/eta/applicationQuery
If it's still valid and IRCC/CBSA has not yet cancelled it, then you can try to hop on a plane back to Canada using just your passport. The eTA though should be cancelled at some point after you become a PR, if it hasn't already been.

Or, you can travel to USA and cross into Canada by land border. Again for this no PR TD is required.

Or finally apply for the PR TD.

To your question on getting a new PR card, part of the application asks for your current residential address. Since you would put an address outside Canada (anything else would be misrepresentation), then even if IRCC processes the app they will most likely not mail the card. They will demand you pick it up at a local IRCC office. So this option will probably not be possible for you.

Thanks for your advice. I am not a U.S citizen, and I'd prefer a fully legal way of getting back into Canada (the crossing the Canada land border does sound like instructions we wouldn't ever get from cic?). My eTA have already been cancelled.

I wonder, how could it then be possible for them to send the first PR card to my friends' address in Canada? We made it very clear to them upon our PR landing that we did not live in Canada yet, and the address included a c/o in a different name than ours. Could I include a residential address to a friend and include a letter of explanation that it is to a friend's address, or even write it in the residential address line? That wouldn't be misrepresentation, would it?

Then remains the last two questions, about whether it'd be possible for our friend to post the cards abroad or bring it on an international flight

 

[mira_johnson]

You need to apply for a PR travel travel document for returning to Canada.

As far as your PR card is concerned I am assuming it is not more than six months since you landed in Canada and if that is the case you are entitled to get a new PR card without paying fees for it. For the new PR card you would first be required to call ÇIC and tell them that the PR card was never received. After that you will be told to sign a solemn declaration (CIC representative would let you know the form) and send it via fax or post.
Solemn declaration has a field for permanent address, so may be you can ask CIC executive on whether you can fill in your friends/relative address in that field in case you do not have a permanent address.

Thank you. What would be the difference of informing cic over the phone and signing a Solemn declaration?

 

[rockytg]

Thank you. What would be the difference of informing cic over the phone and signing a Solemn declaration?

Not sure but, it could be the process of reissuance of PR card might be initiated by CIC. This is my assumption and can be false. Also, if one has not received the PR card that needs to be informed to CIC.

I went through the same process, my PR card was delivered to wrong address and I never got my hands on it. Called CIC and was told to wait for six weeks before any further action. Called again after six weeks and then I was told to sign a solemn declaration. Got a new card issued and delivered within three weeks of my sending the signed solemn declaration.

 

[mira_johnson]

Not sure but, it could be the process of reissuance of PR card might be initiated by CIC. This is my assumption and can be false. Also, if one has not received the PR card that needs to be informed to CIC.

I went through the same process, my PR card was delivered to wrong address and I never got my hands on it. Called CIC and was told to wait for six weeks before any further action. Called again after six weeks and then I was told to sign a solemn declaration. Got a new card issued and delivered within three weeks of my sending the signed solemn declaration.

Interesting. Yeah Ive also waited 6 weeks. Did you get that PR card automatically sent out to the previous address your first card was to be sent out to?

 

[Rob_TO]

Thanks for your advice. I am not a U.S citizen, and I'd prefer a fully legal way of getting back into Canada (the crossing the Canada land border does sound like instructions we wouldn't ever get from cic?). My eTA have already been cancelled.

Crossing via land border is 100% legal. There are absolutely zero issues with doing it, and CBSA doesn't care.

I wonder, how could it then be possible for them to send the first PR card to my friends' address in Canada? We made it very clear to them upon our PR landing that we did not live in Canada yet, and the address included a c/o in a different name than ours. Could I include a residential address to a friend and include a letter of explanation that it is to a friend's address, or even write it in the residential address line? That wouldn't be misrepresentation, would it?

Technically the CBSA officer doing your landing could have refused to process your initial PR card. The PR card is supposed to go to the PR card holder, not some other person. If you aren't intending to stay in Canada and tell CBSA officer this, they can simply tell you to apply for PR card the next time you're in Canada.

When filling in a replacement PR card app, you need to differentiate between mailing and residential address. Mailing address could be anyone in Canada, but residential address mean where you are actually currently residing. To put anything else, would be misrepresentation. And as I said once any visa officer sees you are not residing in Canada, they will most likely hold your card and demand you pick it up in person.

Of course you can always try with an explanation and hope for the best that they still mail it, although I wouldn't count on it.

Then remains the last two questions, about whether it'd be possible for our friend to post the cards abroad or bring it on an international flight

If they can get the card in first place, then this is no problem, either way is fine as there are no rules around mailing PR cards outside Canada.

 

[rockytg]

Interesting. Yeah Ive also waited 6 weeks. Did you get that PR card automatically sent out to the previous address your first card was to be sent out to?

I got the address updated.

 

[mira_johnson]

Crossing via land border is 100% legal. There are absolutely zero issues with doing it, and CBSA doesn't care.



Technically the CBSA officer doing your landing could have refused to process your initial PR card. The PR card is supposed to go to the PR card holder, not some other person. If you aren't intending to stay in Canada and tell CBSA officer this, they can simply tell you to apply for PR card the next time you're in Canada.

When filling in a replacement PR card app, you need to differentiate between mailing and residential address. Mailing address could be anyone in Canada, but residential address mean where you are actually currently residing. To put anything else, would be misrepresentation. And as I said once any visa officer sees you are not residing in Canada, they will most likely hold your card and demand you pick it up in person.

Of course you can always try with an explanation and hope for the best that they still mail it, although I wouldn't count on it.



If they can get the card in first place, then this is no problem, either way is fine as there are no rules around mailing PR cards outside Canada.

Well, they did not include my friend as a c/o despite we asked them to which we believe were the reason our cards were not delivered, or delivered and returned to the sender. Thank you for the differentiation between mailing and residential address. So if I'm understanding you correctly mailing address doesn't necessarily mean its my own address.

And as for picking up the PR card in person, does it need to be picked up by the holder of the PR card? For instance, I am the main applicant and included my spouse in my application. Could *I* then pick up his PR card in person or would it have to be him? Thanks again

 

[mira_johnson]

If they can get the card in first place, then this is no problem, either way is fine as there are no rules around mailing PR cards outside Canada.

By the way, the reason for my question is that I spoke to an CIC agent over the phone that told me it was illegal to mail PR cards outside Canada and the card would be destroyed if it was found...

Also, this previous post imply similar issues: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-send-pr-card-outside-canada.150630/#post-2316490

 

[Rob_TO]

And as for picking up the PR card in person, does it need to be picked up by the holder of the PR card? For instance, I am the main applicant and included my spouse in my application. Could *I* then pick up his PR card in person or would it have to be him? Thanks again

If asked to pick up the card in person, only the PR card holder can pick up the card. This is essentially the entire point of them asking to pick up in person, to ensure the card goes only to the holder.

By the way, the reason for my question is that I spoke to an CIC agent over the phone that told me it was illegal to mail PR cards outside Canada and the card would be destroyed if it was found...

Also, this previous post imply similar issues: https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/threads/how-to-send-pr-card-outside-canada.150630/#post-2316490

Agents give out wrong info all the time, and this is one such case. It is NOT ILLEGAL. If it was, there would be some law or rule someone out there, but search all you want and you will find none. Next time someone tells you this, ask them to point you to the specific law or rules you would be breaking.

IRCC will not ever deliver cards outside Canada, and people misinterpret this to mean nobody can mail cards.

The only issues to worry about, is things like cards getting lost in the mail, if delivering to certain countries if cards may be stolen, etc etc.

 

[mira_johnson]

Guys, can you please clarify that I am getting this right:
*If a PR card is still lost after 6 weeks of it being sent out, I need to sign a solemn declaration. After submitting the solemn declaration, a new PR card will automatically get sent out to the mailing address as long as I have sent in this form prior to 6 months after the initial immigration date.
*If residential address is not in Canada but mailing address is, there is a slight risk that cic might ask the holder of the card to come pick up the PR card in person.

Did I get something right?!