PR Card may not Arrive Before I Leave Canada

[Wacky1.nash]

I am a Canadian Permanent Resident and moving to the US as a US Legal Permanent Resident in Feb 2022. I appleid for Canadian citizenship on October 31 2021.

My current PR Card is valid until August 2023. However I want to apply for a new PR card to update it to my new married name (I got married in 2020). This is to prevent any issues with travel on commercial carriers.

The current processing time for a PR card is 110 days as per IRCC website. So, it is unlikely if I apply today that my PR card will arrive before I leave Canada. The form asks for your residential address and your mailing address. However the guide says that the PR card will not be mailed to a third party mailing address, and only to your residential address. So my problem is, I will not have a residential address in 110 days time. Any suggestions on how to get my PR card renewed?

@rajkamalmohanram

 

[Wacky1.nash]

Any thoughts?

 

[steaky]

1) Keep a Canadian address. It can be a friend's address or a rented home address
2) Not sure why you need name change on your PR card to reflect your married name.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

1) Keep a Canadian address. It can be a friend's address or a rented home address
2) Not sure why you need name change on your PR card to reflect your married name.

Thanks for your response.

The form asks you to fill your current residential address in Canada and your mailing address (should it be different from residential address). I wanted to fill in my friend's address here in Toronto as mailing address.

http://imgur.com/a/QxVPSkC

I don't think I should fill my friend's address as residential address as I do not live there. There is a section on the form that requires you to provide all your residences since becoming a PR, so if I put residential address that would be a contradiction. Also it would be misrepresentation.

Now the instruction guide says this:

http://imgur.com/a/NyqHxKH

They do not send the PR card to third party addresses. It will only be sent to residential address and that too only in Canada.

To answer your second question, My COPR and PR card is in my maiden name. My current passport is in my married name. I am worried that commercial carriers will not allow me to board transport to Canada because my visa to canada does not match my current name. Furthermore, I called CBSA and asked if I could enter by land using my COPR in maiden name when passport is in married name. They couldn't guarantee, said it is up to the CBSA officer and recommended I update my PR card. IRCC also advised me to update my PR card.

 

[steaky]

Thanks for your response.

The form asks you to fill your current residential address in Canada and your mailing address (should it be different from residential address). I wanted to fill in my friend's address here in Toronto as mailing address.

http://imgur.com/a/QxVPSkC

I don't think I should fill my friend's address as residential address as I do not live there. There is a section on the form that requires you to provide all your residences since becoming a PR, so if I put residential address that would be a contradiction. Also it would be misrepresentation.

Now the instruction guide says this:

http://imgur.com/a/NyqHxKH

They do not send the PR card to third party addresses. It will only be sent to residential address and that too only in Canada.

To answer your second question, My COPR and PR card is in my maiden name. My current passport is in my married name. I am worried that commercial carriers will not allow me to board transport to Canada because my visa to canada does not match my current name. Furthermore, I called CBSA and asked if I could enter by land using my COPR in maiden name when passport is in married name. They couldn't guarantee, said it is up to the CBSA officer and recommended I update my PR card. IRCC also advised me to update my PR card.

Couldn't you undo the change of name in your passport instead?

 

[Wacky1.nash]

Couldn't you undo the change of name in your passport instead?

The reason I changed my passport to my married name was to allow for my Canadian citizenship to be issued in my new name. Since my marriage took place in the US (not Canada), the marriage certificate alone was not sufficient for Canada to recognise the name change. They needed it to be corroborated with my passport and another Canadian ID (Ontario photo ID in my case). So I have all this updated.

My green card in the US, SSN etc is also in my married name. It is now only my PR card that is remaining to be updated. Doesn’t make sense to undo all the rest.

 

[steaky]

The reason I changed my passport to my married name was to allow for my Canadian citizenship to be issued in my new name. Since my marriage took place in the US (not Canada), the marriage certificate alone was not sufficient for Canada to recognise the name change. They needed it to be corroborated with my passport and another Canadian ID (Ontario photo ID in my case). So I have all this updated.

My green card in the US, SSN etc is also in my married name. It is now only my PR card that is remaining to be updated. Doesn’t make sense to undo all the rest.

Couldn't you let your PR card expired and wait for Canadian citizenship? You can always return to Canada via the land border.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

Couldn't you let your PR card expired and wait for Canadian citizenship? You can always return to Canada via the land border.

As I said above, "I am worried that commercial carriers will not allow me to board transport to Canada because my visa to canada does not match my current name. Furthermore, I called CBSA and asked if I could enter by land using my COPR in maiden name when passport is in married name. They couldn't guarantee, said it is up to the CBSA officer and recommended I update my PR card. IRCC also advised me to update my PR card."

My question is, how does one get a PR card in hand, when one applies 75 days before leaving Canada, but is no longer present in Canada when it is processed and ready for delievery.

 

[steaky]

As I said above, "I am worried that commercial carriers will not allow me to board transport to Canada because my visa to canada does not match my current name. Furthermore, I called CBSA and asked if I could enter by land using my COPR in maiden name when passport is in married name. They couldn't guarantee, said it is up to the CBSA officer and recommended I update my PR card. IRCC also advised me to update my PR card."

My question is, how does one get a PR card in hand, when one applies 75 days before leaving Canada, but is no longer present in Canada when it is processed and ready for delievery.

I think you worry for no reason. Many people have two or more passports. Each passport might have slightly different names. Sometimes they use one name in the ticket, use the other name in one of their passport and airline issued the boarding pass anyways (sometimes they need you to show all your passport to verify the same person).

Say your PR card is mailed to your Canadian home address (you can keep your current home vacant while you are in the US if you like) and your friend can pick it up, your friend can courier the card to your US address.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

Say your PR card is mailed to your Canadian home address and your friend can pick it up, your friend can courier the card to your US address.

1. I won’t have a residential address in Canada after 75 days. I can’t afford to pay the rent after I leave. It would be leased out to an new tenant.

2. I will be letting IRCC know that I am leaving Canada and will be letting them know my new address in the US. This is something I am obligated to do after applying for citizenship. Would IRCC send the PR card to my current address in that case, when they are informed I don’t reside there anymore?

3. Despite the above, should IRCC send the PR card to my old residential address in Canada, it would be received in the mailbox by the new tenant. I don’t know who this person would be and whether they are trustworthy.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

I think you worry for no reason. Many people have two or more passports. Each passport might have slightly different names. Sometimes they use one name in the ticket, use the other name in one of their passport and airline issued the boarding pass anyways (sometimes they need you to show all your passport to verify the same person).

Thanks for this.

I think it is becoming apparent it is impossible to get a new PR card. Sad, because I am eligible right now when I am applying. But unfortunately IRCC assesses based on the time they are processing which will be 3- 4 months from now, and at that time, because I am not physically in Canada, I believe IRCC will deem me ineligible. I might have to apply for PRTD at the time I need to travel.

 

[steaky]

1. I won’t have a residential address in Canada after 75 days. I can’t afford to pay the rent after I leave. It would be leased out to an new tenant.

2. I will be letting IRCC know that I am leaving Canada and will be letting them know my new address in the US. This is something I am obligated to do after applying for citizenship. Would IRCC send the PR card to my current address in that case, when they are informed I don’t reside there anymore?

3. Despite the above, should IRCC send the PR card to my old residential address in Canada, it would be received in the mailbox by the new tenant. I don’t know who this person would be and whether they are trustworthy.

Couldn't you ask your tenant to retain all your letters (including the PR card) while you are away? Then have your friend to pick it up from the tenant and courier it to you. Sometimes IRCC send mail to other people's old residential address in Canada. With any non arms length tenancy, there would be certain risk.

 

[steaky]

Thanks for this.

I think it is becoming apparent it is impossible to get a new PR card. Sad, because I am eligible right now when I am applying. But unfortunately IRCC assesses based on the time they are processing which will be 3- 4 months from now, and at that time, because I am not physically in Canada, I believe IRCC will deem me ineligible. I might have to apply for PRTD at the time I need to travel.

But if you travel by car via land border, you do not need PRTD.

 

[Wacky1.nash]

@steaky

I realised my solution for this issue - I do not need any visa to enter Canada as I am a green card holder. I don't need to rely on my PR or PR card to travel to Canada, I just need to carry my green card, I would be allowed to board a flight to Canada and/ or cross the land border.

 

[scylla]

I am a Canadian Permanent Resident and moving to the US as a US Legal Permanent Resident in Feb 2022. I appleid for Canadian citizenship on October 31 2021.

My current PR Card is valid until August 2023. However I want to apply for a new PR card to update it to my new married name (I got married in 2020). This is to prevent any issues with travel on commercial carriers.

The current processing time for a PR card is 110 days as per IRCC website. So, it is unlikely if I apply today that my PR card will arrive before I leave Canada. The form asks for your residential address and your mailing address. However the guide says that the PR card will not be mailed to a third party mailing address, and only to your residential address. So my problem is, I will not have a residential address in 110 days time. Any suggestions on how to get my PR card renewed?

@rajkamalmohanram

Try the PR Obligation section of the forum.