PR Renewal Question – eCOPR Issued While Outside Canada

[abbyzzz]

Hello everyone,

I’m hoping to get some clarification regarding my PR card renewal application.

At the time my eCOPR was issued, I was actually outside Canada. However, the requirement at that time was that applicants had to confirm they were inside Canada before the eCOPR was issued, so the eCOPR shows a date when I was technically still abroad.

Now that I’m renewing my PR card, I’m unsure how to correctly answer the following:

1. Date you became a permanent resident
   Should I use the date shown on the back of the PR card / eCOPR (e.g. 2020-01-01), or the actual date I physically entered Canada?
2. Time spent outside Canada
   If I use the date on the card (e.g. 2020-01-01) as the PR start date, should I indicate that:
   • I was in Canada on 2020-01-01, and
   • then mark myself as outside Canada starting 2020-01-02 until my actual date of entry?

I want to make sure the information is accurate and consistent to avoid any issues.

Thank you very much for your help!