I chatted with a VAC agent and he said it is required to have 6 months passport validity upon entering Canada even for Permanent residents. Is this true???
Travel to Canada on PR immigrant visa; Passport Expiry in 2 months
- Thread starter Sohum
- Start date
Hello, I would just like to ask for assistance and get a credible answer for my situation.
I have an immigrant visa to Canada stamped on my Philippine passport and a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR). I will leave Philippines on May 2018, but my passport expires the following month on June 2018. I know that we have a 6 month validity rule when travelling, but will I be ceased to fly and leave, given my visa and Canadian permanent resident status? My Canadian consultant said that it is okay to travel to Canada, but I would like to confirm this. I am anxious that the Philippine immigration at the airport would stop me from leaving. My ticket is just one-way to Canada anyway, with a connecting flight in Pudong, China.
I hope you could help me have a plausible answer. Will I be able to have a hassle-free pass?
I have an immigrant visa to Canada stamped on my Philippine passport and a Confirmation of Permanent Residence (CoPR). I will leave Philippines on May 2018, but my passport expires the following month on June 2018. I know that we have a 6 month validity rule when travelling, but will I be ceased to fly and leave, given my visa and Canadian permanent resident status? My Canadian consultant said that it is okay to travel to Canada, but I would like to confirm this. I am anxious that the Philippine immigration at the airport would stop me from leaving. My ticket is just one-way to Canada anyway, with a connecting flight in Pudong, China.
I hope you could help me have a plausible answer. Will I be able to have a hassle-free pass?
I emailed the Bureau of Immigration and this is their computer-generated response:
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations require non-visa-exempt passport holders to carry both a valid visa and a valid passport. Note that the valid visa does not have to be in the valid passport. A valid Canadian visa in a passport which is expired or has been cancelled without prejudice (e.g. for renewal) can still be used since the expiration of the passport has no effect on the visa's validity. However you must then travel with both the new valid passport and the expired/cancelled passport containing the valid visa. If you renewed your passport to reflect your married name, it may be advisable to bring an original copy of your marriage certificate as proof of identity.
Note that the Philippine Bureau of Immigration requires all Filipinos travelling abroad to carry a passport which is valid for at least six months. For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact the Bureau of Immigration.
Immigration Section - Bureau de visa
Embassy of Canada, Manila - Ambassade du Canada, Manille
www.philippines.gc.ca
Dear Sir/Madam,
The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations require non-visa-exempt passport holders to carry both a valid visa and a valid passport. Note that the valid visa does not have to be in the valid passport. A valid Canadian visa in a passport which is expired or has been cancelled without prejudice (e.g. for renewal) can still be used since the expiration of the passport has no effect on the visa's validity. However you must then travel with both the new valid passport and the expired/cancelled passport containing the valid visa. If you renewed your passport to reflect your married name, it may be advisable to bring an original copy of your marriage certificate as proof of identity.
Note that the Philippine Bureau of Immigration requires all Filipinos travelling abroad to carry a passport which is valid for at least six months. For inquiries regarding this matter, please contact the Bureau of Immigration.
Immigration Section - Bureau de visa
Embassy of Canada, Manila - Ambassade du Canada, Manille
www.philippines.gc.ca
I have no knowledge on this but reading this post does it not say that a Philippine passport holder must travel with a passport that has 6 months on it. Whether you are a to be or even already a Canadian PR is not relevant given you are still a citizen of the Philippines so that rule applies.
The fact you do not need 6 months to enter Canada is a separate consideration once you are out of the Phillipines so guess depends if you expect a passport check leaving. Also whilst you might have a COPR you are not a PR until you successfully complete your initial landing.
Is it not usually easier to renew a passport in a home country than outside ?
That’s my interpretation anyway for what it is worth.
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Hi Michael-Angelo,
I have similar problem as you had. My passport validity period will be shorter than six months at the moment I plan to enter Canada. I would be grateful if you share with me your experience. Did you re-new your passport or what did you do? I wrote to Embassy of Canada in Vienna (the office that issued my immigrant visa) but they did not replay to me.
Thanks in advance!
I have similar problem as you had. My passport validity period will be shorter than six months at the moment I plan to enter Canada. I would be grateful if you share with me your experience. Did you re-new your passport or what did you do? I wrote to Embassy of Canada in Vienna (the office that issued my immigrant visa) but they did not replay to me.
Thanks in advance!
Hi Michael-Angelo,
I have similar problem as you had. My passport validity period will be shorter than a month at the moment I plan to enter Canada. I would be grateful if you would share with me your experience. Did you renew your passport or what did you do? Did you traveled with both the old and the new passports.
Thanks in advance!
I have received Canadian PR immigrant visa on June 11, 2018, my visa expiry is 10 June 2019 and passport Expiry is in 7 Aug 2019.
I plan to travel from Dhaka to Toronto, Canada in the coming march 2019. But, I came to know that one cannot travel during last 6 six months when your passport is about to expire.
Though it is an Immigrant visa (single entry) but also agent told me that airline will not allow me to on-board. That is why, already I collected new passport. Can anyone tell me, will it be an issue in canadian immigration as visa is in my old passport?
Thanks a lot in advance for your attention.
I plan to travel from Dhaka to Toronto, Canada in the coming march 2019. But, I came to know that one cannot travel during last 6 six months when your passport is about to expire.
Though it is an Immigrant visa (single entry) but also agent told me that airline will not allow me to on-board. That is why, already I collected new passport. Can anyone tell me, will it be an issue in canadian immigration as visa is in my old passport?
Thanks a lot in advance for your attention.
Hi, I had the same problem and I wrote to the Canadian centre that issued my first visa. Their response was as follows:
“With reference to your email below, please be informed that you have the possibility to apply for a replacement of your visa. You must send documents below to our office either via postal or courier service:
· Verification of Status or Replacement of an Immigration Document: https://www.canada.ca/content/dam/ircc/migration/ircc/english/pdf/kits/forms/imm5009e.pdf
· Proof of payment of the processing fee $30 CAD:
https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/services/application/application-forms-guides/guide-5545-application-verification-status-vos-replacement-immigration-document.html#5545E5
· Your immigration documents (Passport(s) with the visa and the COPRs).
Please note that you will require a valid passport / travel document for us to replace the visa and the immigration documents. A replacement visa must be affixed in a passport / travel document and cannot be sent electronically. “
I did as they required and got a new visa in a new passport as well as a new COPR after 7-10 days, cannot remember exactly.
How did you contact the
Centre? Is the Centre specific to Bangladesh or for all countries? Could you please provide the link?
So what happened finally? Though the question is many years late, I would still like to know.
As I wrote before, I sent my new passport to the regional office, which was in Vienna in my case, and they issued me the new visa in the new passport. Just to be clear I first sent my old passport ( at that time it was valid) to get the visa first, and than I filled all the forms I mentioned in my previous post and they reissued the new visa. Hope this will help!
My advice is to contact your regional canadian visa office center as I did. Do not call immigration service in Canada it’s a waste of money since they wouldn’t have any helpful advice because they don’t issue visas. I tried that!
My advice is to contact your regional canadian visa office center as I did. Do not call immigration service in Canada it’s a waste of money since they wouldn’t have any helpful advice because they don’t issue visas. I tried that!
Hi All,
Glad to inform you that I got my COPR on 29th of October. Thanks to all of you for your guidance and motivational words. Below is my timeline:
AOR:30 March
PPR:17th October
COPR:29th October
--
Further, I have a query regarding the possibilities of landing based on expiry date of my passport. We are planning to travel in March (before the visa expiry). However, my passport will expire in June (i.e., 3 months validity from our travel). Can we travel/land three months prior to the passport expiry or we need to have at least 6 months validity of passport?? Also, what if I opt for re-issuing my passport? What if the old passport and new passports have different addresses? What are the possible solutions in this case?? Anyone who has encountered this situation or who knows about it, please guide.
Glad to inform you that I got my COPR on 29th of October. Thanks to all of you for your guidance and motivational words. Below is my timeline:
AOR:30 March
PPR:17th October
COPR:29th October
--
Further, I have a query regarding the possibilities of landing based on expiry date of my passport. We are planning to travel in March (before the visa expiry). However, my passport will expire in June (i.e., 3 months validity from our travel). Can we travel/land three months prior to the passport expiry or we need to have at least 6 months validity of passport?? Also, what if I opt for re-issuing my passport? What if the old passport and new passports have different addresses? What are the possible solutions in this case?? Anyone who has encountered this situation or who knows about it, please guide.
