The posts by
@scylla and
@armoured more than adequately respond to the query here.
However, since the OP is expressing some reservations, and given the confusing (at-best) statement from a CBSA officer, I will offer some further, lengthy observations:
I have boked a trip to Mexico for my wife and I. She is a PR (for a long time), and I am a Canadian citizen. We are going to Playa for 10 days.
We just realized her PR card has expired.
As noted, the responses from
@scylla and
@armoured cover this.
The only SAFE approach for a PR is to travel abroad
-- with a valid PR card. or
-- plan on obtaining a PR Travel Document while abroad in order to make the flight back to Canada, or
-- arrange to travel via the U.S. so as to approach a Port-of-Entry into Canada on the land border with the U.S.
. . . for anyone reading this (looks like just a couple) . . .
Actually it looks like many have been reading this (see number of views), but only a couple posting. There is an obvious reason why: again, the responses from
@scylla and
@armoured cover the situation. No further comment or explanation seemed necessary.
As they explain,
the rule itself is simple: to board a commercial airline flight coming to Canada from abroad, a Canadian PR needs to have and present, to the AIRLINE (not to a Canadian government official or a CBSA officer), either a valid PR card or a PR Travel Document. That's the rule. It's a rule imposed on the AIRLINE, restricting who the AIRLINE may transport to Canada. (The airline, in turn, scans the PR card or PR TD and gets an automated electronic response from a CBSA operated system that approves boarding the passenger; this system is fully automated and does not facilitate alternative proof of status.)
Still, it appears that you are unsure. And you have received some confusing if not conflicting information from what should be a reliable source. Even as to this, I think the further responses by
@scylla and
@armoured are more than adequate answers.
But sure, what will actually happen, in fact happen, can always vary in this or that particular situation. And there are exceptions (for example, U.S. citizens who are Canadians can board a flight to Canada presenting only their U.S. passport).
. . . the citizenship of the traveler appears to be important. I just went to the Canada Border Services office and spoke with an officer.
He told me she can absolutely go. She just needs to travel only on her British Passport.
There are exceptions to the rule. The biggest one, as noted, is for U.S. citizens. Other exceptions are very narrow. There is no exception for PRs based on carrying a British or UK passport.
So far as anecdotal reporting goes, the airlines operate according to the rule. Since these rules came into effect (just a few years ago) the anecdotal reporting does
NOT indicate any deviating from or relaxation of the rule. Which means the probability that she would be denied boarding the flight to Canada if she does not have a valid PR card or a PR Travel Document is in the range of high to very high (and quite likely the latter).
As for explaining the CBSA officer's statement: while the "
guess" proposed by
@armoured is a good guess, a credible guess, I concur with
@scylla's "
I don't know" response juxtaposed with the certainty of the rule itself. I could explore a number of possible explanations, most oriented to confusion about the specific question itself, but that discussion would be mostly a distraction. Again, the rule is simple, and so far as we know enforced as is. So something is off about the CBSA officer's statement. There is no doubt about that. Why, again as
@scylla stated, "
I don't know."
I will note this: many, many fail to recognize or understand the difference between what documents are necessary to board commercial transportation to Canada, versus what documents are necessary to establish identity and status at a Canadian Port-of-Entry. That said, it would be surprising, and actually disappointing if not disconcerting, if this is why the CBSA officer failed to accurately answer your question.
And one other aspect in relation to this warrants highlighting: Canada imposes NO restrictions on PRs traveling abroad. Outside Canada, the Canadian PR is traveling on whatever passport the PR carries. Where a PR can travel outside Canada depends on the PR's passport. A PR card is NOT a travel document and PR status has nothing to do with a PR's travel outside Canada (well, there are exceptions, always, like in this regard, there are some differences for PRs who are also refugees or protected persons, for example).
So if the question was whether it is OK for a Canadian PR to travel to Mexico without a Canadian PR card, the official answer is YES if they carry a British passport. For sure.
Does not mean an airline will allow the PR to board a flight TO Canada if the PR cannot present a valid PR card or PR TD.
Which brings this back to emphasizing how this rule works, that it is actually a rule imposed on licensed commercial carriers, and is part of the regulations governing such carriers.
Before issuing a boarding pass to a traveler, the airline scans the required document and then a CBSA operated system verifies the individual presenting that document is approved to board the flight. The airline is not actually checking or verifying the PR's status as a PR, but simply verifying the document the PR is presenting generates approval for boarding by the CBSA system. At the time of actual boarding passengers are generally (probably near always) required to present adequate proof of identity (such as a passport), but that is separate from the
prior procedure for issuing the boarding pass itself.
Who an airline allows to board a flight is ultimately the airline's decision, and the airline's responsibility. But international passenger carriers are highly and in many respects strictly regulated. Violations tend to be costly. So the prospect of the airline allowing an individual traveler to board without the prior approval from the CBSA system is almost certainly very, very low. The system is fully automated, so there is no approval for a PR unless the PR presents a valid PR card or a PR Travel Document. The automated system does not facilitate alternative proof, not at all.
