Urgent advice needed - I'm abroad approved PR but not PR card yet PR travel document advice

[verved]

hello,
thank you for your help.

I'm a dual citizenship (EU+UK). I live and work in quebec since 2014. I have an open work permit with my UK passport, and I have an approved PR (approved in March 2025) with my Italian passport. Unfortunately my PR card still hasn't arrived in the post even though its been so long.

I urgently had to leave the country because my father is extremely ill and dying. I went to see him. I'm due to return on june 8th to Montreal (via airport) with my two children (they are born in montreal with canadian passports). I was told i will be refused entry because I dont have my PR card yet and I'm freaking out now. The girls have school, they are in shared custody with their mother and I have a job to return to...

I applied to for a permanent residence travel card yesterday. I submitted documentation about my father's health, letter of explanation. my dual passports, the girls passports etc.

Currently the application just says 'submitted' and i cant view it. I have no idea how long it will take and whether it will even be approved???

Any advice on what I can/should do now? A lawyer told me to fly to the US and drive to Montreal and cross the border, but i dont undrestand what I would do at the border? do i say i have pr but no card? do i just show my open work permit with my UK passport?

Any advice will greatly help me I'm really freaking out and flying to the US is a huge detour to do with two kids not to mention the costs...

 

[scylla]

hello,
thank you for your help.

I'm a dual citizenship (EU+UK). I live and work in quebec since 2014. I have an open work permit with my UK passport, and I have an approved PR (approved in March 2025) with my Italian passport. Unfortunately my PR card still hasn't arrived in the post even though its been so long.

I urgently had to leave the country because my father is extremely ill and dying. I went to see him. I'm due to return on june 8th to Montreal (via airport) with my two children (they are born in montreal with canadian passports). I was told i will be refused entry because I dont have my PR card yet and I'm freaking out now. The girls have school, they are in shared custody with their mother and I have a job to return to...

I applied to for a permanent residence travel card yesterday. I submitted documentation about my father's health, letter of explanation. my dual passports, the girls passports etc.

Currently the application just says 'submitted' and i cant view it. I have no idea how long it will take and whether it will even be approved???

Any advice on what I can/should do now? A lawyer told me to fly to the US and drive to Montreal and cross the border, but i dont undrestand what I would do at the border? do i say i have pr but no card? do i just show my open work permit with my UK passport?

Any advice will greatly help me I'm really freaking out and flying to the US is a huge detour to do with two kids not to mention the costs...

Without a valid PR card or PRTD you will not be able to board the airplane on your return back to Canada. You are required to be holding one of these things in order for the airline to let you board. If you don't have one of these things, your problem won't be at the Canadian border. This problem will be boarding the airplane.

The lawyer is right. Without either a PR card or PRTD, you can still fly to the US and re-enter Canada through a land border using a private vehicle. Different rules.