Want to Visit Canada but having expired PR Card

[ahsan_wadood]

Hi All,
I have PR card which expired long back and I am well settled in India. I have no plans to renew my PR Card. But I want to visit my sister in Canada after visiting few other relatives in US with my family. I got US visa and I booked my tickets for May end. Now I am in a very difficult position. I read that I cannot visit Canada on expired PR Card and I need to either surrender it or apply for TD. With just 2 months what is the easiest and safest option

1 - Can I apply for TD and get it rejected as I don't meet RO (I have been to Canada for only 15 days)?
2 - What is the processing time for TD in India VFS?
3 - If the processing of TD takes more time then is there a way to get my passports back without any action on TD (as I don't want to miss the US trip).

I checked everywhere but couldn't find any good solution to my problem. Any help would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[manochan]

Hi,
First you have to apply for PRTD.
Apply online, it takes less working days than paper application.
After refusal of PRTD, you will require to;
(1) Declare to CIC that you will not appeal.
(2) Surrender your PR card, SIN card, Landing Doc, OHIB Card to CIC.
If you are sending via courier, keep acknowledgement with you as a proof.
After having done all these, you are eligible to apply for visit visa.
Good luck.

 

[Msafiri]

Cross into Canada via a US land border by non commercial means presenting the expired PR Card and landing documents i.e Form IMM1000 or COPR. The CBSA agent will either ask you some or lots of questions, let you in without report or report you. If he/she reports you they issue a removal order giving you 30 days to appeal or leave Canada. If you don't appeal then leave within the 30 days your PR is no more...I'd suggest you make sure you see CBSA when leaving Canada so they can give you paperwork confirming your departure.

If you don't appeal and stay beyond 30 days then the removal order becomes a deportation and you don't want that.

If you don't get reported then its your call as to future re-entry you can take the same path again though each time you show up at the border with an expired PR card is usually asking for Secondary Inspection with more scrutiny. This saves you the hassle of applying for a TD which is likely to be refused.

You also have more time to make a longer term plan for what you want to do with your PR status which will depend on the mercy or not of the CBSA agent you find at the land border!

 

[ahsan_wadood]

Thanks for the quick response (Msafiri and manochan).
As far as crossing through Land border is not possible for me as I will be in California during my US visit. So I will have to go with the option of submitting PRTD.

As suggested by manochan - I couldn't find any option to submit the PRTD online in CIC website. The online option is only for Visitor, Study and Work Visas.
So I shall submit through VFS office in Hyderabad, INDIA. They said that it takes 10 working days to process the PRTD.

My question is
1 - once the PRTD gets refused, then can I immediately apply for TRV?
2 - Should I submit the original PR Card and other mentioned documents along with TRV?
Because the VFS office mentioned not to submit any originals except passport. So if CIC asks me to submit the original PR Card and other documents after the refusal of TD it will cause more delay.

thanks

TRV - Temporary Resident Visa

 

[ahsan_wadood]

Adding another important and urgent question

3 - Do I have to wait for 60 days after the PRTD refusal to apply for visit visa?

I saw that mentioned in one of the forums as below -

The fastest way to relinquish your PR is to apply for a Travel Document. Include in your TD application a letter that you accept you don't meet the Residence Obligation and waive all appeal rights. You will get a refusal of the TD with a right of appeal which is an admin task in case you change your mind. If you don't appeal in 60 days then your PR status is formally cancelled and you will be classed a foreign national in dealings with CIC. The visa post may still send your a voluntary relinquishment form IMM5539B but the TD route is the new way CIC are dealing with PR abandonment overseas.

 

[steaky]

Thanks for the quick response (Msafiri and manochan).
As far as crossing through Land border is not possible for me as I will be in California during my US visit. So I will have to go with the option of submitting PRTD.

Why is it not possible? I seen lots of Washington, Oregon or California plated cars enter the border in Surrey, BC. Also, you can take a domestic flight from California to Seattle and have your relative (assuming she has a Canadian passport or US visa) in Canada to pick you up.

 

[Hasher]

Thanks for the quick response (Msafiri and manochan).
As far as crossing through Land border is not possible for me as I will be in California during my US visit. So I will have to go with the option of submitting PRTD.

As suggested by Steaky and Msafiri, it is far more better for you to Fly from California to any border city and walk down to Canada rather than applying for PRTD. You have very high chances of refusal of TD documents and/ then it will take you long route to enter Canada, whereas from US you just have to take another flight.