Canadian Permanent Resident Status – What Happens When My PR Card Expires?

Help! My PR card has expired!

When a person obtains Permanent Resident status in Canada, they are issued a Permanent Resident (PR) card that is valid for 5 years. It seems those first 5 years can go by quickly because, on quite a regular basis, I receive emails from folks who are panicked to suddenly realize that their Permanent Resident (PR) card has expired. They are afraid they have somehow lost their permanent residence in Canada.

The good news is that your PR card is not the same as your PR status. Just because your PR card expired, does not mean that you have lost your permanent resident (PR) status. You may want to apply for a new PR card, but you are still a permanent resident until you do. Think of it like a passport - a Canadian citizen whose passport expires is still a citizen, and can apply for a new one any time. The PR card works the same way.

Understanding PR status – Does Permanent Residency expire?

Once you become a Permanent Resident of Canada, you will remain a Permanent Resident until a government official takes away your status. You will know that this has happened, because it’s a very formal process with a number of different steps involved. It ends with a letter from the government officially advising you that you are no longer a Permanent Resident of Canada. 

Unlike temporary status, your PR status is not something you lose without any warning because you forgot the expiration date. 

How would I lose my Permanent Resident status?

Losing Permanent Resident status is not likely to happen for most people. The most common reasons to have your PR status revoked are for committing a serious crime, or for not meeting the residency obligation. You must spend a minimum of two years physically present in Canada during every five year period after becoming a PR. If you've done this, you've met the residency requirement. If you have been quietly minding your own business in Canada for the past five years and simply forgot the date your PR card expires, you have nothing to worry about. There is no danger of losing permanent resident status while inside Canada when your PR card expires unless you are in trouble with the law.

Having said this, there are a few other ways you can meet your residency obligation, such as working abroad for a Canadian business. This is more rare, and beyond the scope of this article, but you should seek professional advice for this situation.

The main purpose of the PR Card

A valid PR card card allows you to travel back to Canada from abroad. Because you don’t have a Canadian passport yet as a PR, Canada provides the PR card as proof that those returning from outside of Canada will be welcomed into Canada upon arrival. Commercial airlines are given significant fines if they allow someone to board an aircraft to Canada when that person doesn’t have the travel document required. In this case, the travel document for a Canadian permanent resident is the PR card.

The PR card serves as your proof to the airline that you can travel back to Canada. Although PR cards may also serve as a useful form of photo identification for other purposes inside Canada, their primary purpose is to enable you to return to Canada from abroad. 

What happens if my PR card expires while I am in Canada?

A valid PR card is only necessary if you plan to travel outside of Canada and intend to return. In that case, you should renew your PR card before you leave. Assuming you are eligible (having met the residency requirement), your new card will arrive in the mail. Canada also has an urgent processing system to allow people to renew their PR card quickly if they meet the residency requirements and require urgent travel. However, be advised, receiving urgent processing on a PR card application is extremely rare in our experience.

If you are inside Canada when your card expires, there are no immigration consequences. As long as you are inside Canada, you are presumed to have PR status, and it’s not really important for immigration purposes to have a valid PR card. The card was never intended by Canada Immigration to be an ID document for permanent residents, but some agencies in Canada do request it as proof of your PR status, so many people find it easier to keep it renewed. And of course, you may have an unexpected need to travel at any time. 

 How to re-enter Canada with an expired PR card

If you must leave Canada without a valid PR card, you cannot obtain a new card while outside Canada. Nor can you return to Canada with just your COPR, passport or other identity documents. 

You do have a couple of options in terms of travelling without a valid PR card.

You can apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) at the nearest Canadian visa office, once you are outside Canada. These applications are normally processed quickly, and you will be issued a one-time PR travel document to enable you to return to Canada. It is not possible to apply for a PR Travel Document in advance of your trip - you must already be abroad.

The second option is to fly to the United States and then drive to a Canadian land border. Because you are a Permanent Resident, you are entitled to enter Canada at any border. The border officers will verify your other ID documents and confirm that your permanent resident status has never been revoked. As long as you've meet your residency obligations, you will be fine. You will be allowed back into the country at a land border, even without a valid PR card. As long as you have the 730 days of residence, you can apply for a new PR card any time once you have successfully re-entered Canada.

Can I work in Canada if my PR card has expired?

Yes, as mentioned above, the PR card itself does not determine your status. If you are in Canada and your permanent resident card has expired (or perhaps was lost or stolen), and no one has officially taken away your PR status – then you are presumed to be a Permanent Resident of Canada indefinitely, and can legally work. It is probably still a good idea to renew the card in case you need to travel outside Canada in future, as the processing time can be several months - possibly longer in complex cases where it is not clear you met the residency requirement. 

By the way, your SIN number does not expire when your PR card expires. When you became a permanent resident, the federal government issued you a permanent SIN number, and you can continue to use that SIN number even without a valid PR card.

The Way Immigration is happy to help you understand your status in Canada and avoid problems while travelling. We can assist you to obtain the necessary documents required to prove your immigration status and can advise people doing their own process, or prepare the application package for you. Arrange an appointment today with our immigration consultant in Alberta, and gain the peace of mind that comes from understanding exactly what’s important for your specific situation.