Nearly five years ago, the Canadian government issued its first 'Permanent Resident Card' for Canadian Permanent Residents (PRs). Canadian citizens don't require this card and once PRs themselves become citizens, they no longer require it either.
Generally, if a PR travels anywhere outside Canada (using commercial carriage, such as a bus, plane etc.), then he/she must be able to present his/her valid PR Card in order to board and gain re-entry back into Canada. If he/she does not have such a (valid) card, he/she might then have to obtain an emergency travel document from the nearest Canadian emergency-travel-document-issuing authority (which might end up not being so near at all!), in order to get back home. Frankly, if you are at the close of your voyage and you're familiar with that 'just wanting to go home already' feeling, who then needs this kind of hassle and headache?! We're not even talking about lost time, lost money and maybe even your ticket home!
Well, those first cards which were issued by Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) way back in June 2002, are nearing their 5-year expiry date. This means that if you are a PR and you plan on travelling outside Canada some time soon, and you currently have a valid PR Card, then please check the expiry date on your card before leaving Canada. If there is enough time to renew your card before travel, then by all means do so; otherwise, you may have to contact CIC in order to request a rush service and/or perhaps consider modifying your travel plans.
Not to belabour the point, but if you are a PR and have never had any card at all yet, you might want to consider applying for one asap. One never knows when one might be unexpectedly summoned outside of Canada and when that happens, the last thing you'll want to be fretting about is about being able to eventually get back into Canada.
Make your trip an enjoyable one, one that will end happily. Plan ahead.
See: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pr-card.pdf
Generally, if a PR travels anywhere outside Canada (using commercial carriage, such as a bus, plane etc.), then he/she must be able to present his/her valid PR Card in order to board and gain re-entry back into Canada. If he/she does not have such a (valid) card, he/she might then have to obtain an emergency travel document from the nearest Canadian emergency-travel-document-issuing authority (which might end up not being so near at all!), in order to get back home. Frankly, if you are at the close of your voyage and you're familiar with that 'just wanting to go home already' feeling, who then needs this kind of hassle and headache?! We're not even talking about lost time, lost money and maybe even your ticket home!
Well, those first cards which were issued by Citizenship & Immigration Canada (CIC) way back in June 2002, are nearing their 5-year expiry date. This means that if you are a PR and you plan on travelling outside Canada some time soon, and you currently have a valid PR Card, then please check the expiry date on your card before leaving Canada. If there is enough time to renew your card before travel, then by all means do so; otherwise, you may have to contact CIC in order to request a rush service and/or perhaps consider modifying your travel plans.
Not to belabour the point, but if you are a PR and have never had any card at all yet, you might want to consider applying for one asap. One never knows when one might be unexpectedly summoned outside of Canada and when that happens, the last thing you'll want to be fretting about is about being able to eventually get back into Canada.
Make your trip an enjoyable one, one that will end happily. Plan ahead.
See: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pr-card.pdf
