Renew PR Card in Canada

Renew Permanent Resident Card in Canada

When you are a permanent resident of Canada, you must have a valid permanent resident card  to travel abroad and return to Canada. Hence, you ought to check when your card expires before the trip abroad. If the card is close to the expiry date, you must renew your PR card while in Canada. If you are abroad and you need to renew your PR card to return to Canada, you have to apply for an IMM 5529 (Permanent Resident Travel Document) from outside the country.

As a rule, PR cards are valid for five years, but sometimes they are issued for one year. If your PR card is expired or valid for less than nine months, you can submit an application to renew your PR card in Canada. The new card will have a new expiration date listed on the card. Nevertheless, you must remember that you do not lose your permanent resident status when your PR card expires.

If you want to renew your PR card in Canada, you need to meet the eligibility requirements:

1. You ought to be a Canadian permanent resident.
2. You must currently be present in Canada.
3. You ought to meet the residency requirements. If you have been a permanent resident for less than five years, you must live at least 730 days in Canada within five years of the date you became a permanent resident. If you have been a permanent resident for five and more years, you must have been physically present in the country for a minimum of 730 days within the previous five years.
4. You must not be convicted of an offense related to the misuse of a PR card.
5. You must not be under an effective removal order.
6. You must not be a Canadian citizen.

When you meet the eligibility criteria, you ought to follow several steps to renew your Permanent Resident card in Canada. The first step is to obtain the application package. It includes the IMM 5444 (Application for a Permanent Resident Card), IMM 5445 (Instruction Guide), IMM 5644 (Document Checklist), and Photograph Specifications for Permanent Resident Cards. The instruction guide may help you to complete all forms correctly, and the checklist will help you to submit all required documents.

Depending on your situation, you may need to submit additional forms to renew your Permanent Resident card in Canada.

1. IMM 5476 (Use of a Representative) or IMM 5475 (Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual).
2. IRM 0002 (Request for a Change of Gender Identifier or Sex).
3. IRM 0004 (Confirmation of Eligibility for a Name Change).
4. Remember, there is also a Statutory Declaration to Reclaim an Indigenous Name on Canadian Citizenship Certificates or Permanent Resident Cards form IRM 0005.

To renew a PR card in Canada, you must include the following documents.

1. You must submit a photocopy of your Permanent Resident card and keep the original with you.
2. You have to provide a clear photocopy of your identity document. It can be your valid passport or travel document, the passport or travel document you held when you became a permanent resident, the certificate of identity or travel document issued by IRCC or a government of a foreign country. The photocopy of the document must include your name, photo, date of birth, document type, number, issue, and expiry date.
3. You need to include two identical photos taken within six months of the date of applying to renew your PR card in Canada. You should put them in a small envelope and write your name on it. Moreover, your photos must meet the Photograph Specifications. Otherwise, an officer in charge may return your application to you. To avoid this situation, you need to print the Photograph Specifications and give them to your photographer.
4. You may need to provide any other documents listed in the Document Checklist.
5. You ought to include a copy of the processing fee receipt.

If you forget to include something or photocopies are not clear, your application will be returned to you. Then, you will have to submit a new application to renew your PR card in Canada. Moreover, the officer may ask you for more documents during the processing of your application. The processing of the application can be delayed if you do not submit the requested documents on time.

The second step is to pay the processing fee to renew your PR card in Canada. You must pay the PR card application fee of 50 CAD online. To pay your fees, you need to have a valid email address, access to a printer, and a debit (credit) card. You have to visit the web page for online payment, follow the online instructions, print two copies of the IRCC official receipt with barcode, attach one copy of this receipt to your completed application, and keep the second copy for your records. IRCC does not refund the processing fees. You ought to make sure you are eligible before you apply to renew your PR card in Canada.

The third step is to submit your application. You need to make sure that you fill in all required forms, sign your application and other forms, include the receipt for your payment, and attach all the supporting documents. Then you can send your application package to renew your PR card in Canada to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney, Nova Scotia. When the officer gets a complete application package, they start to process your application. On average, it takes 120 days to renew a PR card in Canada. However, you can qualify for urgent PR card processing. To qualify for it, you must prove that you need a valid PR card within three months since you must travel abroad due to your serious illness, a job opportunity, a serious illness, or the death of a family member.

You are required to include the following documents to show that you need to renew your PR card in Canada urgently. If some documents are in languages other than English or French, you need to submit their official translation.

1. You ought to attach a copy of a ticket or an itinerary showing the destination and dates of your trip.
2. You need to submit a copy of the payment receipt for travel showing the date, full amount, and method of payment.
3. You have to write a letter explaining the reason for the urgent need to renew your PR card in Canada.
4. You must add proof of urgency, such as a death certificate, a doctor’s note, or a letter from your employer.

To renew your PR card in Canada as quickly as possible, you must write “Urgent” on your envelope. However, the officer may not process your application urgently if you do not send all those documents. You can check the status of your application to renew your PR card in Canada online by following the instructions on the web page.

The last step is to obtain a new PR card. If the officer approves your application to renew your PR card in Canada, they send you a PR card by mail. However, the officer cannot send your card to a third-party or non-Canadian address. If the officer asks you to come to a local IRCC (Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada) office to pick up a new card, you are required to bring your old card and all the copies you had included with your application. You will have to destroy your old card after you obtain the new one, either in person or by mail. If you do not pick your PR card up within 180 days, the officer destroys it, and you must apply for a new one.

 

In case, if you need help with application to renew Permanent Resident card in Canada, please fill in application below or contact us directly.