PR Card Renewals
The Permanent Resident card (also known as a PR Card) is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be used as a valid identity document for persons traveling abroad and returning to Canada by car, bus, airline or any other means of transportation. Therefore, it is important to have a valid PR card in order to be allowed to enter Canada.
When you are granted Canadian permanent residence, you are issued a Canadian PR Card. Other permanent residents who hold Record of Landing documents but who have not yet applied for a PR card will need to make an application to CIC. The PR Card is valid for 5 years and should be used for travel when you return to Canada from abroad. Upon expiry of your PR Card, you should consider renewing it if you wish to continue travelling outside Canada. You do not want to travel with an expired PR Card or you could get turned away.
Generally speaking, the process to renew a PR may take a few weeks. It is therefore advisable that you renew your card well in advance of the expiry, especially if you expect to travel outside of Canada. CIC recommends that you file an application for renewal two months prior to expiry.
Bridging Work Permit
As of December 15, 2012, Citizenship and Immigration Canada announced that they would be allowing permanent resident applicants to obtain work permits while they are awaiting the finalization of their application. This will allow permanent resident applicants to now work while they are awaiting the answer on their application!
Who is eligible for the Bridging Work Permit?
- Federal Skilled Worker Applicants
- Canadian Experience Class Applicants
- Federal Skilled Trades Program Applicants
- Provincial Nominees
What are the requirements?
In order to be eligible, you must fall into one of the above categories, and you must also meet the following criteria:
- You are currently in Canada
- You have a valid temporary Work Permit, and it is set to expire within four months.
- You have received a positive decision on your permanent resident application under an economic class, Federal Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, or the Federal Skilled Trades Program.
- You have made an application for an Open Work Permit.
This new Open Work Permit is a significant program in Canadian immigration and allows applicants to work during the processing of their PR applications.
Restoration of Status
There are many ways that people who come to Canada legally can suddenly find themselves here without valid status. Some may simply forget to submit applications to extend their status prior to the end of the period of their authorized stay.Others may submit their extension applications on time only to have Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) later refuse or reject their applications for being incomplete, leaving them without status in Canada.
Restoration of status
For many, exiting Canada and re-entering is simply too risky or too expensive. Luckily, Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations provide that if a visitor, worker or student loses their status in Canada, then they can apply to restore their status within 90 days of their status expiring. Restoration applications must be submitted either online or by mail to IRCC. Restoration applications cannot be submitted while entering Canada at a Canadian port of entry.
It is vital that foreign nationals submit their restoration applications within the 90-day period after their temporary resident status expires. The failure to do so will automatically result in the restoration application being refused. For those who lose status because IRCC refused their temporary residence extension application, the 90-day window to apply for restoration starts on the date that IRCC refuses the extension application, rather than the day that the applicant receives the decision. Although this may seem unfair to those who lose time due to postage delays, the Federal Court has held that this rule even applies where there is a 90-day delay between IRCC refusing an application and the applicant receiving the decision.
Finally, it is important to note that students cannot study during the restoration period, and foreign workers cannot work.
Miscellaneous Services
Other miscellaneous immigration services offered by us include those listed below. Many of our clients are happy to relieve themselves of the headaches of preparing paperwork and having to deal with government red tape by outsourcing this work to our professional team of immigration experts. Getting started is easy. Just fill out the contact form at the bottom of the page here and we’ll get back to you (within 24 hours) to discuss your eligibility and options.
- Extension Refusal Reviews
- IEC Youth Professional Work
- Immigration Interviews
- International Mobility Work Visas
- In-Canada Stay Extension
- Past Records Research and Assessment
- Port of Entry Examinations
- Religious Worker Visas and Permits
- Section 44 Notices-Responses
- PNP Federal Part Representation
Having an experienced legal counsel by your side will make the immigration process simple and headache-free. Wherever you are in the immigration process, we can help you move forward. If you have already submitted an application and received a refusal, we can assess your situation and assist you in re-applying.
