Current processing times for pr card applications have reached nearly 300 days.
Renew your PR card online – URGENT PROCESSING
Applying for a PR Card with a Request for Urgent Processing
To be eligible for PR card urgent processing, the reason for your travel outside Canada must be for:
- the serious illness of a family member
- the death of a family member
- your own serious illness
- a job opportunity
- work related to your current job
It may be possible for your PR card to be processed urgently under other circumstances which are beyond your control and force you to travel urgently. With current PR card processing times close to 300 days, many more people will find themselves in situations where urgent processing is required.
Even when your travel meets the requirements for urgent PR card processing, there is no guarantee that IRCC will process the application urgently – the decision for urgent processing is at the discretion of the officer making the decision.
You must have proof of the reason for your travel in order to request urgent PR card processing, as well as proof of what negative impact failure to travel or failure to be able to return to Canada will have on you. If you aren’t sure what kind of proof you need to meet the requirements for urgent PR card processing, contact us.
If you are a permanent resident and need to travel outside Canada unexpectedly or in the near future but do not have a valid PR card, then you can request that your PR card application be processed urgently by IRCC.
IRCC used to allow urgent processing for any pending travel which was already paid for. Unfortunately they no longer recognize any sort of travel as valid grounds for urgent PR card processing. You must meet the requirements listed above.
Urgent PR Card Requirements
In order for your urgent PR card application to be approved, you still need to meet the residency obligation of having spent at least 730 days out of the past 5 years in Canada, or fall under one of the exemptions.
Traveling Outside Canada without a Valid PR card
If you submit an application for a PR card with a request for urgent processing, and the request for urgent processing is not accepted, you may still need to travel outside Canada.
If you have to travel outside Canada and do not have a valid PR card to get back, you can apply for a PR travel document instead. This application is submitted at the VAC in the country where you are traveling. Processing times for PR travel documents vary widely from country to country, and processing times are not posted by IRCC.
PR travel document applicants are subject to the same residency requirement as PR card applicants. Contact us if you need assistance applying for a PR travel document.
If you fall under one of the legal exemptions to the PR residency requirement, contact us – your PR card application will need to contain more information than a standard renewal application.
If you do not meet the residency requirement, but still need to travel outside Canada, contact us for more information – it may still be possible to do so on Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds.
It is recommended that any person traveling outside Canada obtain a PR card before doing so, as you will not be allowed to board the plane back to Canada without a valid PR card or PR travel document.
