Gregory James
Immigration Law Firm
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Permanent Residence Card
Permanent residents are issued a permanent residence card to use as proof of status. This card is sometimes called the Maple Leaf card.
Technically, this card is intended to serve a very limited purpose. Of course, the permanent resident is free to use the card for general identification purposes, but this is NOT what it is intended for.
The purpose of this card is to enable permanent residents to board commercial vehicles when travelling to Canada. This includes commercial vehicles such as airplanes, ships, buses, trains and taxis. If the permanent resident is travelling to Canada in a private vehicle, such as their own car, they do not require a permanent residence card.
There is no requirement that the PR card be used for anything else. Therefore, unless a permanent resident intends to travel outside of Canada and return on a commercial carrier, the permanent resident does not need to have a PR card. No official or business is entitled to demand to see the PR card except in the circumstances described above.
New immigrants automatically receive permanent resident cards soon after they first arrive in Canada. The permanent residence card is usually valid for a five year period. In order to renew the card the holder has to prove that he or she has met the residency requirements of permanent residence. This usually means that the person has physically resided in Canada for at leave 730 days in the last five year period.
If the person cannot prove that, he or she risks losing his or her permanent residence status and being order deported.
For more information on the residency requirement and loss of permanent resident status see Loss of Permanent Residence Status.
For information on what to do if you are a permanent resident outside of Canada and you do not have a PR Card, see Permanent Resident Travel Document.
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