PR Card Renewal

Most PR cards are valid for 5 years, though some are issued for just one. Look at the expiry date on your card to be sure.

You are allowed to ask for a new card when yours expires in under 9 months. Processing times are estimates, so your new card may not arrive before you travel.

Below are the processing times IRCC, Canada's immigration department, is reporting right now. They shift over time, so read them as an estimate rather than a guarantee.

These figures are pulled from the IRCC processing times tool. No matter how quickly things move, the fastest possible processing is a three-week wait. When your travel date is close, you can ask for urgent processing, though even urgent requests can't beat that minimum, so apply as early as you can.

Applications go through the Permanent Residence Portal. That is IRCC's online space where permanent residents complete forms, add documents, and submit their applications.

1. Open the portal and fill out the form for a new permanent resident card (IMM 5444).
2. If a question confuses you, check the instruction guide (IMM 5445).
3. Work through the Document checklist (IMM 5644) and upload it in the portal, so you can confirm you have not missed anything.
4. Check the instruction guide for any additional forms or supporting documents you need to upload. Your circumstances may mean more than the main form is required.
5. Pay the fee to IRCC online, then upload the receipt under the portal's Fee Payment section. That receipt is your proof of payment.

Someone helping you with the application is called a representative. Representatives can be paid or unpaid, and when one is involved, you fill out the form naming your representative (IMM 5476).

IRCC can also help with technical trouble, such as photo problems, and offers alternate formats, including braille and large print.

Inside Canada, you just request a fresh card in the portal, same as with a renewal. The same forms, checklist, and fee payment apply.

Outside Canada, things work differently. If you're outside Canada without a valid PR card, you need a permanent resident travel document to return by airplane, boat, train or bus. IRCC's list of reasons for being abroad without a valid card includes an expired card, along with one that is damaged, lost, or stolen.

A permanent resident travel document (PRTD) lets you fly or travel back to Canada when you don't have a valid PR card with you. You can request a PRTD when every one of these describes you:

• You hold permanent resident status in Canada.
• No valid PR card shows that status.
• You are currently outside Canada.
• Your trip back will be by airplane, boat, train, or bus.

To apply online, fill out the PRTD application (IMM 5444) in the Permanent Residence Portal, the same form number used for a PR card. If online does not work for you and you need accommodations, including for accessibility, a paper version is available.

The application package holds the instruction guide plus every form you need. IRCC suggests working from the checklist so every form and document is included. A representative is optional when requesting a PRTD.

Urgent PRTD applications are possible in cases such as serious illness or a PR card that was lost or stolen.

Applicants from China have to add an "Inquiry of Exit & Entry Record", a document covering their comings and goings from China over the previous five years.

A PRTD is the wrong application if you plan to give up permanent resident status and visit Canada as a tourist instead. IRCC's guidance there is to ask to renounce your permanent resident status.

Your PR card names should line up with those in your foreign passport. Space on the card is limited: up to 28 letters for your first names and 28 for your last names.

Did IRCC get something wrong or leave something off your card? You can ask for a reissued card at no charge. Include your Record of Landing (IMM 1000) copy, or your Confirmation of Permanent Residence copy, with that application. When a photo is behind the problem, add two photos as well.

If the error came from your own application, or you just want your details updated, then a new card is what you need. To update the sex or gender identifier printed on your card, fill in the IRM 0002 change-of-sex-or-gender request form.