can i leave canada before i receive my PR card

[xu]

I landed at toronto airport on 16 march 2015. my question is if i can leave Canada before i receive my PR card?
my work require my travel a lot. i don't know if i will have trouble to come back to canada without a PR card. but i do still have my landing paper and visa and work permit with me. thanks for answering my question

 

[rezafc]

No! You most probably will have problems getting back. The current PR processing time is 25 days. Just stay patient!

 

[mjaffer53]

You can leave and enter the country by land border in a private vehicle with just the landing papers. If you need to fly somewhere to the states, drive to the nearest US airport and fly within the USA.

If you need to travel outside of Canada/USA - you need to wait for your PR card.

 

[xu]

No! You most probably will have problems getting back. The current PR processing time is 25 days. Just stay patient!

thanks

 

[xu]

You can leave and enter the country by land border in a private vehicle with just the landing papers. If you need to fly somewhere to the states, drive to the nearest US airport and fly within the USA.

If you need to travel outside of Canada/USA - you need to wait for your PR card.

thanks guess i have to stay for awhile. no travel!!LOL

 

[joolery]

thanks guess i have to stay for awhile. no travel!!LOL

You can get a travel document if travelling is a must. I don't know much about it, but it's possible.

 

[hahamylove]

Guys I don't quite understand. With a work permit and multiple entry TRV issued based on the work permit, why couldn't someone re-enter Canada while waiting for PR card?

 

[clark kent]

Your work permits and other documents loses its validity once you are assigned PR Status.

I believe at the time of landing they even ask you to return your work permit. But i think if you apply for a travel document you can travel outside Canada even if you have not received your PR Card.

Not really sure about this one though.

 

[speakvishal]

I second Joolery. Get a travel document if travelling is a must. You may get it in 2-4 weeks. However, you may get your PR card before that.
It seems CIC is processing PR cards faster these days.

 

[Goku]

I second Joolery. Get a travel document if travelling is a must. You may get it in 2-4 weeks. However, you may get your PR card before that.
It seems CIC is processing PR cards faster these days.

Nope, it now its 35 calendar days + printing time + mailing time.
Source: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp

Before it was 18-21 days + printing time + mailing time. -When this was the time line it took me 42 days to receive it.

 

[mjaffer53]

You can leave and enter the country by land border in a private vehicle with just the landing papers. If you need to fly somewhere to the states, drive to the nearest US airport and fly within the USA.

If you need to travel outside of Canada/USA - you need to wait for your PR card.

 

[surya1984in]

You can very well travel outside canada while waiting for PR card. But, as others said, you need to get a travel document to step back into Canada. It might take around 2-4 weeks for the travel document issue after applying for.

 

[allee]

Just found an interesting article on this topic:
https://www.justlanded.com/english/Canada/Articles/Visas-Permits/Permanent-resident-cards

If you're from a country that requires a visa just to visit Canada, then as others have stated, you shouldn't leave until you have your PR card. If you absolutely have to, you can leave and then apply for a travel document from outside Canada, though it will take probably several weeks to be processed.

However, if you're from a visa-exempt country, it seems like you could risk it. Legally speaking, "[CBSA officials] will probably chide the traveller for travelling without their PR card, but no laws will have been broken by the traveller". Of course, it'd be up to the individual to decide if they want to take the risk of facing hassles upon re-entry.

FWIW, I have an Australian passport (ie am visa exempt), live & work in Canada, have been waiting for my PR status since early March 2014, and have flights to the US booked for end of June. I should have PR status by then (I'm "in process" at the moment), but if I don't have my PR card, I will risk leaving Canada. I'll bring printouts of correspondence from CIC to show upon my return, my PR application number etc, and the officer will just have to look me up in the system. I guess worst-case scenario they only let me back into Canada as a "visitor" to continue waiting for my PR card to show up in the post after another week or two.

 

[skidmarkz]

No! You most probably will have problems getting back. The current PR processing time is 25 days. Just stay patient!

Hi rezafc, are you sure the processing takes time about 25 days? Some said 2 months and yet to receive the card though.

Thanks

 

[Meya06]

Hi rezafc, are you sure the processing takes time about 25 days? Some said 2 months and yet to receive the card though.

Thanks

CIC just increased the processing times to 85 calendar days.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/perm-card.asp