Expired PR card crossing borders and CBSA asked to contact IRCC

[Ponga]

Hi Sricand, which border are you planning to cross into Canada?

It doesn't matter.

The decision to report the PR is made by the CBSA officer; the choice of which border crossing to use is irrelevant.

 

[abff08f4813c]

It doesn't matter.

The decision to report the PR is made by the CBSA officer; the choice of which border crossing to use is irrelevant.

This is true, but ddtofe may be asking Sricand this question for other reasons - for example, to get a feel for how busy the station is and if this sort of thing is something that feels like they commonly handle (vs being less common).

 

[Sricand]

This is true, but ddtofe may be asking Sricand this question for other reasons - for example, to get a feel for how busy the station is and if this sort of thing is something that feels like they commonly handle (vs being less common).

OK. Long post warning! I had wanted to share my experience to this helpful group and here it goes.. I landed in Buffalo, took a rental car and crossed into Canada via the Lewiston Bridge. I did not choose the border.. Google did.. It was literally empty. I showed the officer my Passport and expired PR card. He asked me how long I was in US (1 day) and how long was I out of Canada (5 years). He started writing this on a Yellow piece of paper, handed it to me and asked me to proceed to the Main Entrance of the building on the right. I handed in the yellow slip, Expired PR card and my PP to one of the officers inside the building and was asked to wait. In about 15 mins, I was called by an officer to explain my situation. I had a family member illness situation due to which I had to be out of Canada which led "partially" to my RO non-compliance. However, in my case, I also had a confirmed job offer letter in a Canadian company, and a rental agreement to show that I intended to settle in Canada. I also had prepared a file with these documents along with the relevant medical reports. This file was reviewed by the officer- believe me..they thoroughly review . Then he handed over my passport plus expired card and said I am good to go! No paperwork to sign, no official document handed over..So, I am assuming that I was not reported. At this point, I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I was let go..reasoning this would likely be complex.. I am thankful to all the responders of my queries in this Forum. This forum has surely helped me prepare for this. Most important prep I felt was the file. Each case in unique and it really depends on each one's circumstances on what happens at the border. CBSA officers were very professional, none of them had a questionable or intimidating attitude.. I did not use any lawyer. This forum was pretty much what I used to check everyday . Upon entering, I managed to visit Service Ontario to reinstate my Health Card (rental agreement was useful to prove address and intent to stay; aligning with earlier comments in this thread) and visited Drivetest to take knowledge test and successfully got my G1 license too. So, overall, a positive experience. Again, this is my experience and it may or may not be the same for others as circumstances differ.. Good luck to anyone who is planning to cross the border into Canada with an expired PR card and with a true intention to settle here.

 

[ddtofe]

OK. Long post warning! I had wanted to share my experience to this helpful group and here it goes.. I landed in Buffalo, took a rental car and crossed into Canada via the Lewiston Bridge. I did not choose the border.. Google did.. It was literally empty. I showed the officer my Passport and expired PR card. He asked me how long I was in US (1 day) and how long was I out of Canada (5 years). He started writing this on a Yellow piece of paper, handed it to me and asked me to proceed to the Main Entrance of the building on the right. I handed in the yellow slip, Expired PR card and my PP to one of the officers inside the building and was asked to wait. In about 15 mins, I was called by an officer to explain my situation. I had a family member illness situation due to which I had to be out of Canada which led "partially" to my RO non-compliance. However, in my case, I also had a confirmed job offer letter in a Canadian company, and a rental agreement to show that I intended to settle in Canada. I also had prepared a file with these documents along with the relevant medical reports. This file was reviewed by the officer- believe me..they thoroughly review . Then he handed over my passport plus expired card and said I am good to go! No paperwork to sign, no official document handed over..So, I am assuming that I was not reported. At this point, I cannot pinpoint the exact reason why I was let go..reasoning this would likely be complex.. I am thankful to all the responders of my queries in this Forum. This forum has surely helped me prepare for this. Most important prep I felt was the file. Each case in unique and it really depends on each one's circumstances on what happens at the border. CBSA officers were very professional, none of them had a questionable or intimidating attitude.. I did not use any lawyer. This forum was pretty much what I used to check everyday . Upon entering, I managed to visit Service Ontario to reinstate my Health Card (rental agreement was useful to prove address and intent to stay; aligning with earlier comments in this thread) and visited Drivetest to take knowledge test and successfully got my G1 license too. So, overall, a positive experience. Again, this is my experience and it may or may not be the same for others as circumstances differ.. Good luck to anyone who is planning to cross the border into Canada with an expired PR card and with a true intention to settle here.

Congratulations! I can imagine this must be immense relief for you and feel like weight lifted over your shoulders.. awesome!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation as you, and wondering how did you book the rental car? Was it a cab or did you drive yourself? Did you use any of the main rental companies in US like Enterprise, Avis etc.? I read that they don't allow you to book one way rentals where the pickup is in USA and drop-off is in Canada.. is that true? Also, regarding the file, did you prepare a main letter of explanation detailing all that you wanted to say, or did you just put together all the medical /employment/rental documents? And lastly, regarding the specific medical issue your family member faced, is it classified under the H&C considerations? I'm not sure which medical issues are considered under H&C and which one's aren't..

Thank you for keeping us updated and great to hear back from you!

 

[Sricand]

Congratulations! I can imagine this must be immense relief for you and feel like weight lifted over your shoulders.. awesome!

I'm in a somewhat similar situation as you, and wondering how did you book the rental car? Was it a cab or did you drive yourself? Did you use any of the main rental companies in US like Enterprise, Avis etc.? I read that they don't allow you to book one way rentals where the pickup is in USA and drop-off is in Canada.. is that true? Also, regarding the file, did you prepare a main letter of explanation detailing all that you wanted to say, or did you just put together all the medical /employment/rental documents? And lastly, regarding the specific medical issue your family member faced, is it classified under the H&C considerations? I'm not sure which medical issues are considered under H&C and which one's aren't..

Thank you for keeping us updated and great to hear back from you!

Thanks for your wishes and yes a huuuge relief indeed. Answers to your queries as follows: 1. I drove on my own. I was able to book a one-way rental using Enterprise. The website does allow this. Make sure you use the US website and not change it to local non-US Enterprise website. I did have some trouble booking initially. I kept checking regularly as certain days it mentioned no cars available for returning to different location (Canada). Calling them was also useless because they were able to see the same thing. But one fine day, it just happened that cars were available for booking online using Enterprise. None of the other companies like Budget, Alamo worked. When you head to Buffalo, you need to walk across to the various rental companies. When I went to the Enterprise counter, the man asked me to head downstairs to the actual car parking area where there was a booth with the manager. The guy said that one-way rentals (although I had a booking) are handled directly by the managers. So, in short, it is possible to book car rental from US to Canada one-way.
2. No main letter of explanation. Just had the actual documents. Medical reports were arranged in a chronological manner for easy reference. Just had all the different documents in individual divieders. Thats about it.
3. Not sure about which are classified under H&C versus not..

 

[garima1009]

@sricandcan you please tell me did the cbsa officer at the border gave you a new copr? Will you be able to apply for a pr card renewal?

 

[scylla]

@sricandcan you please tell me did the cbsa officer at the border gave you a new copr? Will you be able to apply for a pr card renewal?

No, CBSA will not give you a neww COPR. You only get a COPR once and that is when you are originally approved for PR.

 

[abff08f4813c]

@sricandcan you please tell me did the cbsa officer at the border gave you a new copr? Will you be able to apply for a pr card renewal?

No, CBSA will not give you a neww COPR. You only get a COPR once and that is when you are originally approved for PR.

And to answer the other question - technically yes it's possible to apply, but since CBSA let the person through, it would be better to wait the at least 730 days (approx 2 years) before applying to ensure the ability to pass the RO (residency obligation). In fact better to wait a bit longer if you can and have some buffer (in case one's math is slightly off). Even though CBSA did not raise an issue, IRCC can make a different choice, so it's best not to immediately renew but to wait it out.

 

[Sricand]

@sricandcan you please tell me did the cbsa officer at the border gave you a new copr? Will you be able to apply for a pr card renewal?

Nope. I still have the same COPR document. I have not applied for the PR card renewal as I do not meet RO.

 

[ddtofe]

I fully agree with this. We are seeing here a few similar reports, and I think it's just CBSA being lazy and not wanting to do the A44 themselves - and a few cases (albeit infrequent) where the PR contacted IRCC or applied for PR card (basically upon advice of CBSA) then had problems. Up to and including A44 report.

CBSA does not have to have your best interests in mind. Even if it did, IRCC makes its own decisions.

Anyway, whatever anyone might think of CBSA's approach: I think it is only in your best interests to remain in Canada and delay any interaction with IRCC until you are in compliance with the RO - and if you can't wait for those full two years, as long as you can (the closer to in compliance with residence in Canada, the better).

Hello! Wondering if there is any update on your case? Did you get a clear answer if you were referred to IRCC or were you communicated by IRCC? Thank you

 

[armoured]

Hello! Wondering if there is any update on your case? Did you get a clear answer if you were referred to IRCC or were you communicated by IRCC? Thank you

I am not the person. I think if you read above you will see some updates.

 

[ddtofe]

I am not the person. I think if you read above you will see some updates.

My bad

 

[ddtofe]

Thanks scylla!

Hello! Wondering if there is any update on your case? Did you get a clear answer if you were referred to IRCC or were you communicated by IRCC? Thank you