PR card renewal - In person interview at IRCC Etobicoke office

[keivan ka]

THanks. Do you have their phone number? I emailed them several times but did not recieve any response...
...

 

[bricksonly]

You should call and reschedule. Pick-up involves an interview as well usually so not normally something you can walk-in and do.

I picked up my card 5 years ago. But at that time, IRCC didn't give me a specific date, just asked to pick it up in 6 months. I don't know if there is anything changed after 5 years.
I rented a car and entered though Detroit land entry, showed CABS my old card and pick-up letter without any question.
The officer took the letter, checked my ID, and gave me the card, without any question.
I have no idea why they ask me to pick up in person.

 

[shevas2003]

The communications from IRCC these days are so full of boilerplate and conditional information it is near impossible to fully understand them in the abstract. They demand reading carefully, identifying what actually applies to you, and based on your particular circumstances figuring what it is relevant and how it applies to you in particular.

I am NO expert, NOT close, so I cannot offer much about what this means for you in particular.

I can offer some general information. Note, however, that the post of mine you quote is not much relevant to your situation. In part of that post I discuss a "counter-interview" attendant an in-person PR card pick-up BUT that is different from the kind of in-person pick-up you are scheduled for. The counter-interview pick-up is perfunctory, mostly to just verify the PR's identity and presence in Canada, although some general questions about Residency Obligation compliance are often asked.

This will be more formal than that, but I cannot say how much so. Even if more formal, it could be just that, a formality, similar to a counter-interview, mostly to verify who you are and information relevant to show you are in RO compliance. This could include questions about your spouse and your life with your spouse, to verify you are entitled to the accompanying-citizen-spouse credit toward RO compliance.

I am hesitant to talk about potential issues because doing that can trigger unnecessary anxiety. If you and your spouse were living together in Canada in the past and moved abroad together, even if a long while ago, and have been ordinarily residing together during these last five years, and as long as you have not made any misrepresentations, it appears all you need to be prepared to do is answer questions truthfully.

By the way, we do not get many follow-up reports about these kinds of interviews, so if you could return here, after the interview, and offer a report about how it goes, that could be very helpful for others.

As promised, I wanted to post my experience with the In-Person pickup. I wasn't asked any questions, instead the lady at the counter at the Ottawa office asked for my expired PR card and confirm my birth date and straight off handed me the new PR card. In my case, I reside in US with my Canadian citizen spouse, my PR card had expired back in 2009 but I had sent all our papers proving we have a life together in the USA. She said there's no questions to ask because PRs accompanying their spouse out of the country is a non-issue. In my renewal application, I had provided my friend's address and it sounds like they wanted to make sure the PR card is received by me, not my friend.