Permanent resident cards are valid for up to 5 years. If your PR card is about to expire or will expire in less than 9 months you can apply for a new one. You will remain a permanent resident even if your card expires. The PR Card renewal process will take a minimum of 49 days and if required can be done quicker with urgent processing.  A fee of $50 has to be paid for PR renewal. To pay for a renewal of the PR Card you must pay online and print the receipt to be attached to your application. The application must include photos as per photo specifications or it may lead to rejection of your application.

Eligibility for PR Card Renewal:

In order to be eligible for a PR card renewal you must be:

1. A permanent resident of Canada.
2. Be physically present in Canada.
3. Not under an effective removal order.
4. Free of conviction for any type of offense.
5. Not a Canadian citizen or registered Indian under the Indian Act.
6. Having proof of a lost or stolen PR card (if applicable).

How to apply for PR Card Renewal?

To apply for a PR card renewal, you will have to fill out an application consisting of a form IMM 5444e along with requisite documents. The documents required are as follow:

1. Your initial PR card has expired or is soon to be expired. If your card is soon to be expired, you may keep it until the new one is issued.
2. In case of lost or stolen; proof of a lost or stolen PR card.
3. A copy of a valid travel document such as your passport. Photocopies must be clear.
4. Clear photos according to photo specifications in the guide.
5. Other identity documents may be required.
6. Criminal records, proving you are not under any convictions.
7. Other Requisite Documents:

In addition to the above, you may also need to provide other documents such as:

1. A copy of the record of confirmation of permanent residence.
2. A copy of a valid ID such as a driving license, student ID, or a photo-identity card.
3. Recent tax documents.
4. A birth certificate if the applicant is under 18 years of age.

Documents required for PR Card Renewal

People often miscalculate their physical presence in Canada and we often found that they are eligible for Canadian Citizenship and need not renew their PR card. But if you need to renew your PR Card then in most cases the following documents are required for the PR card renewal application:

1. Copy of current Permanent Resident (PR) Card
2. Government-issued identity documents for identity purposes
   • copy of the current valid driving license
   • if obtained the travel documents to re-enter Canada upon expiration of PR card; also submit travel document copy
   • foreign passport copy or travel document in case of no passport
3. 02 Application photographs meeting the photo specification requirements of obtaining the PR card i.e. 50mm x 70 mm. (do not staple or use a paper clip instead place pictures in an envelope and submit with the application)
4. Proof that you are meeting the residency requirements of PR status i.e. 02 years of residence in Canada in the last 05 years. In case you are not meeting the residency requirements, submit the documents that prove that either:
   • you were outside of Canada as an accompanying spouse/common-law partner of a Canadian Citizen (if applicable). You need to provide your Canadian partner citizenship paper and your relationship proof with him/her i.e. Marriage Certificate or proofs of common-law relationship and further proof that your Canadian citizen spouse or common-law partner was with you during the whole time of your absence from Canada
   • proofs that you were working on a full-time basis for a Canadian company or business or accompanying a permanent resident spouse partner who is working for a Canadian company or business; during your whole absence from Canada by providing the documents that show that the company you or your spouse worked for has a head office in Canada and is primarily being operated and managed from within Canada. Again if your spouse is working for the Canadian company you need to prove your relationship with your spouse as well i.e. Marriage Certificate or proof of common-law relationship and further proof that your spouse or common-law partner was with you during the whole time of your absence from Canada.

If you do not have proof that either you accompanied a Canadian Citizen abroad or you or your permanent resident spouse/common-law partner worked for a Canadian business whilst abroad you can use the Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) grounds for the PR card renewal application (if applicable).

Please note that all documents which are not in English or French should accompany the certified translation of the documents.

Where to send your PR Card renewal application:

The PR Card renewal application is processed at Case Processing Centre (CPC) Sydney, Nova Scotia. The address is slightly different depending on how you are submitting your PR renewal application.

• If you are sending your PR renewal application by regular mail you should send it to:

Case Processing Centre – PR Card  P.O. Box 10020, Sydney, NS B1P 7C1, Canada

• If you are sending your PR renewal application by courier, use the following address

Case Processing Centre – PR Card  49 Dorchester Street, Sydney, NS B1P 5Z2, Canada

Processing Time for PR Card Renewal:

It will take about 90 days for the processing to take place. New PR cards may be issued within 45 days. The IRCC website will provide accurate processing times on their website. It may take up to 6 months depending upon the number of applications IRCC is working on and complex cases may take up to a year to process. 

Fee for PR Card Renewal:

A fee of $50 has to be paid for each application for renewal of the PR card. As the application fee for PR Card Renewal is non-refundable so make sure you are eligible for PR Card renewal. Permanent Residence is a status and status never expire, only the PR card expires. Submit a complete application in order to avoid the return of the whole application package.

How to Pay Fee for PR Card Renewal:

We came across inquiries daily from applicants who are filing their PR card renewal applications on their own, on how to pay the fee of C$50 for the PR Card renewal. If somebody hires an immigration law office or immigration consultant for the PR Card renewal application service they normally pay this fee online from their login id but for an ordinary person who wants to submit the application on his own can search for “Permanent Residence Documents Online Payment” keyword and the search engine will lead them to CIC e-pay services where one can select the appropriate fee as per the number of applicants applying for PR card renewal and pay. This e-pay service requires having an account that one can create with one’s email or if they have an existing e-pay account that was ever created in the past can log in and make the payment. Once the payment is made the receipt normally comes into the associated email as well and one can print the receipt from the account as well.

How will I get my new PR card?

If you are a permanent resident living inside Canada, you will get your card by mail. However, in some cases, you will be asked to collect it from the local IRCC office. It is important to inform IRCC in case of a change of mailing address. If you do not pick up your card within 180 days, it will be destroyed subsequently. If you are residing outside of Canada, you will not receive it via mail and will have to collect it once you are in Canada. If, however, your PR card has expired prior to your return to Canada you will have to apply for a permanent resident travel document. This is valid for only ONE time, re-entry solely for the purpose of renewing your PR card.

What to do if I have not received my PR card?

You must wait for a period of at least six weeks for your card to be mailed to you. However, if six weeks have been passed and you have not received your card via mail despite being mailed to you, you may contact IRCC for the status of your PR card renewal application,

Keep in mind this time frame reflects those applications where an applicant is meeting the residency obligation of PR and if someone is not meeting the residency obligation then processing time may vary according to the complexity of the application.

If you are not sure whether you met the PR residency obligation and are eligible for PR Card Renewal and need to learn more about the PR Card Renewal Process, we can help you! The Visa Canada Team has years of experience in handling complex immigration applications.