Permanent Resident Travel Documents

• Keeping your permanent resident status
• Losing your permanent resident status
• The permanent resident card
• Applying for a permanent resident travel document

Keeping your Permanent Resident Status

Your permanent resident status allows you to live in Canada, but there is a time limit on how long you can live outside the country. To keep your status as a permanent resident, you must live in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period.

For further information on residency obligations, please see the CIC website.

Losing your Permanent Resident Status

There are several ways you could lose your permanent resident status:

• A permanent resident who does not meet the residency obligations could lose their permanent resident status.
• If convicted of a serious crime, a permanent resident may be deported from Canada.

When you become a Canadian citizen, you are no longer a permanent resident.

Note: Persons who obtained permanent resident status in the past, but who have not lived in Canada for many years, are still considered to have Canadian permanent resident status unless they previously lost the status through a determination made by an adjudicator at an inquiry. Such persons seeking to travel to Canada on a temporary basis (i.e. to visit, work, or study) must have a determination of their residency status performed before they travel to Canada.

An applicant seeking a formal determination of residency status must submit an application for a travel document.

The Permanent Resident Card

The Permanent Resident Card is the official proof of your status as a permanent resident in Canada.

This wallet-sized plastic card is required for all permanent residents of Canada seeking to re-enter Canada on a commercial carrier (airplane, boat, train or bus).

You will need this card to return to Canada.

If your Permanent Resident Card is lost, stolen or destroyed while you are outside Canada, immediately contact the nearest Canadian visa office.

If you wish to return to Canada and don't have a valid Permanent Resident Card, you will need to obtain a permanent resident travel document from a Canadian visa office abroad. Before a travel document may be issued, applicants will need to demonstrate that they have met the residency obligation as outlined in the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. An application kit is available on the Forms page.

Once you return to Canada, you should apply for a Permanent Resident Card.