Renewing Your Public Relations Card

The validity period for a permanent resident card is five years. In the event that your PR card is about to expire, or will expire in less than 9 months, you may submit an application for a replacement. The expiration of your permanent resident card will not change the fact that you are a permanent resident. Renewal of a PR card takes at least 49 days and can be completed sooner with urgent processing. The cost to renew a permanent resident card is $50. For PR Card renewals, the payment and receipt must be made online and printed. Photos included in the application must adhere to photo requirements to avoid rejection.

Guidelines for Renewal of Permanent Resident Cards

Those who meet the following criteria will be granted another PR card renewal:

1. Canadien citizen or permanent resident
2. In fact be in Canada
3. Having no active removal order
4. Never having been convicted of a crime
5. A person who is neither a Canadian citizen nor an Indian who is recognized under the Indian Act
6. Carrying evidence of a misplaced or stolen PR card (if relevant).

Instructions for Requesting a Replacement Permanent Resident Card

In order to renew your Permanent Resident card, you must submit an application, which consists of form IMM 5444e, and the necessary supporting documentation. The following forms of identification are needed:

1. Currently, or soon, your initial PR card will expire. You can keep using your old card until the replacement is sent to you if it is about to expire.
2. Report of a Lost or Stolen Permanent Resident Card
3. A photocopy of your current, valid passport Copies need to be legible.
4. Prepare images in accordance with the manual's photo requirements.
5. Additional forms of identification may be necessary.
6. Documents demonstrating your lack of criminal convictions
7. Additional Necessary Records:

Besides the aforementioned, you may also be asked to provide:

1. Documentation proving continuous residency, in copy
2. A photocopy of your government-issued photo identification (driver's license, student ID, etc.)
3. The Most Recent Tax Records
4. A copy of the applicant's birth certificate if they are younger than 18 years old

Renewal of Permanent Resident Cards: Necessary Paperwork

People frequently fail to renew their Permanent Resident cards despite being eligible for Canadian citizenship because of a miscalculation of their length of physical presence in the country. A PR card renewal application will typically necessitate the submission of the following documents:

1. Photocopy of your current Permanent Resident (PR) Card
2. Identification papers issued by the government
   • a photocopy of your current, valid driver's license
   • a copy of the travel documents you will use to re-enter Canada after your PR card expires.
   • Valid foreign passport or other acceptable travel documentation
3. It is imperative that the photographs included with the application adhere to the photo specification requirements for obtaining the PR card. e 50mm x 70 mm (do not use a stapler or paper clip; instead, enclose any accompanying photographs in a sealed envelope).
4. Documentation demonstrating that you have met the residency requirements for PR i e Two years of Canadian residency within the past five You must submit proof of non-compliance with the residency requirements if you do not:
   • If you are the spouse or common-law partner of a Canadian citizen, you may have been out of the country with them. You'll need to show proof of your relationship with your Canadian partner and his or her citizenship documents. e A copy of your marriage license or common law relationship documentation, as well as additional evidence that your Canadian citizen spouse or common law partner accompanied you during your entire time away from Canada.
   • documents proving that you or your spouse were employed by, or accompanying someone who was employed by, a Canadian business or organization the entire time you were outside of Canada. employed by is headquartered in Canada and is managed and run primarily from within that country. Again, if your spouse has a job with a Canadian firm, you'll need to provide evidence of your marriage. e Documentation of your marital or common-law status and additional evidence that your partner was present throughout your entire trip outside of Canada is required.

A PR card renewal application (if applicable) can be supported on Humanitarian & Compassionate (H&C) grounds if neither the applicant nor his or her spouse/common-law partner can provide evidence of having accompanied a Canadian citizen abroad or of having worked for a Canadian business while abroad.

Remember to include certified translations of any documents that aren't in English or French.

Please send your PR Card renewal application to:

The Case Processing Centre (CPC) in Sydney, Nova Scotia, is where you should send your application to renew your PR card. If you're renewing your permanent resident card, the address will vary slightly based on how you're sending in your paperwork.

• Your application to renew your Permanent Resident Card must be mailed to:

Processing Office for Permanent Resident Cards O Send mail to: PO Box 10020, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 7C1, Canada

• Please use the following courier shipping address if you are renewing your permanent resident card.

Postal Address: 49 Dorchester Street, Suite 300, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 5Z2, Canada; Case Processing Centre - PR Card

Waiting Period for PR Card Renewal Processing:

To complete the processing, allow for around 90 days. The waiting period for a replacement PR card is 45 days. Timeliness of processing will be available on the IRCC website. Depending on the backlog at IRCC, it could take up to six months, and in the most complex cases, it could take up to a year.  

PR Card Renewal Processing Fee:

Each PR card renewal application comes with a $50 fee. Remember that the PR Card Renewal application fee is non-refundable, so please verify your PR Card renewal eligibility before submitting your application. The PR card itself has an expiration date, but permanent residency itself does not. Submit a thorough application to avoid having your entire packet discarded.

Renewal of Permanent Resident Card Fee and Instructions on How to Pay:

Regularly, we receive questions from people who are renewing their PR cards on their own about how to submit the C$50 renewal fee. This fee is typically paid online from the client's login id when working with an immigration law firm or immigration consultant to renew a permanent resident card, but a regular citizen who wants to submit the application on his own can do so by searching for the phrase "Permanent Residence Documents Online Payment." Those interested in renewing their permanent resident cards can use a search engine to find CIC's e-pay services, where they can choose the appropriate fee based on the number of applicants. A user can sign up for this e-pay service by providing their email address, or they can log into an existing e-pay account if they've set one up in the past. After a payment is made, a confirmation email is sent to the payer, and a receipt can be printed directly from the account.

Where do I go to pick up my new PR card?

Your card will be mailed to you if you are a permanent resident of Canada and you currently reside in the country. In other instances, however, you may need to pick it up at a regional IRCC office. Should your mailing address change, please notify IRCC as soon as possible. Your card will be destroyed after 180 days if you haven't collected it. You won't get it mailed to you if you're living outside of Canada; instead, you'll have to pick it up in person once you arrive. However, if your PR card expires before you return to Canada, you'll need to apply for a permanent resident travel document. For the sole purpose of updating your PR card, this permit is valid for a single re-entry.

Help! I haven't received my Permanent Resident card yet!

Your card will be mailed to you, but it will take at least six weeks for it to arrive. However, you can check the status of your PR card renewal application with IRCC if six weeks have passed and you still haven't received your card in the mail despite it having been mailed to you.

Keep in mind that this time frame only applies to applications where the applicant has fulfilled the residency requirement for PR, and that processing time may vary depending on the complexity of the application for those who have not fulfilled the residency requirement.

We can help you understand the PR Card Renewal Process and determine whether or not you are eligible to renew your PR card based on your residency status. Visa Canada has a team of experts who have dealt with thousands of immigration applications.