Operational Bulletin 627 – October 20, 2016

New criteria for urgent processing of permanent resident cards

Summary

On August 29, 2016, new criteria to qualify for urgent processing of a permanent resident card were implemented.

Issue

This Operational Bulletin (OB) provides instructions on applying the new criteria to requests for urgent processing of permanent resident cards (PR cards).

Background

Clients may request urgent processing when they submit their application for a PR card to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney (CPC-S) or after it is already in process by contacting the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre through the IRCC Webform.

Instructions

Criteria and documents for urgent processing

Requests for urgent processing of a PR card received by the CPC-S or the IRCC Call Centre on or after August 29, 2016, are subject to the new criteria outlined below.

In order to qualify for urgent processing of a PR card, the client must demonstrate that they require their PR card within the next three months for one of the following reasons:

• for travel due to their own serious illness or the serious illness or death of a family member; or
• to obtain employment or to travel due to employment requirements or opportunity.

The client must submit all of the following documents to support their request for urgent processing:

• a copy of proof of travel, such as tickets or an itinerary showing the destination and dates they will be travelling;
• a copy of proof of payment for travel showing the date, the full amount and the method of payment;
• a letter of explanation indicating the reason for the urgency; and
• proof of the urgency (e.g., doctor’s note, death certificate or letter from employer).

Note: For any documents that are not in English or French, the client must also provide an English or French translation as per the translation of documents requirements set out in the guide to applying for a PR card [IMM 5445].

Processing scenarios

Scenario 1: The client is in Canada and has not yet applied for a PR card.

To request urgent processing, the client must write “Urgent” on the envelope when they submit their complete PR card application and include all of the documents listed above in the Criteria and documents for urgent processing section.

Scenario 2: The client is in Canada and has already applied for a PR card.

To request urgent processing, the client must follow the steps in scenario 2a or scenario 2b below, depending on the circumstances of their case:

1. If the application is not yet in process or does not appear in e-Client Application Status (e-CAS), the client must submit another PR card application and request urgent processing by writing “Urgent” on the envelope.

   They must also include all of the documents listed above in the Criteria and documents for urgent processing section, in addition to a copy of their receipt of payment form [IMM 5401] or electronic receipt for the PR card application they previously submitted. It should be noted that the client is not required to make a new payment.

2. If the application is already in process, the client must contact IRCC through the IRCC Webform by choosing “Request urgent processing of renewal or replacement card and have already applied” under the Enquiry field drop down menu. They must upload all required documents listed in the Criteria and documents for urgent processing section when they submit the IRCC Webform. It should be noted that the instructions for clients at the top of the IRCC Webform outline the list of documents required as well as the technical requirements to submit the request for urgent processing.

Scenario 3: The client is outside Canada and not in possession of a valid PR card.

As per the existing procedures, the client can apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to return to Canada. Upon their return to Canada, the client may apply for a new PR card. For instructions on processing PRTD applications, see chapter OP 10 (PDF, 650.3KB).

Assessing a request for urgent processing

Applications for PR cards where urgent processing is requested (scenarios 1 and 2a) are first reviewed to establish that urgent processing requirements are met. If so, the application is then reviewed for completeness according to the document checklist [IMM 5644]. Applications that do not contain all the documents in the checklist will be returned to the client with a note advising them of which documents are missing.

Requests for urgent processing that are received after the PR card application is already in process (scenario 2b) are reviewed to determine if the request meets the criteria to qualify for urgent processing.

Applications that are found to meet the criteria for urgent processing and include all required documents are placed into the urgent PR card processing stream as per existing procedures.

Those that do not meet the criteria are placed into the regular processing stream.