Permanent resident card – Renewal, replacement

This section contains policy, procedures and guidance used by IRCC staff. It is posted on the department’s website as a courtesy to stakeholders.

The Application for a Permanent Resident Card [IMM 5444] is available to download on IRCC’s website for any permanent resident to apply for the renewal or replacement of their permanent resident (PR) card. Instructions on how to fill out the application form are available on the download page, and further instructions regarding the application are provided in the Instruction Guide 5445. This application form is also used to make an application for a PR travel document (PRTD).

Clients can use the IMM 5444 application form to

renew their PR card
- The majority of applications officers will process are PR card renewals (Phase 2) before the expiry date. Permanent residents are advised to apply for a renewal in the 9 months before the expiry date of their PR card. Clients are advised not to apply to renew their PR card if it is still valid for more than 9months, unless the request is due to a legal name or gender change.
replace their PR card
- All permanent residents who wish to obtain a PR card as a result of loss, theft, damage or expiry must submit a replacement application and pay applicable fees.
- Note: There is a specific procedure for replacing a PR card issued with errors through no fault of the client. In these cases, no fee is charged for a replacement PR card.
obtain their first PR card
- New permanent residents do not need to submit an application for a PR card. However, in some cases where a new permanent resident did not receive their PR card, and 180 days or more have passed since they became a permanent resident, they will need to apply for a PR card, complete the solemn declaration in the application and include the fee payment.
- If a client became a permanent resident before the PR card came into effect and wishes to obtain a PR card for travel, they will need to apply for their first PR card.

Approved PR card renewal or replacement applications result in either a 5-year PR card being issued or, in exceptional circumstances [subsection R54(2)], a 1-year PR card. Applications missing information and/or deemed ineligible will be cancelled and returned unprocessed, with fees refunded as applicable.

PR card applications may be refused or cancelled in various circumstances. Please see below for further details.

The majority of PR cards are mailed through Canada Post to clients directly. This applies for Canadian residential addresses only, and does not include PO boxes.

See also

Permanent Resident Card Centre in Sydney (PRC-Sydney) processing

The Permanent Resident Card Centre in Sydney (PRC-Sydney) processes applications from permanent residents in Canada to renew or replace their PR card (Phase 2 PR card applications). These applications must be made in Canada.

All permanent residents are eligible to apply for a PR card regardless of whether they were landed under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA) or the former Immigration Act.

Note: Clients who come to the attention of PRC-Sydney after having exhausted appeal rights, or who missed appeal deadlines, are no longer PRs and should be treated as foreign nationals. Applications for a PR card by foreign nationals in these circumstances may be referred to the local office for investigation or follow-up in support of any enforcement action, as required.

PRC-Sydney processing – Requirements in PR card applications

Clients submitting Phase 2 PR card applications are required to establish their residence in Canada by providing:

residential history for the past five years,
name and address of their employer(s) or educational institution(s) attended.

Clients may also submit copies of the following documents as proof of identity:

provincial driver’s license or other valid provincial photograph ID,
student card(s) from provincially accredited colleges or universities, or
the most recent Canada Revenue Agency tax assessment notice.

The Immigration and Refugee Protection Regulations (IRPR) provides for a wide variety of acceptable identity documents that can be submitted in support of an application to replace a lost PR card.

Copies of supporting documentation are acceptable in lieu of originals.

In some cases, clients may possess limited documentation. For example, the passport the applicant held at the time they became a permanent resident was destroyed or stolen. Although the IRPR lists multiple documents, officers may make determinations based on documents available.

PRC-Sydney processing – Applications processed for the production of a PR card

PRC-Sydney is responsible for receiving and assessing requests and applications for PR cards.

If a client confirms their permanent residence at a port of entry, their Confirmation Of Permanent Residenc (CoPR) document is sent to PRC-Sydney to initiate their PR card issuance.
If a client submits an application to renew or replace their PR card, the application is processed by PRC-Sydney.

Each client must submit a separate application form and pay the corresponding fee. The same application form (IMM 5444) is used to apply for a PR card and a PRTD.

PRC-Sydney processes applications for PR cards with the standard five-year validity period, or, on occasion with exception, with one-year validity.

Applications for Phase 2 PR cards are approved prior to card issuance. The application is closed when the card is produced.

PR cards are produced at Canadian Bank Note Company Ltd. (CBN) and mailed, through Canada Post, to clients at Canadian residential addresses only, not including PO boxes. The only exception in which clients can have their PR card mailed to a PO box is if the client is residing in a rural residence where they cannot receive mail.

Note: As PR cards are not mailed to PO boxes, clients who indicate a PO box as their mailing address must provide both their residential (civic) address and the mailing address for their residence.

When it is known that a client is outside of Canada or there are issues with the residency obligation, the application will be referred to an IRCC local office for further investigation.

PRC-Sydney processing – Use of representative and third-party mailing address

Use of representative form on file

When Phase 2 applications indicate both the residential and mailing address of a third party, with the IMM 5476 - Use of Representative form on file, PRC-Sydney will mark/toggle the PR card to be sent to the local office for in-person distribution. The officer does not send a letter to the client in these cases.

Use of Representative form not on file

When Phase 2 applications indicate the address of a known or suspected third party and there is no IMM 5476 form completed on file, officers should refer the file to Program Support [IRCC.PRCProgramSupport-SoutiendeProgrammeCRP.IRCC@cic.gc.ca].

See also

PRC-Sydney processing – Incomplete applications returned to client

Applications that are incomplete are returned to the applicant. However, general exceptions apply. Officers have the ability to be facilitative where warranted when reviewing applications for completeness, notably when a document is missing and a written justification is provided for the reason it is missing.

According to paragraph 59(1)(c) of IRPR, an officer shall, on application, issue a new PR card if the applicant complies with the requirements of sections 56 and 57 and subsection 58(4) of IRPR. Common reasons for incomplete applications include, but are not limited to, the application not containing:

The addresses of all places of residence during the previous five years.
All periods of absence from Canada during the previous five years.
The names and addresses of employer(s) and educational institution(s) attended during the previous five years.

When applications for PR cards are incomplete, PRC-Sydney will:

Not allocate the fees for processing the application;
Not record the basic data in the system; and,
Return the entire package to the client with a notification letter indicating what information or which documents are missing in their application.

PRC-Sydney processing – Application referred to IRCC office

Complex PR card applications are referred by PRC-Sydney to the local office (DN) due to

Residency obligation not being met (section A28),
Insufficient H&C considerations provided with the application to allow the applicant to overcome any breach of the residency obligation [paragraph A28(2)(c)],
Complexity of the file (such as, linkage to large scale residency investigations, potential misrepresentation or fraud).

PRC-Sydney processing – Cancelling application when client deemed ineligible

Applications are cancelled when the client is deemed ineligible for a PR card. For example, the client is a Canadian citizen or the client has lost permanent resident status.

PRC-Sydney or the IRCC office notifies the client immediately of a decision to cancel their application for a PR card.

Applications from ineligible clients are returned unprocessed, fees refunded as applicable, and applications are cancelled in GCMS as needed.

PRC-Sydney processing – Cancelling application after the appeal deadline

When PRC-Sydney becomes aware of a missed appeal deadline and no further activity in GCMS, the application will be cancelled four weeks after the appeal deadline, on the basis that the client is no longer a PR and is ineligible for a PR card.

PRC-Sydney processing – Disposition of undeliverable Phase 2 PR cards

Canada Post will return all undeliverable Phase 2 PR cards to PRC-Sydney for disposition.

Undeliverable PR cards will be held for a period of 180 days awaiting address update or confirmation. The PR cards are valid in GCMS until they expire, are destroyed or cancelled.

PRC-Sydney will check in GCMS to determine if a new address has been entered since the card was initially mailed to the client through Canada Post.

If / when a new address is available before 180 days have expired, the address will be updated in GCMS by the Client Support Centre (CSC) or Operations Support Centre (OSC). The CSC will notify PRC-Sydney, and will then mail the card to the client at the new address provided. The update in GCMS will trigger the start of the 60-day invalidation period of the client’s old card, and the client will be instructed to destroy their old card upon receiving their new PR card.

Upon issuance of a Phase 2 PR card, GCMS will be set to invalidate the client’s old card after 60 days following the date of issuance of the new PR card to ensure only one PR card is valid at a time and also as a fraud deterrence measure.

If no new address is available to deliver a phase 2 card, PRC-Sydney will update the status of the card in GCMS to “Returned Mail”, and store the undelivered card in a secure cabinet for180 days.

Clients have 180 days to claim their new PR card. After that time, if the client has not confirmed their address or provided a new address, the PR card will be destroyed by PRC-Sydney. PRC-Sydney will update the status of the card in GCMS to “Destroyed” and will add the following note: “180 days have elapsed, no updated address, card cancelled. Client must apply with new application and fees.” The status of the application decision does not change.

Note: The application for Phase 2 PR card is approved prior to card issuance, and the application is closed automatically when the card is produced. The application is not reopened—only the status of the card is updated.

Note: The expiry date of an existing PR card supersedes the 180 days claim period of an undelivered card. This means that the expiry of the old PR card may invalidate the card before the 180 days are up, and thus the 60 days to invalidation is not applicable as the old card is no longer valid.

PRC-Sydney processing – Corrections to PR cards including photographs

PR cards with errors that come to the attention of the IRCC office, or errors as reported by the client at the time of delivery, should be returned to PRC-Sydney for replacement. Clients should send a request to reissue their permanent resident card.

PRC-Sydney assesses the nature of the correction required by comparing the original information on file and by following current OSC guidelines on amendments to permanent resident documentation.

Consultation with the CBSA’s National Document Centre (Nat-Intelligence-Documents@cbsa-asfc.gc.ca) is advised whenever quality control issues involving a manufacturing defect become apparent (for example, PR cards with substandard or missing security features).

In determining the proper correction instruction, a distinction must be made between situations when an explanatory link to the OSC archival record is necessary and when it is not.

For corrections to the client’s photograph, PRC-Sydney staff will communicate with the client directly by mail or email requesting new photographs. PRC-Sydney retains a digital image of the CoPR with photograph for comparison with the new photograph.

For clients who do not submit a photograph with their CoPR, they are asked to provide a copy of the bio data page of their landing document or a copy of the IMM 5688 form with photograph.

Inland processing

Inland processing – Application referral from PRC-Sydney

Refer to the following processing instructions in cases where complex PR card applications are referred to the DN: Processing of complex permanent resident card applications referred by the Permanent Resident Card Centre

Inland processing – Application referred to CBSA

If the local IRCC office determines that further investigation by the CBSA might assist in resolving the file, the local IRCC office should liaise with its CBSA counterpart.

It remains the responsibility of the IRCC office to make appropriate arrangements with the CBSA and to follow up on referral cases or to make a decision based on the best information available, including the results of in-office interviews or other sources (for example, overseas and enforcement files).

Note: Applications for a PR card by foreign nationals may be referred for investigation or follow-up in support of any enforcement action, as required.

PR card lost in mail between IRCC offices

A separate procedure has been established for PR cards transferred between IRCC offices. Officers should follow standard procedures for reporting lost mail and a privacy breach.

In regular distribution procedures, the originating IRCC office sends an e-mail to the destination IRCC office advising that a PR card is being transferred to its office. Since there is no PR card status option in GCMS that tracks the transfer of a PR card to another IRCC office, the officer must enter notes in GCMS on the client’s file to record the transfer.

PR cards should be shipped by registered mail.

If the destination IRCC office does not receive the PR card within five business days of the notification, and subsequent to investigation it is determined that the PR card is lost between offices, the destination IRCC office must immediately make contact for corrective action:

The destination IRCC office sends an email to PRC-Sydney and requests that they cancel the PR card, and request that a new PR card be issued.
PRC-Sydney updates the PR card status in GCMS and requests a new PR card for the client.

Retrieval of PR cards at end of validity

Paragraph R59(1)(d) stipulates that in order to be issued a new PR card, a client must return their previous PR card. However, effective April 21, 2008, the Department revised its policy to allow permanent residents to hold on to their valid PR card instead of returning it with the completed application form. Clients are advised to destroy their old PR card once they receive their new one.

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Date modified:: 2023-10-30

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