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Coronavirus disease (COVID-19): Landed permanent residents

Floods in British Columbia

If you’re directly affected by the floods, you may be able to get

  • free replacement of documents that are lost, damaged, destroyed or inaccessible due to the floods
  • urgent processing and a refund for an application you’ve submitted because of the floods

Find out how to apply

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Travel information for landed permanent residents

You need a valid permanent resident card (PR card) or permanent resident travel document (PRTD) to travel to Canada by commercial vehicle (for example, airplane, bus, train or boat).

If your PR card is expired or about to expire

If it’s expired or will expire when you’re travelling, renew your PR card before you leave. You can only renew your card in Canada.

You may be eligible for urgent processing of your PR card.

If you don’t get your new PR card in time, you must

If you’re already outside Canada without a valid PR card

If you’re outside Canada and your PR card is expired, you need to apply for a PRTD to return.

Normally, you apply for a PRTD at a visa application centre (VAC). Due to COVID-19, some VACs are

Before you apply, check if your VAC is open and accepts PRTD applications.

If your VAC is open

If your VAC is open and accepting applications, find out how to apply for a PRTD.

If your VAC is closed

If your VAC is closed or it’s not accepting PRTD applications, submit your PRTD application by email.

PRTD applications are normally submitted on paper. We’re allowing email applications only in cases where a VAC is closed or unable to accept PRTD applications. Applying by email may take longer than applying on paper.

To submit by email:

Avoid processing delays

Help us process your application by doing the following:

  1. Make sure your passport is valid for at least 6 months.
  2. Submit an electronic copy of all pages (including blank ones) of all passports you used in the last 5 years.
  3. Include your proof of residency in Canada with your application.
  1. Read the instruction guide before you complete your application.
  2. Review the Document Checklist (PDF, 1.5 MB) and
    • complete all the required forms listed
    • make electronic copies (scans) of all the required documents you need to provide (each document must be less than 5 MB in size)
  3. Complete, sign and scan the Application for a Permanent Resident Travel Document [IMM 5524] (PDF, 1.84 MB) form.
  4. Pay your fees and get a copy of your receipt.
  5. Send an email to IRCC.COVIDPRTD-TVRPCOVID.IRCC@cic.gc.ca that includes
    • the subject line: “PRTD application: [put your name here]”
    • your scanned application
    • copies of your supporting documents (including travel information)
    • a copy of your receipt

Once we make a decision on your application, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how and where to submit your passport.

Don’t book your travel to Canada until you’ve received your passport with your PRTD sticker.

If you’re visiting or living in Belarus, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Romania, Poland or Ukraine and need a PRTD

Follow the instructions above to apply for your PRTD by email.

If you left Afghanistan and need a PRTD

Follow the instructions above with these changes:

  • use this subject line to have your application prioritized: Afghanistan PRTD application: [your name]
  • don’t pay the fees or include a receipt in your email (your fees will be waived)

What to do if your documents are too large to send by email

Bringing family members to Canada

Your family members must meet the travel requirements and have a visitor visa or electronic travel authorization (eTA).

Learn more about

Before you travel to Canada

All travellers entering Canada must follow testing and quarantine requirements to keep everyone safe. Under certain conditions, you may be exempt from some of these requirements.

Find out if you’re exempt from any testing and quarantine requirements.

You need to use ArriveCAN

Use ArriveCAN to provide mandatory travel information required for entry into Canada.

Make sure you’re using the newest version of ArriveCAN. If you previously submitted your information using an older version of ArriveCan, you must download the latest version and resubmit your information.

Travel information for permanent residents who haven’t landed

To finish the application process, you have to land as a permanent resident.

Find out what to do if we approved your application but you haven’t landed yet.

Getting started in Canada as a new immigrant

After you arrive in Canada, there are some things you should do.

Tell us where to send your first PR card

New permanent residents don’t need to apply for a PR card. We send one to you when you immigrate to Canada if you tell us your Canadian mailing address.

You have 180 days after immigrating to tell us your address. If we don’t get it in time, then you have to apply for your card.

Tell us your address

Get settlement services

As a newcomer to Canada, you and your family can get help adjusting to your new life. Settlement organizations can give you the information you need about:

Resettlement organizations provide services that address the specific needs of refugees.

For now, settlement and resettlement service providers are focusing on critical services because of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

You can still get other services but the format and availability will depend on the provider. For example, some service providers can offer critical and non-critical services by phone, email and online. Contact your local service providers to find out what’s available in your area.

Find settlement services near you

If you applied for Canadian citizenship

Find out how your Canadian citizenship application is affected by coronavirus (COVID-19) to get guidance on

Get COVID-19 information in multiple languages

The Public Health Agency of Canada website has resources in multiple languages to help you understand COVID-19. These include

You can find the languages of each resource under its description.

How do I make an electronic copy of my document?

An electronic or digital copy is a computer file copy of a paper document. To make an electronic copy, you can use a scanner or a digital camera. Scan or take a picture of your status document.

If you have to submit both sides of your status in Canada document, save both sides into 1 document. If you don’t have a photo editing software, the easiest way to do this is to save both images into a Microsoft Word Document.

We accept these file formats:

  • PDF (portable document)
  • JPG, TIFF, or PNG (image)
  • DOC or DOCX (Microsoft Word document)

Take note of the name you give the file and where you save it so you can easily find the file later.

To avoid delays in processing, make sure the image is clear and your information is easy to read.

My documents are too large. How do I reduce the file size?

Here are some tips for reducing the size of your file:

PDF format

  • Recreate the PDF using the “lowest file size” option available.
  • If you have images, save them with a resolution of 96 DPI (dots per inch).
  • Remove all unnecessary images.

You may find file size and image options under the advanced settings section of the software you are using.

JPG format

  • Scan your document at a lower resolution (96 DPI).
  • Remove all empty space around the image.
  • Shrink the image.
  • Reduce the JPG image quality.

TIFF and PNG format

  • Scan your document at a lower resolution (96 DPI).
  • Crop the image to remove any empty space around it.
  • Shrink the image.
  • Save the file in JPG format instead.

DOC and DOCX format

  • Remove unnecessary images, formatting and macros.
  • Save the file as a recent Word version.
  • Reduce the file size of the images before they are added to the document.
  • If it is still too large, save the file as a PDF.

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Updates and related links

Immediate family members

According to these travel restrictions, immediate family members include:

  • your spouse or common-law partner
  • your dependent child
  • your parent or step-parent
  • your guardian or tutor
  • your spouse’s dependent child
  • your spouse’s parent or step-parent
  • a dependent child of your dependent child

See: Interim Order to Prevent Certain Persons from Boarding Flights to Canada due to COVID-19

Other COVID-19 pages

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