Holders of expired COPR and PR visas may travel to Canada

Canada's immigration department has issued new guidelines for holders of expired permanent residence visas.

Individuals who are in possession of Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) and Permanent Resident Visa (PRV) but whose documents have now expired may be allowed into Canada depending on their circumstances, according to a new operational bulletin.

Canada has implemented different policies for expired visa holders depending on whether they are coming from the U.S. or other countries.

The scenarios below set out the applicable policies. In all cases, only those who intend to stay and settle will be allowed to travel to Canada at the moment and become permanent residents. Those who intend to come to Canada temporarily and leave should not do so now unless they are otherwise exempt from the restrictions.

Travel to Canada must be non-discretionary. The government offers examples of the definition of non-discretionary travel on its website.

If you’re travelling by air, you need to pass a health check conducted by the airline before boarding a flight. If you show symptoms of COVID-19, you won’t be allowed to board.

As well, if you have dependent family members that were also approved, you should all travel to Canada together.

Find out if you are eligible for any Canadian immigration programs

Those travelling from countries other than the U.S. who were issued a COPR and PRV on or before March 18, 2020 which is still valid are:

Applicants may travel to Canada from the US for non-discretionary purposes to settle and reside in Canada if:

Applicants for permanent residence who are in possession of an expired COPR and PRV, that was issued on or before March 18, 2020, are:

Individuals travelling from the U.S. with expired COPRs can travel to Canada for non-discretionary reasons to settle in Canada as permanent residents providing :

Only applicants for permanent residence who are in possession of an expired COPR and PRV and who are ready to travel to Canada are asked to contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) using a Web form. Applicants are asked to provide the expiry date of the COPR and the non-discretionary reason(s) for their travel. IRCC will then refer the Web Form application to the appropriate processing network which will assess the application based on the following eligibility criteria.

You must also make sure that you and your accompanying family members meet the following criteria:

IRCC will give priority to clients with a proposed or confirmed travel plan that is detailed, or clients who demonstrate a willingness to book and confirm travel plans as soon as they are approved.

Canada is currently accepting new applications for permanent residence.

New files that are incomplete due to missing documentation will be retained and reviewed within 90 days.

However, if a new application lacks supporting documentation, an explanation should be added to the application referencing service interruptions due to coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Providing that explanation is important and may result in the application being promoted and reviewed within 90 days. New applications will be processed in the order in which they are received.

Completed new applications for permanent residence continue to be processed according to normal procedures.

This story was updated with new information on August 8, 2020.