When you can apply
A PR card is usually valid for five years, and sometimes for only one. IRCC says to renew when the card will expire in less than nine months or has already expired. Applying earlier does not work: according to the guide, a renewal application is returned if the current card is still valid for more than nine months (270 days), unless your legal name or gender designation has changed.
When the new card is issued, the old one stops being valid after 60 days. Destroy it once the new card arrives.
How to apply
The main route is the permanent residence online portal, which is open at all times. You complete form IMM 5444 online, upload your documents and the fee receipt, and print nothing. A paper application is for people who cannot apply online and need accommodations. Alternate formats are available through a request to IRCC.
The fee is paid to IRCC online, outside the portal, and the receipt is then uploaded in the portal's fee payment section. The guide lists $50 per person for the PR card. Check IRCC's fee list on the day you apply, because the guide notes that the fee is not refunded once processing starts or if the application is refused.
Documents and the photo
For a renewal, the guide asks for:
- the fee receipt;
- one photo taken within the last 12 months, front and back, as a JPEG or PNG file under 4 MB and between 715 x 1000 and 2000 x 2800 pixels (paper applications need two identical photos);
- a copy of one primary identity document, such as a valid passport, showing the document type and number, issue and expiry dates, your name, photo and date of birth;
- a copy of your current PR card;
- the completed document checklist, IMM 5644;
- proof that you meet the residency obligation (next section);
- translations of any document that is not in English or French, with an affidavit if the translator is not certified.
Most adult applicants do not give biometrics for a renewal. The exception is someone who was under 14 when they became a permanent resident and has since turned 14. If that is you, IRCC sends a biometric instruction letter after you apply, and processing starts once your biometrics are received.
The residency check
A renewal is also a moment when IRCC looks at your time in Canada. If you have been a permanent resident for five years or more, you must have been physically in Canada for at least 730 days in the past five years. If you became a permanent resident less than five years ago, you must show that you can still reach 730 days within the five-year period.
You list every absence from Canada in the past five years in the table on the form. The guide also asks for two pieces of evidence of your residence in Canada, with examples such as pay stubs, bank statements, CRA notices of assessment, government benefit records and rental agreements. Send copies, not originals. For absences totalling under 1,095 days, supporting documents are not required, but the guide warns that missing documents may affect the assessment.
Some days outside Canada can still count, for example time spent working abroad for a Canadian business or the Canadian public service, or accompanying a spouse, common-law partner or parent who is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. If you cannot meet the 730 days, the form lets you ask for humanitarian and compassionate consideration (question 5.7) with supporting evidence. Build that request carefully and with advice.
If the card expires while you are outside Canada
Your permanent resident status does not end when the card expires, but you must still meet the residency obligation to keep it. What changes is travel: IRCC states that an expired PR card cannot be used as a travel document. To board a plane, train, bus or boat to Canada you need a valid PR card or a permanent resident travel document (PRTD), which you request through the portal or a visa application centre. Other documents may be accepted if you return by private vehicle; the guide points to CBSA for the list.
A PR card cannot be mailed overseas. After you return, apply for the card straight away.
The simplest way to avoid the problem is to renew before any planned trip, once you are inside the nine-month window.
Urgent processing and timing
The guide gives no fixed processing time and refers applicants to IRCC's processing times page. Urgent processing is possible when travel within three months is needed for a serious illness, a family member's serious illness or death, work, or an emergency. You must provide proof of travel, proof of payment, a letter explaining the urgency and proof of the urgent situation. No PR card application is processed in less than three weeks, and IRCC does not guarantee delivery in time.
Keep your address current. Without an online account and email, IRCC writes to the most recent mailing address on file, and changes must be reported to IRCC through its change-of-address process.