Applying for a Permanent Resident Card (Canada)
This form is for renewal or Replacement of a Permanent Resident Card. The form provided here is simply a sample of what the actual Form 5445E looks like.
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
IMMIGRATION
Canada
Applying for a Permanent Resident Card (PR Card)
• Initial Application
• Replacement
• Renewal
Table of Contents
Contact Information
Overview
Completing the Forms
Fees
Mailing your Application
What Happens Next?
Appendix A - Residency Obligation
Appendix B - Photo Specifications
Forms
Application for a Permanent Resident Card (IMM 5444)
Supplementary Identification Form (IMM 5455)
Use of a Representative (IMM 5476)
Document Checklist (IMM 5574)
Receipt (IMM 5401)
This application is made available free by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and is not to be sold to applicants.
IMM 5445E (06-2005)
Contact Information
For more information on the programs offered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, visit our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca.
Permanent Resident Card Call Centre
From anywhere in Canada, call 1-800-255-4541 (toll-free)
An automated telephone service is available seven days a week, 24 hours a day and is easy to use if you have a touch-tone phone. You can listen to pre-recorded information on the permanent resident card and on many Citizenship and Immigration programs; order application forms; and the automated service can even update you on the status of your case.
If you need to speak to an agent, call Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time. If you are calling about the status of your application, you should have your Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292) or other permanent residence document in front of you.
Have a pen and paper ready to record the information you need.
Using a text telephone?
Call our TTY service from Monday to Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. local time at: 1-888-576-8502 (toll-free).
This publication is available in alternative formats upon request.
This is not a legal document. For legal information, refer to the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations or the Citizenship Act and Regulations, as applicable.
Overview
This application is for permanent residents in Canada who are applying for an initial, renewal or replacement Permanent Resident Card (PR Card). The PR Card is a required document for permanent residents, including children, who go abroad and then return to Canada by any commercial transporter (plane, train, boat or bus).
To be eligible for a PR Card, you must:
• be a permanent resident of Canada;
• be physically present in Canada;
• not be under an effective removal order; and
• not be a Canadian citizen or a registered Indian under the Indian Act.
If you are outside Canada and you do not have a valid PR Card to return to Canada, you will need to obtain a travel document from a Canadian visa office. An application kit is available on our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/travel.html. Once you are in Canada, you should apply for a PR Card.
Adult permanent residents who have lived in Canada for at least three years out of the last four years and meet other requirements may be able to obtain Canadian citizenship. Children will have to meet different requirements. For more information or to obtain an application, visit our Web site or contact our Call Centre listed in the Contact Information section.
What do I need to send with my application?
The items you need to attach to your application are listed in the Document Checklist (IMM 5574). If any of the required documents are missing, or photocopies are not clear, your application will be returned to you.
Completing the Forms
These are the forms that each person applying for a card must complete:
1. Application for a Permanent Resident Card (IMM 5444)
2. Supplementary Identification Form (IMM 5455)
3. Document Checklist (IMM 5574)
4. If applicable, Use of a Representative (IMM 5476)
The following pages do not contain instructions for all the boxes on the forms. Most questions are clear; instructions are provided only where necessary. Attach a separate sheet of paper if you need more space and indicate the number of the question you are answering.
You must answer all questions. If you leave any sections blank, your application will be returned to you and processing will be delayed. If any section does not apply to you, answer, "N/A" ("Not applicable"). Print clearly with a black pen.
You must not fold or crease any of the forms or documents that you submit with your application.
Warning! It is a serious offence to give false or misleading information on these forms. The information you provide on your application may be subject to verification.
Application for a Permanent Resident Card (IMM 5444)
Section A: Personal details
1. If there is an error in your name on your Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292) or other permanent residence document, complete and submit a Request to Amend the Immigration Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5218) before you apply for a PR Card. Visit our Web site or contact our Call Centre to obtain an application kit.
Note: Due to the card's limited space, family names longer than 20 characters and given names longer than 15 characters are automatically shortened.
2. If your present name is different from the name printed on your Record of Landing (IMM 1000), Confirmation of Permanent Residence (IMM 5292) or other permanent residence document, send in supporting legal documentation as proof of your name change. Consult the Document Checklist (IMM 5574) for a list of acceptable documents.
Section C: Address, work and education history for the past 5 years
16. You must list all residential addresses and must account for each month.
17. You must list all your work and education history and must account for each month.
18. You must list all of your absences from Canada. Absences include vacations.
If you have been outside Canada for 1095 days or more, complete Section D. For more information on meeting the residency obligation and options available to you, see Appendix A. If your absences add up to less than 1095 days, go to Section E: Declaration of applicant. Section E: Declaration of applicant
You must sign and date the application form.
Applicants who are less than 14 years of age: one of the applicant's parents or legal guardian must sign the application.
Applicants who are 14 years of age or more but less than 18 years of age: the applicant and one of the applicant's parents or legal guardian must sign the application.
Section F: Declaration of guarantor
Your application must include a guarantor's declaration. Your guarantor must:
• declare to have known you personally for at least two years;
• confirm your identity and that, to the best of his or her knowledge and belief, all the information you submit with this application is true and accurate; and
• sign the back of one of your photos.
The same applies to children under 14 years of age; the guarantor must have known the child personally for at least two years.
Your guarantor must be a Canadian citizen living in Canada who is actively employed as:
• accountant who is a member in good standing of an institute or association of accountants incorporated by or under an Act of the legislature of a province;
• chiropractor
• dentist
• professional engineer
• judge or magistrate
• in the province of Quebec, lawyer or notary and, in any province, barrister or solicitor
• mayor
• medical doctor
• minister of religion authorized under the laws of a province to perform marriages
• notary public
• optometrist
• pharmacist
• police officer serving in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police or a provincial or municipal police force
• postmaster
• principal of a primary or secondary school
• senior administrator in a community college, including CEGEP
• senior administrator or a teacher in a university
• veterinarian
If you do not have a guarantor, see Section H: Statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor.
Section H: Statutory declaration in lieu of guarantor
Complete this section only if you are unable to provide a guarantor's declaration.
You must declare this section in the presence of, and have it signed by, a qualified official who has the authority to administer an oath in Canada (a commissioner, notary public or person authorized by law to administer oaths in all matters in the Canadian jurisdiction in which it is subscribed). The qualified official must also sign the back of one of your photos (the photo must not be sealed or embossed).
Show photo-identity documents to the official such as a passport, driver's licence or provincial photoidentity card to prove your identity and signature. List the documents in the space given.
Supplementary Identification Form (IMM 5455)
Important: Do not in any way fold or crease any part of this form.
You must use an original of this form. Photocopies are not acceptable. If you do not have an original form, you can order it from a Call Centre agent or from our Web site.
SIGNATURE: This is the signature that will appear on your card. Sign inside the white box in black ink.
Applicants who are 14 years of age and older must sign their own form. If the applicant is under 14 years of age, only his or her parent or guardian must sign the form.
PHOTO: Peel off the photo patch and attach one of your photos to the adhesive square. Do not attach the photo that has your guarantor's signature on the back; this photo must be submitted separately with your application. Make sure your photo is upwards and aligned. Do not use a staple, paper clip or glue on your photo. See Appendix B for more information on acceptable photos.
Signature _______________
Use of a Representative (IMM 5476)
Complete this form if you are appointing a representative.
If you have dependent children aged 18 years or older, they are required to complete their own copy of this form if a representative is also conducting business on their behalf.
A representative is someone who has your permission to conduct business on your behalf with Citizenship and Immigration Canada. When you appoint a representative, you also authorize CIC to share information from your case file to this person.
You are not obliged to hire a representative. We treat everyone equally, whether they use the services of a representative or not. If you choose to hire a representative, your application will not be given special attention nor can you expect faster processing or a more favourable outcome.
The representative you appoint is authorized to represent you only on matters related to the application you submit with this form. You can appoint only one representative for each application you submit.
There are two types of representatives:
Unpaid representatives
• friends and family members who do not charge a fee for their advice and services
• organizations that do not charge a fee for providing immigration advice or assistance (such as a non-governmental or religious organization)
• consultants, lawyers and Québec notaries who do not, and will not, charge a fee to represent you
Paid representatives
If you want us to conduct business with a representative who is, or will be charging a fee to represent you, he or she must be authorized. Authorized representatives are:
• immigration consultants who are members in good standing of the Canadian Society of Immigration Consultants (CSIC)
• lawyers who are members in good standing of a Canadian provincial or territorial law society and students-at-law under their supervision
• notaries who are members in good standing of the Chambre des notaires du Québec and students-at-law under their supervision
If you appoint a paid representative who is not a member of one of these designated bodies, your application will be returned. For more information on using a representative, visit our Web site.
Section B.
5. Your representative's full name
If your representative is a member of CSIC, a law society or the Chambre des notaires du Québec, print his or her name as it appears on the organization's membership list.
8. Your representative's declaration
Your representative must sign to accept responsibility for conducting business on your behalf. Section D.
10. Your declaration
By signing, you authorize us to complete your request for yourself and your dependent children under 18 years of age. If your spouse or common-law partner is included in this request, he or she must sign in the box provided.
Release of information to other individuals
To authorize CIC to release information from your case file to someone other than a representative, you will need to complete form Authority to Release Personal Information to a Designated Individual (IMM 5475) which is available on our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca/english/applications/release-info and from Canadian embassies, high commissions and consulates abroad.
The person you designate will be able to obtain information on your case file, such as the status of your application. However, he or she will not be able to conduct business on your behalf with CIC.
You must notify us if your representative's contact information changes or if you cancel the appointment of a representative.
Fees
The fee for processing your application is $50 per person.
We will not refund the processing fee once we start processing your application, regardless of the final decision.
How to pay the fees
You have the option of paying your fees through the Internet or at a financial institution.
Payment of fees on the Internet
You can pay your fees on the Internet with a credit card if you have access to a computer with an Internet connection, Adobe Acrobat Reader software and a printer.
After you complete your application, go to our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca and select "On-Line Services" from the menu bar at the top, then "Payment of fees using the Internet".
You must print the CIC official receipt and fill out by hand the Payer Information Section. Attach the bottom portion (copy 2) of this receipt to your completed application.
Payment of fees at a financial institution
You may also pay your fees at most financial institutions in Canada. You must use an original of the receipt form (IMM 5401); a photocopy is not acceptable. If you downloaded the application kit from our Web site, you will need to order it from our Web site or by phoning our Call Centre.
STEP 1. FILL IN THE TOTAL
If you are sending more than one application (for example, applications for family members), you must send one receipt to cover all applications. Mail the receipt and all applications together in one envelope.
Insert the total on the bottom portion of the receipt. Do not complete the upper two parts on the front side of the receipt. The bank or credit union will complete them.
STEP 2. COMPLETE THE "PAYER INFORMATION" SECTIONS
These sections are on the back of the receipt. If you already know the client identification number that we have assigned to you, enter the number in the box provided for that purpose. If not, leave that box empty.
STEP 3. GO TO A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION AND MAKE THE PAYMENT
A bank or credit union representative will tell you which forms of payment are acceptable. There is no charge for the service.
The representative will take your payment and stamp the two upper parts of the receipt.
Before leaving the bank, make sure that you have been given the two upper parts of the receipt: the client copy (Copy 1) and the copy that you must forward to Citizenship and Immigration Canada (Copy 2).
STEP 4. SEND YOUR RECEIPT
Attach the middle portion (Copy 2) of the receipt to your completed application. Keep the top portion (Copy 1) for your files.
What if I make an incorrect payment?
If you need to pay additional fees, we will send you a request for correct payment. Pay the fees as instructed above and return the receipt form to us. We will not process your application until you pay the fees.
If you have paid too much, we will process your application and refund you the amount of the overpayment as soon as possible.
Mailing your Application
Send your completed application to the address below. The envelope will require more postage than a normal letter.
PR Card Processing Centre
P.O. Box 10020
Sydney, NS
B1P 7C1
What Happens Next?
If your application is properly completed and you meet the requirements for a PR Card, you will receive a letter advising you when and where to pick up your card.
If your application is incomplete, you will receive a letter asking you to provide the missing documents, information or fees.
If the information you provide on the forms changes while your application is being processed, you must contact the Call Centre listed in the Contact Information section.
Checking application status
You can find out the current status of your application by logging on to our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca and selecting On-Line Services - e-Client Application Status. You may also phone our Call Centre.
For information on how we protect your personal information, read the security page and the Frequently Asked Questions page found at www.cic.gc.ca - On-Line Services - e-Client Application Status.
If you do not want your information provided on-line, you can remove on-line information by logging on to www.cic.gc.ca and selecting On-Line Services - e-Client Application Status. You may also call our Call Centre and ask an agent to do this for you.
Processing times
Current processing times are available on-line at: www.cic.gc.ca/english/department/times/processin. html.
Urgent cases
We can speed up the processing of your application in specific circumstances. Visit our Web site at www.cic.gc.ca/english/pr-card/urgent-cases.html for more information.
Quality Assurance Program
Our quality assurance program randomly selects applications for a special review. If selected, you will be asked to attend an interview with a Citizenship and Immigration official so that we can verify the documentation submitted is accurate, and that your application has been completed properly. You will be notified in writing should your application be chosen.
Appendix A
Residency Obligation
You must meet the residency obligation to obtain a Permanent Resident Card. If you have been a permanent resident for five years or more: you must have been physically present in Canada for a minimum of 730 days within the past five years. If you have been a permanent resident for less than five years: you must show that you will be able to meet the minimum 730 days in Canada at the five-year mark.
You may also count the days you spent outside of Canada in the following circumstances as days for which you satisfy the residency obligation:
OPTION 1. Accompanying a Canadian citizen outside Canada
You may count each day you accompanied a Canadian citizen outside Canada provided that the person you accompanied is your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you are a child under 22 years of age).
OPTION 2. Employment outside Canada
You may count each day you worked outside Canada provided that your employment meets the following criteria. You are an employee of, or under contract to, a Canadian business or the public service of Canada or of a province, and are assigned on a full-time basis to:
• a position outside Canada;
• an affiliated enterprise outside Canada; or
• a client of the Canadian business or the public service outside Canada.
For the purposes of this application, a Canadian business is defined as:
• a corporation that is incorporated under the laws of Canada or of a province and that has an ongoing operation in Canada; or
• an enterprise that has an ongoing operation in Canada and is capable of generating revenue and is carried out in anticipation of profit, and in which a majority of voting or ownership interests is held by Canadian citizens, permanent residents, or Canadian businesses as defined above; or
• an organization or enterprise created by the laws of Canada or a province.
OPTION 3. Accompanying a permanent resident outside Canada
You may count each day you accompanied a permanent resident outside Canada provided that:
• the person you accompanied is your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you are a child under 22 years of age); and
• he or she was in compliance with his or her own residency obligation.
OPTION 4. Absence while in possession of a valid Returning Resident Permit.
You may count each day you spent outside of Canada with a valid Returning Resident Permit.
Humanitarian and Compassionate Grounds
If you are unable to meet the residency obligation, we will consider any compelling humanitarian and compassionate factors in your individual circumstances that may justify the retention of permanent resident status. We will notify you if this additional assessment is required.
Appendix B
Photo Specifications
• Permanent Resident Card photos are not the same as passport photos.
• You may wear non-tinted and tinted prescription glasses as long as your eyes are clearly visible. Make sure that your eyes are not hidden by glare on the lenses. Sunglasses are not acceptable.
• A hairpiece or other cosmetic accessory is acceptable if it does not disguise your normal appearance and you wear the accessory on a regular basis.
• The photos must clearly show your face. If you may not remove your head covering for religious reasons, make sure your full facial features are visible.
• Photos must have been taken in the last year to ensure an up-to-date likeness.
• Photos may be either black and white or colour.
TAKE THIS SHEET WITH YOU TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER
45 mm (1 3/4")
35 mm (1 3/8")
Max. 35 mm (1 3/8")
Min. 25 mm (1")
Date photo was taken
Guarantor's signature
Notes to the photographer
The two photos must:
• show a full front view of the person's head and shoulders showing full face centred in the middle of the photo;
• be clear, well-defined and taken against a plain white background without shadows;
• be produced from the same unretouched film or from the same file capturing the digital image or from two identical photos exposed simultaneously by a split-image or multi-lens camera;
• be original photos (not taken from any existing photo);
• measure between 25 mm and 35 mm (1" and 1 3/8") from chin to crown;
• have a 35 mm x 45 mm (1 3/8" x 1 3/4") finished size;
• be on photographic paper that has a backing which accepts and retains the date and the guarantor's signature without smearing. Photos without this backing are not acceptable;
• be on prints that are well-fixed and washed to prevent fading and discolouration;
• bear the date the photo was taken (not the date the photo was printed) directly on the back of one print (stick-on labels are not acceptable); and
• allow sufficient space on the back for the signature of a guarantor.