Expired Maple Leaf Card—What to Do

Canada, 1^st June: Is your Canada permanent residency card or Maple Leaf Card expired?

Well, you need to be wary since an expired Canada permanent residency card could mean losing your Canada permanent residence status.

Let us see the issue in detail here.

Expired Canada permanent residency card—Canada PR(Permanent Resident) card or Canada Maple Leaf Card is a document showing your Canada permanent residence status. You need to know that an expired Canada permanent residency card may result in loss of your Canada permanent residency status.

<blockquote> Canada Maple Leaf Card is a legal proof of your Canada permanent residency status and an expired Canada Permanent residency card can put a question mark on your Canada permanent residency status. </blockquote>

It has been found that each year, nearly 6000 immigrants find having lost their Canada permanent residency status due to expiry of their Canada permanent residency card. And due to this, they are unable to come back to Canada.

What to do?—Now the question is what to do in such a scenario when your Canada permanent residency card is expired. It is known that an invalid or an expired Canada Maple Leaf Card does not allow immigrants to return to Canada. This simply means such immigrants could lose their Canada permanent residency status.

That’s a big concern for immigrants, isn’t it?

An important point worth consideration in this regard is that expiry of Canada PR card does not mean losing one’s Canada permanent residency status. The decision in this regard is taken by considering the residency requirement of the concerned immigrant. Meanwhile, it leads to PR status being lost or retained.

Canada Maple Leaf Card—It was introduced by Canada government in the year 2002. So, it now replaces the earlier document. All Canada permanent residents need to carry along this document with them while traveling outside Canada if they are desirous of returning to Canada.

It is a small wallet-sized plastic card. Its validity period is five years. As per the requirements laid down by Canada immigration department CIC(Citizenship and Immigration Canada), all Canada permanent residents having Canada Maple Leaf card or Canada permanent residency card must stay in Canada for a minimum period of two years within the five-year period. Only then can they get qualified for renewal of Canada permanent residency card.

In case, they don’t have a renewed Canada permanent residency card ahead of overseas travel, it can become a big travel since they may not be allowed to move back to Canada by Canada immigration officials.

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Harleen Kaur

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