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Effective immediately, facilitation visas may also be issued to presumptive Canadians under the age of 18 years who are coming to Canada either to reside with their Canadian parent(s) or for humanitarian and compassionate reasons as determined by the visa officer. The person must be unable to obtain a new, replacement or emergency Canadian passport in a sufficiently timely fashion and the travel must be urgent. The person may or may not be travelling with the Canadian parent. The person must also be in possession of a valid foreign national passport or travel document in order for the facilitation visa to be issued. Satisfactory evidence (a Canadian passport, Canadian birth certificate, citizenship certificate, etc.) must be presented to prove that at least one parent is Canadian and the visa officer must be satisfied of the parent-child relationship.

Section 11 of the Immigration Refugee and Protection Act (IRPA) specifies that a visa officer must be satisfied that a person is a foreign national in order to issue a temporary resident visa (TRV). A foreign national is defined in IRPA as “a person who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, and includes a stateless person.” Someone who is a Canadian citizen is not, therefore, eligible for a TRV. There are, however, exceptional circumstances where CIC can facilitate the travel of a dual national by placing a facilitation visa counterfoil into the passport of the Canadian’s other nationality, including if there are evidentiary concerns with respect to a person’s Canadian citizenship. For example, if a child of a Canadian citizen has not yet obtained proof of Canadian citizenship, a facilitation visa can be issued where the identity of the child is not in question.

The issuance of a facilitation visa will not impact the citizenship status of an individual and has no effect on the official determination by CIC on an application for proof of citizenship.

It should be noted that these individuals should be counseled to submit an application for a citizenship certificate (proof of citizenship) as soon as possible, if they have not already done so. The facilitation visa issuance process should nonetheless be sufficiently rigorous to minimize the risk of admitting persons without status into Canada.

A transporter must, at the time of boarding, examine the documents of all persons it carries to Canada to ensure that they are the documents prescribed in R259. The transporter must refuse to allow any improperly documented person to board a vehicle destined for Canada.

If your application is non-routine, it will take longer to process. The current typical processing time for non-routine applications is 36 months. Some will be processed faster than this.

If your case is taking longer than the time shown and you need more information, please contact the Call Centre.

Starting March 15, 2016, you will need to travel with your Canadian permanent resident card or permanent resident travel document when flying to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be able to board your flight to Canada.

You must apply for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad). Otherwise you may not be able to travel to Canada.

Yes. There is not a requirement to stay in Canada while we process your application. Please also note that if you applied on or after June 11, 2015, you must also declare your intent to reside in Canada in order to be eligible.

If you need to leave Canada there are several risks you should be aware of.

If you leave Canada, you must continue to meet your residency obligation to keep permanent resident (PR) status. You must be a permanent resident to become a citizen and not just when you apply. If you lose PR status before you take the Oath of Citizenship, you cannot become a citizen. Bring your PR card with you when you leave Canada so you can return easily. Make sure the card will not expire while you are outside Canada. (If your PR card expires, it does not mean you have lost PR status.)

We generally only mail letters, notices and other material to addresses in Canada, although in some cases, you will receive an e-mail from us. You must reply to these letters within a certain amount of time. If you do not reply within the timeframe and do not provide an acceptable reason for not being able to keep your appointment with us, we will close your application.

You must attend meetings and other events at our offices, like your citizenship test, interview and ceremony. These events only take place in Canada. To reschedule these events or if you miss one, you must contact the CIC Call Centre. The Call Centre can only be reached from within Canada

An officer from the CBSA will greet you. The officer will ask to see your visa and travel documents. The officer will also check to make sure that you and any family members travelling with you have the proper travel documents. The officer will inquire about your health and will ask you questions similar to those on the immigrant application form.

I am outside of Canada and do not have a PR card. How can I return to Canada?

Canada’s entry requirements are changing

Starting March 15, 2016, if you are a permanent resident of Canada and a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you will need to travel with your Canadian permanent resident (PR) card or PR travel document when flying to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be able to board your flight to Canada. PRs who are citizens of visa-required countries will continue to need to show their PR card when boarding a flight to Canada.

If you are in Canada and do not have a permanent resident, find out how to apply for a permanent resident card.

If you are outside Canada and do not have a PR card or your card is expired, find out how to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

If you are outside Canada and plan to return to Canada by:

Private vehicle

There are other documents you can use to re-enter the country.

By bus or train

You must apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document. Otherwise you may not be able to travel to Canada.

You can apply to replace your PR card when you return to Canada.

By air

Starting March 15, 2016, if you are a permanent resident of Canada and a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you will need to travel with you Canadian permanent resident (PR) card or PR travel document when flying to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be able to board your flight to Canada. PRs who are citizens of visa-required countries will continue to need to show their PR card when boarding a flight to Canada.

If you are outside Canada and do not have a PR card or your card is expired, find out how to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

If you are outside Canada and do not have a PR card or your card is expired, find out how to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

I need to leave Canada and I do not have a permanent resident card. Can I later return to Canada without a PR card?

Canada’s entry requirements are changing

Starting March 15, 2016, if you are a permanent resident of Canada and a citizen of a visa-exempt country, you will need to travel with your Canadian permanent resident (PR) card or permanent resident travel document when flying to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be able to board your flight to Canada. Permanent residents who are citizens of visa-required countries will continue to need to show their PR card when boarding a flight to Canada.

If you are in Canada and do not currently have a permanent resident card, find out how to apply for a permanent resident card.

If you are outside Canada and do not have a PR card or your card is expired, find out how to apply for a permanent resident travel document.

As of March 15, 2016, you can only return to Canada by private vehicle if you do not have a PR card. To do so you must have other documents.

When you return to Canada, apply for a PR card if you plan to travel outside Canada again.

By bus or train

You must apply for a Travel Document (Permanent Resident Abroad). Otherwise you may not be able to travel to Canada.

You can apply to replace your PR card when you return to Canada.

By air

Starting March 15, 2016, you will need to travel with your Canadian permanent resident card or permanent resident travel document when flying to Canada. Otherwise, you may not be able to board your flight to Canada.

If you do not currently have a permanent resident card, find out how to apply.