British Columbia Exchanging License without PR card
 

Has anyone managed to exchange their overseas license for a BC license without a PR card??

ICBC state that you have 90 days before you need to exchange your license but the only form of Primary ID they accept is a PR card.

IRCC stated it would take 5 months (and some people online reported 9 months) for the PR card to be sent out.

Anyone succeeded in getting ICBC to accept another form of ID?

Re: British Columbia Exchanging License without PR card
 

From ICBC
'Due to Covid-19, the Government of Canada has been taking several months to process applications for their ID cards. This includes replace​​ment ID such as an expired Permanent Resident Cards. In many cases we will be able to issue you an interim (paper) driver's licence until your Government of Canada ID arrives. Please contact us if you are unsure what other ID we would accept to allow you to obtain an interim driver's licence.​'

Re: British Columbia Exchanging License without PR card
 

Hi Hemlock ,

My wife and I arrived last August. We got to within 1 week of this "90 day" deadline back in November. Went to ICBC office and they exchanged our UK driving licences for temporary BC driving licences (they are yellow pieces of paper, as @unobscure says). This gave us both full Class 5 BC licences until April time I think. At the same time I sent a webform query to IRCC asking for a progress update on the PR card and said "we can't get health coverage or driving licences without the card and they MUST be exchanged within 3 months of arrival". Coincidence or not we received our PR cards about 2 weeks later.

You then need to go back to the ICBC and present them your PR card once you get it. You'll get your licence in the post a week later.

Good luck,

Tom

p.s. same goes for your MSP (and BC services card)...call Health Insurance BC if you've not yet heard about your medical coverage and they'll give you temporary coverage until your PR card arrives.
p.p.s. I've heard of some people at one of the Richmond ICBC centres getting their licence only using their COPR but no idea if that's just hearsay or not.