Flyingscottie

Hi all,

Landed in December and PR card has just been forwarded to me by my friend in Toronto, great huh?

My flight to return and settle in Toronto is booked for Feb 24th.

BUT

My PR card for some reason is boldly stating that I am MALE, which I am most definitely not

Now, I know if I fly in with this card, there is a chance that they may reject me, but I can't even get hold of the CIC office as their 1-800 number won't work from the UK!

What should I do

AmyDavid

If there is an e-mail address for the PR card issuing people - send an URGENT one to them pointing out the error.

Siouxie

Did your COPR show you as female? Is it just the PR card that is incorrect?

To be on the safe side I would apply for a travel document as well:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/informa...ons/travel.asp

Is there anyone who could call CIC on your behalf? If not, I would suggest contacting the London CIC office or send a case specific enquiry to them: http://www.canadainternational.gc.ca...contactez.aspx

After looking at the CIC website, I did come across this:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/English/resourc.../enf27-eng.pdf (ENF27 PR Card)

B. Errors involving family or given name, date of birth, place of birth, country of citizenship, gender, marital status, date of original entry or date when permanent resident status was obtained –

clients must submit a formal request to the QRC, using the Guide for this purpose [IMM 5218E] and the IMM 1436B (Request to Amend Immigration Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence). http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/informa...ions/amend.asp // http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/kit...s/IMM1436B.PDF

Officers may also counsel clients on the amendment-to-records procedure, as appropriate. Alternatively, where the client’s address is available and there would be no value added by a face-to-face meeting with the client, the CPC-PRC forwards the Amendment to Records application directly to the client, along with an explanation of the procedures (see 5.6 below).

5.6. QRC procedures
Corrections of errors as described in paragraph B of 5.5 above are initiated by the client on a completed IMM 1436B sent directly to the QRC with all supporting documentation and the required fee, as specified in the kit Request to Amend the Immigration Record of Landing [IMM 5218E] available on the CIC Web site.

The QRC processes these requests to determine if the amendment can be justified through ancillary supporting documents and advises the client of the outcome. In a majority of approved cases, errors are the result of erroneous information in the original immigration documentation used to produce the PR card.

Accordingly, clients must first amend the archival copy of the Record of Landing or Confirmation of Permanent Residence before a replacement card is issued. The QRC acknowledges any amendments that are accepted by forwarding a Request to Reissue a Permanent Resident Card [IMM 5531B] to the client. The QRC uses the IMM 5531B (a so-called “mini-kit”) only when it has approved requests by permanent residents to correct errors on their permanent resident card. Clients may also order the kit from the Call Centre when this type of mistake can be confirmed by telephone. Clients must forward the completed IMM 5531B to the CPC-PRC so that a corrected PR card can be issued, based on any updates entered into FOSS by the QRC using a noncomputer based (NCB) entry.

Requests for amendments to landing records that seek to change data on an existing PR card, but which are declined by the QRC, do not result in changes to the original permanent resident documentation. In these cases, the archival information and the corresponding PR card both remain unchanged.

Where a client reports any other documentation error after receipt of their corrected PR card, either through the Call Centre or in person at a CIC, the same process must be followed to ensure that appropriate corrections are made to archived records and a replacement card issued, if required.

Hope that helps.

Flyingscottie

What does that mean?

MrFlyingscottie

To clarify, on my good lady's behalf as she will be in bed now and I'm still awake in Canada:

* The COPR had the correct Sex on the form.
* The guy in the immigration section in the airport has ham-fisted the code when entering it on their system (he's typed 2 instead of 1)
* She has had a SIN card issued correctly - this cannot be issued when there are discrepancies. When we were applying for our SINs, the guy said he had to send Flyingscotties application away to QRC inNova Scotia for special treatment and it would take longer.

My thinking is this: The guy dealing with the SIN application has sent away a clarification, which resulted in the SIN card being produced and (my guess is) the system having the correct sex updated. This, however, would have all happend after the PR card had probably been sent to printing.

The 'informal amendments' paragraph in section 5.6 says:

If approved, the card will then be issued by the CPC based on the QRC’s approved amendments. However, the error on the client’s copy is maintained. If the client still prefers to have the error corrected, the local CIC reviews the NCB and advises the client to apply for a formal amendment if warranted, or in accordance with the QRC’s instructions.

The question really is: given the above paragraph, is it enough for the sex to say M instead of F on the PR card to render it 'invalid' (it would seem not given that people with surnames longer than 15 characters get the remained of their name chopped off on the PR card), and couldn't Flyingscottie say to anyone who questions it that the record has been updated and present her SIN as proof?

It's amazing that the guy in the airport can fowl things up like this by ham-fisting the keyboard, creating a bizarre error where the COPR has the correct sex, but a card is produced with the incorrect sex, when the CIC crow about their data quality audit standards!

Siouxie

If you are in Canada, can you not just call CIC and ask them?

The QRC acknowledges any amendments that are accepted by forwarding a Request to Reissue a Permanent Resident Card [IMM 5531B] to the client. The QRC uses the IMM 5531B (a so-called “mini-kit”) only when it has approved requests by permanent residents to correct errors on their permanent resident card. Clients may also order the kit from the Call Centre when this type of mistake can be confirmed by telephone. Clients must forward the completed IMM 5531B to the CPC-PRC so that a corrected PR card can be issued, based on any updates entered into FOSS by the QRC using a noncomputer based (NCB) entry.

If you call them and explain, they will be able to issue you with the IMM5531B (as detailed above) so that a corrected card can be issued.

MrFlyingscottie

I will call them on Monday, but given their reputation for being unhelpful and obtuse (especially considering mistakes they have made) on the phone we're trying to cover as many bases as possible. There's also the possiblity they might not discuss it with me since it's not my PR card that's the issue.

MrFlyingscottie

@siouxie Just saw your updated edit - that's the course of action that I'm hoping they will take anyway, but I really don't think they'll get the IMM5531B to me and I have it back to them, and they reissue the card before Flyingscottie is due to fly back.

The ultimate question that needs answered is, as a British Citizen, is a PR card still 'valid' with such a mistake on it caused by the CIC official, even though the CoPR is correct, and being in possession of a SIN card enough to ensure re-entry back into Canada without issue?

bewillow

I have trouble imagining that you will have any trouble once you get to Canada, other than spending a few hours talking with people to get the mistake corrected. The border agents have full access to all of your file.

After all you have all the right documentation - you passport, your COPR, your PR card. And they made a mistake somehow.

BUT... You could imagine an airline-contracted-document-checker, the ones who check you just as you about to board, saying "that does not match" and so refusing you boarding.

That said, I have never had a problem with those people while traveling to a country different from my passport. Nobody has ever asked to see a return ticket. They seem to mostly want to check (1) name matches on passport and ticket, and (2) your passport entitles you to visa free entry or you have the right visa. If you are traveling on a UK passport to Canada, that would be you!

MrFlyingscottie

This is pretty much what the CIC Call Center person said once I eventually got through to them, which is a weight off the mind!

Alberta_Rose

I doubt they'll even notice ..... if they do you can pretend to be astonished!

You'll have your original COPR with you? and your passport, so there will be little doubt where the error was made, if they DO notice it that is.

Then sort it out at your leisure once you are firmly on Canadian soil.