Snowy560

Because if airline staff know a passenger is a PR they may request a PR card or PRTD and sometimes this does happen. There's also an electronic system now which tells airline staff what a passenger needs to provide. So a Canadian citizen will get an automatic board message on production of a passport, PRs will need to produce a PR card or PRTD, foreign nationals an eTA (after September) or a visa etc.

S

Former Lancastrian

Legally they did but certain airlines didn't bother as travellers with visa exempt passports and no PR cards or PRTD's were allowed to board certain airlines.
Since a PR cannot apply for eTA they now need the PR card or PRTD.

Gozit

And since eTA is in leniency until 29th September then they actually don't until that date then.

Former Lancastrian

eTA is for visitors only and there is a leniency period. These people are PR's so eTA is not applicable to them as they cannot be considered visitors so they need the PR card or PRTD.

Snowy560

I agree with FL. PRs are not Foreign Nationals and different rules apply. You can't assume that just because there is a leniency period for eTA that a PR won't be asked for proof of status by the airline.

Arriving at the POE is different. As FL will tell you it should be possible to confirm status even without a PR card.

S

Siouxie

It is already in effect.. the leniency part does not change that.

Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)

"A visa-exempt foreign national is a person who is not a Canadian citizen or a permanent resident, and who does not normally need a visa to enter Canada."

Gozit

Yes, but what the leniency part does change is the probability of OP being asked for a PR card/PRTD at the check in counter. By eTA not being required for visitors, they wouldn't ask for it, and should board her on the basis of return tickets and intent to return to the UK. Or the system tells them she's a PR and they let her on on the basis of that. Either or there should be no trouble getting on the plane without a PR Card until 29th Sept where an eTA or a PR card *will* be required.

Either or she should try and renounce PR but if she had an emergency and needed to get to Canada tomorrow, she could get on the plane. Thats the point.

Siouxie

Tell you what, leave your Canadian passport at home, fly on your Maltese one and then try to fly back to Canada - let us know how you get on.

I know I wouldn't be risking it... for the sake of a bit of inconvenience and filling in a form or two online.

Snowy560

I'm not sure you quite get the point: emergency or not, a PR without a PR card or a PRTD may well not be allowed to board the plane to Canada. The leniency period, eTA and 29 September are simply irrelevant to PRs.

S

Gozit

But I live here, OP is coming as a visitor. She's also a PR, not a Cdn citizen. I'm not saying she shouldn't try to renounce her PR, i'm saying if it doesn't come through before her travel date I wouldn't sweat and cancel the ticket.

And with eTA in leniency, if I was flying to Canada from Malta and didn't have a Canadian passport, suppose I live in Malta and have a return ticket, I would just be able to board the plane with my Maltese passport. On arrival into Canada I could show alternate proof of Canadian citizenship in order to enter as a citizen - expired Cdn PP, my birth certificate, etc.

This is OPs situation. She technically has status in Canada but is living in the UK. She wants to come visit Canada. In theory she should be able to get on the plane with just her UK passport. She *should* renounce her PR before she goes, to be safe. But she still wouldn't need an eTA either because its not required till 29th September.

In fact, I sort of wish they didn't put it into leniency, because after hearing about eTA, my grandparents spend C$700 on renewing their Canadian passports from Malta for their visit this month, then eTA was put into leniency so they could have just used their Maltese ones and renewed the Canadian ones here like they planned.

What I don't understand is, effectively, eTA is on the back burner until 29th September. Correct?? So that means anything that was go prior to 15/03/2016 is now allowed until eTA is fully in effect on 29/09/2016. So right now eTA is irrelevant. How has anything changed then in terms of being able to board the plane without your PR card, which you could have done before 15/03/2016.

Pretend eTA doesn't exist - it is 14/03/2016 and you want to travel to Canada as a PR but you lost your PR card abroad. You could board the plane with just a UK passport at that point. See this thread http://britishexpats.com/forum/canad...ut-prs-717455/

With eTA suspended, how is anything different than that if they have a return ticket to the UK??

Richos_9

Well I have my ETA! they recieved my form to renounce my PR on Monday and today I've been approved, pretty quick work! My husband on the other hand has no communication from them at all, not even to say they've received his ETA application, let alone to say he needs to renounce his PR. But knowing it can be done in such a short time, I am hopeful!
Thanks for all the comments!

Gozit

Great!! Good luck re your hubby's app!

Snowy560

As a follow up to the points raised on this thread, I would like to add that I have just now literally this minute received an email letter from IRCC reminding me of the need to have a valid PR card:

"Hello

Our records show that you are a permanent resident (PR) of Canada. We are sending this email as a reminder that you must present your valid Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) or permanent resident travel document (PRTD) when boarding a flight to Canada, or travelling to Canada on any other commercial carrier.

If you do not present your valid PR card or PRTD, you may not be able to board your flight, train, bus or boat to Canada." ...

[There was more but there is no need to reprint it]

S

Richos_9

Argh, help again!! My husbands application won't let him link it and it and says there is no application. He has also applied a 2nd time and it's the same. He's just been locked out of his account for 24 hours as he has had the maximum attempts at logging in. Until he gets a response about his application, there is nowhere for him to upload anything and the only response he's had is via the 'feedback' option. He had a reply first saying that he needed to link his MYCIC account and he's since messaged them 3 more times via the feedback option and he's had no response. This is SO frustrating, there's no other point of contact at all. Are we missing something?!?! Former Lancastrian, PB65?
Thanks in advance guys.

Snowy560

How about sending in a paper based application to renounce (and keeping on trying to sort all this out at the same time)? Mark it urgent, explain the situation, include proof of travel etc.

S