1. Check that you meet the requirements

To get a (PR) travel document, you must still meet all the requirements to be a permanent resident.

For example, all permanent residents of Canada must meet the residency requirement. For most people, this means you must spend 2 years physically present in Canada out of every 5 years. This is 730 days.

There are different rules if you're:

travelling outside Canada with your Canadian , , or parent,
working abroad for a Canadian business or government, or
travelling outside Canada with your permanent resident spouse, common-law partner or parent and they're working abroad for a Canadian business or government.

It's a good idea to keep a list of your travel dates outside Canada including day trips to the United States. You need this information to apply for a new PR card, a PR travel document, or citizenship.

If you apply for a PR travel document and you do not meet the residency requirement, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can refuse your application and try to take away your permanent resident status. And, if you travel outside Canada, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) could also check to see if you have met the residency requirement when you try to get back.

Get legal advice about your options before doing anything. For example, if you have not met the residency requirement, you may be able to ask to keep your permanent resident status based on humanitarian and compassionate reasons.

Refugees in Canada

If you came to Canada as a refugee, you can lose your permanent resident status and refugee protection if you:

travel to the country you claimed refugee protection against, even for a short time,
apply for a passport from that country, even if you do not use it to travel,
travel to any country using a passport from that country,
return to live in your home country, buy a home, or start a business there, or
become a citizen of a country other than Canada.

If you have done any of these things, get legal advice.