1. Understand when you may need to prove your status

You may need to prove to Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) or Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) that you're a permanent resident.

This can happen if you:

• make an application to IRCC when you're in Canada
• make an application to IRCC when you're not in Canada
• return after leaving the country and ask CBSA to enter Canada

You may need to prove that you've met your residency obligation.

Making an application from inside Canada

If you make an application to IRCC, they can look at your travel history to see how much time you've spent outside Canada.

For example, IRCC looks at how much time you've spent in Canada when you:

• apply for a permanent resident (PR) card
• apply to become a Canadian citizen

IRCC does this to see if you've met your residency obligation. If this might be a problem for you, get legal advice before you apply.

Making an application outside Canada

If you leave Canada, you must show proof of your permanent resident status when you come back. Usually, you do this by showing your PR card.

If you're outside Canada and do not have a PR card or if your card expires, you cannot get one while you're outside Canada. Instead, you can apply for and use a PR travel document.

To get a travel document, you must apply to a Canadian visa office or Visa Application Centre. They check to see if you have met your residency obligation before they decide if they will give you the document.

Asking to enter Canada

When you return to Canada, an officer from CBSA looks at your documents and can ask you questions. The officer may ask questions about how much time you spent outside Canada to see if you have met your residency obligation. You must answer the questions and tell the truth.