Operational Bulletin 627 – October 20, 2016

On August 29, 2016, the authorities implemented new criteria to qualify for the urgent processing of Permanent Resident (PR) cards.

Issue

This Operational Bulletin (OB) serves to provide instructions to officers on applying the new criteria to requests for urgent processing of Permanent Resident (PR) cards.

Background

When they submit their applications for a Permanent Resident (PR) card to the Case Processing Centre in Sydney (CPC-S), clients might request for urgent processing. In some cases, they might request for urgent processing after the application is already in process. For this, these clients would typically contact the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre via the IRCC Webform.

The Instructions 

The Criteria and Documents Stipulated for Urgent Processing

As mentioned earlier, all requests for the urgent processing of Permanent Resident (PR) cards that the Case Processing Centre in Sydney (CPC-S) or the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre receives on or after August 29, 2016, will be subject to the new criteria specified by the authorities.

To qualify for urgent processing of their Permanent Resident (PR) cards, clients would need to demonstrate that they require their Permanent Resident (PR) cards within the next three months for any one of the following reasons:

• For travel because of their own serious illness or the serious illness or death of a family member or,

• For obtaining employment or for travelling because of employment requirements or opportunities

The clients would need to submit all of the documents specified below for supporting their requests for urgent processing:

• Copies of proof of travel (including tickets or itineraries that show the destination and the dates they will be travelling

• Copies of proof of payment for travel showing the dates, the full amounts and the methods of payment

• Letters of explanation indicating the reasons behind the urgency and,

• Proof of the urgency such as a doctor’s note, a death certificate or a letter from the employer

Note:

• Some documents might well not be in English or in French

• In this scenario, the client would also need to provide an English or French translation in accordance with the translation of documents requirements specified in the guide to applying for Permanent Resident (PR) cards i.e. IMM 5445

The Processing Scenarios

• Scenario 1 – The client is in Canada and has not yet applied for a Permanent Resident (PR) card

  • To request for urgent processing, the client would need to write ‘Urgent’ on the envelope at the time they submit their complete Permanent Resident (PR) card application

  • In addition, they would need to include all of the documents that have been specified above in the section titled ‘The Criteria and Documents Stipulated for Urgent Processing’

• Scenario 2 – The client is in Canada and has already applied for a Permanent Resident (PR) card

  • To request for urgent processing, the client would need to follow the steps specified in the scenarios outlined below, based on the circumstances of their case

    • In case the application is not yet in process or does not appear in the e-Client Application Status (e-CAS) [Scenario 2a]

      • In this scenario, the client would need to submit another Permanent Resident (PR) card application

      • The client would also need to request urgent processing by writing ‘Urgent’ on the envelope

      • In addition, the clients would need to include all of the documents that have been specified above in the section titled ‘The Criteria and Documents Stipulated for Urgent Processing’

      • Moreover, the clients would also need to submit a copy of their receipt of payment form i.e. IMM 5401 or the electronic receipt for the Permanent Resident (PR) card application they previously submitted

      • However, it is worth highlighting that the client does not need to make a fresh payment

    • In case the application is already in process [Scenario 2b]

      • In this scenario, the client would need to contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) through the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Webform

      • For this, the clients would need to select the option titled ‘Request Urgent Processing of Renewal or Replacement Card and Have Already Applied’ from the drop down menu given in the Enquiry field

      • Thereafter, the clients would need to upload all the required documents specified above in the section titled ‘The Criteria and Documents Stipulated for Urgent Processing’ when they submit the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Webform

      • It is worth highlighting that the instructions for clients specified at the top of the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Webform outline the list of documents required as well as the technical requirements for submitting the request for urgent processing

• Scenario 3 – The client is outside Canada and not in possession of a valid Permanent Resident (PR) card

  • In this scenario, the client would need to apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) to return to Canada

  • Once the client returns to Canada, the client would need to apply for a new Permanent Resident (PR) card

  • This is in accordance with the existing procedures

  • For instructions on processing Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) applications, officers would need to go through the details mentioned in chapter OP 10

The Guidelines for Assessing a Request for Urgent Processing

The officers would need to first review the applications for Permanent Resident (PR) cards where the clients have requested for urgent processing. This is especially so for cases involving scenarios 1 and 2a. This review would establish that the applications meet the prescribed urgent processing requirements. Once the applications meet the prescribed urgent processing requirements, the officers would need to review the applications for completeness. They would review these applications for completeness based on the document checklist i.e. IMM 5644. Some applications might not contain all the documents specified in the checklist. In this scenario, the officers would need to return these applications to the client. In addition, the officers would need to notify the clients about the missing documents.

Situations could arise where officers receive the requests for urgent processing after the Permanent Resident (PR) card application is already in process. This is especially so for cases involving scenario 2b. In this case, the officers would need to review these requests for determining whether these requests meet the prescribed criteria to qualify for urgent processing.

Officers would need to place all applications that they find meet the criteria for urgent processing into the urgent Permanent Resident (PR) card processing stream. In addition, they would need to include all the required documents as well. This is in accordance with existing procedures. Officers would need to place the applications that do not meet the prescribed criteria into the regular processing stream.