PR Renewal - RO not met - Applied on H&C grounds

Permanent Resident Card
1

Hello everyone,

looking for an expert advice.

Aug 2023 - My PR card expired and by this time I did not meet the residency obligation of 2 years inside Canada. I was short by several months to fulfill the RO but I was inside Canada.
Dec 2023 - I was still short of fulfilling the RO but since I had personal/family reasons due to which I could not fully move to Canada sooner, I submitted my PR card renewal application on H&C grounds.
April 2024 - I fulfilled RO and started waiting for an update on the application.

Sep 2024 - After several follow-up calls to IRCC customer care, I got an update saying my PR card is printed and sent to local IRCC office for in person pickup. After a couple of months, I finally got my appointment letter from the IRCC office indicating the card is ready for in person pick up.

In the Appointment letter:

  1. I was asked to bring all original copied of documents I submitted with my application.
  2. I was asked to bring all original documents to prove my residency inside Canada in the past 5 years.

My questions:

  1. For a portion of my stay inside Canada in 2022, I was single and moved in with my friend(shared accommodation) who already leased an apartment. My name was not added to lease and I dodnot have utility or home internet accounts under my name. Neither I have rental receipts. As with any shared accommodation, I used to interac my share of rent to my friend. Below is everything I have for the period of stay in this apartment with address mentioned:
  • my tax NOA for that year(mailed original copy)
  • my G1 knowledge test receipt(original)
  • my medical/clinic receipts
  • email confirmation of my G and G2 road test appointments
  • my G1 and G2 DL copies(destroyed originals after getting G)
  • utility bills(under my frind’s name)
  • lease agreement(my friend’s)
  • some photos on my phone at this apartment location while I was living there.

2.All the above will be good enough to convince the officer to prove my stay at this apartment? Please advice. Is there any more documents I can carry with me.*
3. After April 2024, I vacated the place I leased for 1 year and moved to a temporary and short term shared accommodation. I stayed at this place for just 2 months. Again, not in lease agreement, utility accounts not under my name, no rental receipts. I only have interac screenshots of me transferring rent amount for the 2 months. this is what I have with the address printed on it (please note, I fulfilled RO by end of April 2024)

  • My car insurance(with this address)
  • utility bills(on main lease holder name).
  • interac screenshots of rent to main lease holder(with appropriate comments)
  • my gym membership( with previous residence address but during the stay at this address)

4.Since it was a very short term stay which was supposed to be for weeks, but got extended to 2 months, I somehow missed to call IRCC and update the address on my application. would this be a problem? Please advice.*
5. In July 2024, my family landed in Canada and I didnot have enough time to find a suitable house. Using my friends network, I found temporary accommodation(say “location55”) for my family and my self. I was unsure of how long I will be staying at this place and hence I called IRCC and got the address on file updated to my friend’s address(say “location66”) thinking I would be missing my new PR card if I update my address to location55 and I move out of this place. Is this going to be a problem during my in-person pickup appointment with IRCC officer?
6. After getting an update on my application saying my card is printed and sent to IRCC office for in-person pickup and I need to wait for an appointment letter, I immediately called IRCC office and got the address on file changed to location55.

  • updating the address on file to location66, I shouldnt have done it? can I explain all the above as a justification?
  • Now my stay at location55 got extended and its been 5+ months here. I have
    • interac screenshots of rent transfers
    • utility and internet bills(under lease holder’s name)
    • I am working on getting an occupant certificate with me as occupant at location 55
    • my current original DL with location55 address
    • medical/clinic bills with location55 address.

7.What is the best way I can justify all the above in point-4. Please advice.*
8. I fulfilled RO in April 2024, do I still need to carry documents proving the H&C reason?
9. In the appointment letter, there is a statement -

  • You are requested to bring original documents for “Total of all absences from Canada(for total of 5 years prior to date you applied”
    • What are the documents I need to carry for “all absences from Canada”?
  1. In general and also considering my above situations, what should I expect on how my appointment with IRCC officer going to be like? Please advice.

Thanks a ton in advance. Apologies for the super long message.

2

Hi there,

Thank you for sharing your question and situation with us.

In terms of residency obligation, there are various documents IRCC will accept as proof of residency, as outlined in the Guide for Applying for a PR card:
Supporting documents showing that you meet the residency obligation

Supporting documents showing that you meet the residency obligation

  • You must provide copies of 2 pieces of evidence that can show you have met the residency in Canada in the five (5) years immediately before the application, or since becoming a PR if it has been less than 5 years. Some examples include:
    • employment records or pay stubs;
    • bank statements;
    • Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) Notice of Assessment for the five (5) years immediately before the application
    • evidence that you received benefits from Canadian government programs;
    • rental agreements;
    • club memberships;
    • or any other documents that prove you met your residency obligation.

Do not send original documents, as they will not be returned to you.

The 5-year period is assessed on a rolling basis, starting from the date IRCC receives a completed application. This means that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) will look back at your time in Canada over the previous 5 years from the date they receive a completed application. You may also find helpful information on this matter in the previous discussion forum thread, When does the 5-year period begin?

IRCC’s physical presence calculator recommends that you check your passport and other records like: banking records, travel itineraries and receipts to help you determine your dates of travel. It may be useful to collect these things as proof of dates you exited and re-entered the country. Still, it is best that you call IRCC directly for information/advice specific to your situation about documents they will accept.

You can contact IRCC using their web form to make a case-specific inquiry. You may also wish to consult a reputable and registered immigration consultant or an immigration lawyer for advice regarding your situation and help with your application.

We hope this information is helpful. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to post them here.

Sincerely,

Your Settlement.Org Team