Travel document needs depend on whether you are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person, or a stateless permanent resident. We help clients identify the correct document before they travel or submit an application.
If you need a passport, refugee travel document, certificate of identity, or other travel-related support, the process may depend on your status, identity documents, urgency, and travel plans. Missing or inconsistent identity information can slow the process down.
This service is for clients who want help understanding which travel document route fits their situation and how to organize the supporting documents.
Travel document needs depend on whether you are a Canadian citizen, a permanent resident, a protected person, or a stateless permanent resident. We help clients identify the correct document before they travel or submit an application.
If you are outside Canada without a valid PR card, you may need a Permanent Resident Travel Document to return to Canada by airplane, bus, boat, or train. A PRTD is usually valid for one entry.
Protected persons in Canada, including Convention refugees and persons in need of protection, may be eligible for a refugee travel document. It cannot be used to travel to the holder's country of citizenship.
Permanent residents in Canada who are stateless or cannot obtain a national passport or travel document for a valid reason may be eligible for a certificate of identity.
Canadian citizens can apply for a new passport or renew an adult passport if they qualify. We help organize the application package, photos, guarantor details, and supporting documents before submission.
Travel document applications can depend on precise identity, status, and document history. RA Migration helps clients understand what should be prepared before submitting a request tied to travel or identity.
We help organize identity documents, status evidence, previous travel documents, explanations, and timelines so the application is easier to review. We also help clients understand where government processing times and requirements must be checked directly.
If travel documents are holding up your plans, RA Migration can help you prepare the file with clarity and attention to detail.
A PRTD lets a permanent resident who is outside Canada without a valid PR card return by commercial transportation.
It is applied for at a visa office abroad, and the application assesses whether you have met the residency obligation of 730 days in the preceding five years. This is where a shortfall usually surfaces, sometimes for the first time. If you are abroad with an expired card and an uncertain presence record, get advice before applying rather than after a refusal.
A refugee travel document is issued to protected persons and Convention refugees in Canada. A certificate of identity is for permanent residents who are stateless or cannot obtain a passport from their country of nationality.
Neither is a Canadian passport, and neither confers citizenship. Which applies depends on your specific status, and applying under the wrong one causes delays that matter when travel is already booked. Notably, a refugee travel document cannot normally be used to travel to the country you fled, and doing so can put your protected status at risk.
Yes, but you must meet the residency obligation of 730 days of physical presence in Canada in every rolling five-year period to keep your status.
You also need a valid PR card to return by commercial transportation, or a PRTD if the card has expired while you are abroad. Some time outside Canada can count toward the obligation, including days accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or working full time for a Canadian business, which is worth confirming before an extended absence.
After your citizenship ceremony, you apply with your citizenship certificate, photographs meeting the specification, and a guarantor or the alternative statutory declaration process.
The citizenship certificate is the essential document, so keep it secure: replacing it takes considerably longer than replacing a passport. Only Canadian citizens can hold a Canadian passport, which is why permanent residents use a PR card or PRTD instead.
Renew it and inform IRCC, because permits and visas are generally issued only up to the expiry of the passport they are placed in.
This is a routine and avoidable way to lose months. A post-graduation work permit or study permit shortened by a passport expiring in a year can cost time that cannot be recovered later. If your passport has under a year or two of validity and an application is coming, renew first.
A certificate of identity is the document designed for this situation, available to permanent residents who are stateless or unable to obtain a passport from their country of nationality.
It is issued at the discretion of the Canadian government and is not accepted by every country, so entry requirements for your destination should be checked before travel. Once you become a Canadian citizen, a Canadian passport replaces it.
RA Migration serves clients across Ontario and Quebec, online and in person from our Burlington office, with Arabic-speaking service.
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