Richmond resident maple leaf card expires and refuses to renew his driver's license

A Chinese immigrant from Richmond recently applied for a driver's license renewal from the British Columbia Insurance Company (ICBC). Although he holds a Canadian record certificate, commonly known as "immigrant paper", he is accused of his maple leaf card having expired, being no longer a resident, and refusing to apply for renewal. The official response from the International Association said that the "immigration documents" are recognized resident ID certificates, but frontline personnel do not comply (see another draft), and the Immigration Bureau also stressed that the invalidity of the maple leaf card will not affect the resident's qualifications. Some lawyers have recently received multiple complaints about the expiration of the maple leaf card and the inability to renew their driver's license, which has caused another trouble for the "astronauts". Some political parties do not rule out class action lawsuits.

Ms. Zhang from Richmond complained to the newspaper that when she first obtained her driver's license, she only received a temporary driver's license, which was valid for only two months, as her maple leaf card had expired, so she had to renew her license every two months and successfully changed it 3 times. That said, by the recent second day (the day before), she changed her license for the fourth time, and despite showing that the Canadian record certificate is often called "immigration paper", ICBC employees still use her maple leaf card to expire for a long time and refuse to issue a new driver's license, which prevented her from even getting a two-month temporary driver's license.

Ms. Zhang said: "At the end of last year, I took my kids back to Richmond. One person took care of two kids. No car means no feet. I really don't know what to do."

Ms. Zhang said she knew her maple leaf card had expired and that she did not apply for a new card because she did not have enough time to live. Last year, she decided to bring her children back to "settlement", that is, to comply with the Residence Ordinance. She also believes that in addition to the expiration of the maple leaf card, she pays taxes every year according to regulations and also purchases medical insurance (MSP) from the provincial government. With a valid medical card, she didn't understand why she didn't get a driver's license.

Ms. Zhang said angrily that the InterContinental Chronicle employee saw that her maple leaf card had expired and warned her that the expiration of the maple leaf card was equivalent to having no identity and that the immigration department could deport her at any time. Ms. Zhang felt that this tone was threatening. She knew very well that the expiration of the Maple Leaf Card did not mean that there was a problem with her residence identity.

Immigration consultant Ren Lisan revealed that he has received three cases (including Ms. Zhang) due to the expired maple leaf card, in which he was unable to change his driver's license. All three of them are Chinese immigrants. He once advised them to apply for a driver's license instead of "immigration paper" that proves their permanent resident status, but they all had difficulty and failed to renew their licenses.

Ren Lisan said the “immigration document” is a valid lifelong document and there is no reason not to accept it. He has checked the ICBC website and did accept "immigration paper", but he knows that in recent years, some ICBC service center clerks have only admitted maple leaf cards and do not accept other documents, which has led to many "astronauts" returning to Vancouver to apply for a driver's license but have been denied.

Ren Lisan said he had transferred the problem to a lawyer for research. Some parties want to ask the International Guard to change its measures through legal means and even file claims for inconvenience caused by lack of a driver's license. It has not been ruled out that the lawsuit will be taken.

The required documentation is different

Regarding the refusal to exchange new driver's licenses for immigration paper, ICAO spokesman Olson pointed out that the main documents accepted by the International Guard obviously include "immigrant paper". Therefore, when the applicant's maple leaf card expires or does not apply for a maple leaf card at all, he can apply for a driver's license using "immigration paper".

Regarding the complaint, she said she still needs to learn more about the issue.

ICBC lists several major documents (IDs) and auxiliary documents that require changes to new driver's licenses online, including maple leaf cards and immigration documents, work visas, student visas, and more. Among them, a primary document must be included and a secondary document must be included. The scope of auxiliary documents is very wide, including credit cards and student ID cards.

However, some service centers have different answers and executions than official statements. Staff at the ICBC Service Center noted that if a maple leaf card or student visa held by a person who changes his driving license does not have a validity period of at least 6 months, the center’s method is to ask the applicant to apply for the applicant’s replacement card from the immigration department, and then provide the application for the application to the center staff and apply for the driving application in the application.

Center staff said that if the validity period of the maple leaf card is not enough, the system will automatically prohibit the issuance of the card. Currently, ICBC personnel will explain to applicants and ask them to apply for the application section of the immigration department first, and then come back to apply for a driver's license.

Whether the maple leaf card does not affect your identity

Immigration Ministry spokesman Sonia replied yesterday that the expiration of the maple leaf card does not mean that the cardholder's permanent resident qualification has been lost. Although the Immigration Department encourages immigrants to apply for new cards after the maple leaf card expires, it does not apply. Immigrants can wait until they have plans to go abroad before applying for a maple leaf card so they can use it when they return to Canada and enter Canada.

After immigrating and leaving the country, you must have a maple card

Lesage said the Maple Leaf Card is a formal document proving the identity of a permanent resident. If the permanent resident leaves Canada, the next time he returns, he will need to board the plane with a maple leaf card. He also needs to display a valid maple leaf card when entering the country, otherwise he may not be able to enter the country smoothly and may even be denied boarding abroad.

She said that if immigrants are not ready to leave Canada at all and do not need to take a plane, whether the maple leaf card or the maple leaf card has expired and has not been replaced with a new card, it will not be a problem.

Immigration lawyer Li Kelun said the existence of permanent resident status depends on whether the individual lives according to time and lives for 2 years within five years, rather than whether he has a maple leaf card. That is, even if the maple leaf card expires, immigrants who live in Canada and continue to live do not have permanent resident status.