The Canadian Permanent Resident Card, or Maple Leaf Card, is issued by the Canadian Department of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Affairs. It is an official document to indicate the holder's permanent resident qualifications. This card is required to obtain various services in the province, including medical and driver's licenses. It is also an essential proof of identity when entering and leaving Canada by air, train, bus or ferry. This guide is intended for Chinese living in Canada or Mainland China. They plan to immigrate to Canada. The content includes a comprehensive explanation of the initial application, re-apply, reissue application and information changes of the Canadian permanent resident card in 2025. It specifically involves application steps, necessary documents, relevant overheads, approval cycles, general questions and effective suggestions. It aims to help applicants smoothly advance their applications and reduce operational errors.

1. What is a PR card?

The Canadian permanent resident certificate is issued by the Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizens and is used as an identity certificate. The licensee can re-enter Canada with the help of public passenger transport tools such as aircraft, rail transit, public buses and ferries, and enjoy the relevant rights and interests of health care, driving licenses and other provinces provided by them. Such documents are generally valid for five years, but in special circumstances such as when the identity application is in the trial stage, the validity period may be shortened to one year. If the document is invalid, it may cause the inability to enter the country by transportation or the inability to enjoy specific services. Maintaining the effectiveness of the PR card is the obligation of every permanent resident, especially when planning to travel abroad.

2. First application for PR card (first application)

Those who have just obtained the permanent residence status in Canada must submit a Canadian receiving address within 180 days after arrival and attach a photo that meets the requirements. The Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship will automatically send the first permanent residence card for free. If you miss this time, or if the address has been changed, you have to apply by yourself. In that case, you will need to pay 50 Canadian dollars. Below are the specific processing steps and what to pay attention to.

2.1 Automatic free shipping

After verification, the Canadian Ministry of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship is expected to issue permanent resident documents within 50 days, with the reference date being July 2025.

Notes:

2.2 Manual application

If you cannot get the materials within 180 days, or have not applied for a resident card before June 28, 2002, you must apply manually.

Submit online:

Payment method: First submit CAD 50 on the IRCC payment platform, and then submit the payment certificate.

Submit application: Processing time is about 50 days (data in July 2025).

Paper application:

Notes:

2.3 FAQs and solutions

Question: What to do if you miss the 180-day deadline?