Immigration Knowledge Series: What should I do if my Maple Leaf Card expires?

The Maple Leaf Card, which indicates that you have permanent resident status in Canada, is valid for 5 years. If your Maple Leaf Card is about to expire, there are two ways to renew it: one is to apply for renewal 9 months before expiration, and the other is to apply after expiration.

When submitting an application to renew your Maple Leaf Card, there is a key condition that must be met, which is that you need to have lived in Canada for at least 730 days and two years in the previous five years. This is called the residence obligation of a permanent resident. The speed with which Canadian Immigration and Immigration Canada processes Maple Leaf Card renewal applications varies, sometimes even taking as long as half a year. For those who live overseas but whose Maple Leaf cards have expired, they are in a terrible situation.

However, there is no need to worry about the expiration of the Maple Leaf Card. We have a solution. If the Maple Leaf Card expires and you happen to be outside Canada, you must apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD). This certificate can generally only be used once and is valid for six weeks. If you can return to Canada with a PRTD, the document will then lose its validity. Therefore, you must apply for Maple Leaf Card renewal as soon as possible after returning to Canada to facilitate future entry and exit.