Filipiniana News – January 2013 RHYME & REASON If you are a permanent resident planning to travel outside Canada but whose permanent resident (PR) card is about to expire, please ensure that you apply for a renewal several months in advance of your intended travel date. These days, there are much longer delays in the processing of PR cards, whether for initial, renewal or replacement cards, due to CIC’s much stricter scrutiny of residency compliance. It appears that the recent discovery of fraudulent citizenship and PR card residency claims have unfortunately led to the prejudice of everybody else, even for those not guilty of similarly fraudulent activity. If a permanent resident needs to travel urgently and the PR card cannot be issued before one has to leave Canada, CIC can try to expedite processing if the application is submitted at least three weeks before departure and no issues arise during processing. If this does not work out, there is still the option