Hurry up and wait!

Hurry up and wait!

Question from Amelia in Sherwood Park, AB:
I just found out that I must travel back to the Philippines for a family emergency. I have my flight booked for the second week of March. The issue is that my permanent residency card expired last year and I fear I do not have time to renew my card before I travel! I need help!

Answer: First of all, I hope you and your family are safe and healthy! It can be incredibly stressful dealing with family issues when you are so far away.

The good news is we can expedite your permanent residency card and hopefully ease some of your troubles! The Canadian government allows for the expedition of permanent resident cards in certain situations and depending on when you need to travel. In your case, because your travel will be more than three weeks from today, we can apply for your permanent resident card now and request urgent processing. Your family situation will need to be either a death in the family – which we certainly hope is not the case – or a serious illness in the family. There are other circumstances such as a work opportunity, obligations related to your work, or you have a serious illness that requires you to travel. We can never guarantee that your request will be processed before you travel, but we have experienced processing times as fast as two weeks. We can certainly help! Don’t worry, we literally write URGENT on these applications!

Restoring hope!
Question from Niresh in Edmonton, AB:
Help! My temporary resident visa expired last March, and I did not apply for an extension. I fear that I will be forced to leave Canada and cringe every time I must check my mailbox, fearing a letter from the government. Winter vortex aside, I really like Edmonton and do not want to leave! I missed my 90-day restoration period many months ago. Can you help?

Answer: Niresh, we certainly can help.

Under normal circumstances, you would only have a 90-day window to restore your expired status. However, nothing in 2020 and 2021 fits into normal circumstances! Last year, the government announced an exemption to the usual 90-day restoration window and will allow an application for restoration if your status expired between January 30, 2020 and May 31, 2021 – which in your case, it did! This means we can build a restoration application and give you a second chance to renew your status! Of course, this is subject to you continuing to be admissible to Canada and have the means of financial support for your stay. We can then look at further options so you can stay long term!

Rest easy knowing Freedom Migrate offers full representation for the entire process. We help you build your case and prepare you for the permanent resident application to follow. Our prices are very reasonable, and we work hard to build a competitive application for you!

Have a question? Send us your submission to freedommigrate@gmail.com or call our office at 403-520-2277 or text 587-938-3100 from anywhere in Alberta!

ASK AN IMMIGRATION PROFESSIONAL – 2021 Winter Vortex Edition: Our most frequently asked questions in a series called Questions for an Immigration Professional.
**All names and details have been changed to protect identities**

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