Regulation 8 — Permanent residents — entry documents
Text of provision
(1) A foreign national may not enter Canada to work without first obtaining a work permit.
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a foreign national who is authorized under section 186 to work in Canada without a work permit.
Plain English
Regulation 8 requires a permanent resident seeking entry to Canada to hold a valid permanent resident card and passport, or a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) where no current PR card is held. The PRTD is issued abroad by IRCC to permanent residents who need to return to Canada but whose PR card has expired or was lost.
Practical effect
The practical requirement to hold a PR card for airline boarding means that many permanent residents must apply for a new PR card before travel abroad, or arrange a PRTD if their card has already expired. The PRTD application can take 3–6+ months in some overseas offices. The absence of a PR card does not affect actual permanent resident status, but the inability to board a flight to Canada creates a practical trap for many long-absent permanent residents.