IMM 5529 Guide: Applying for a Permanent Resident Travel Document

Option 3. Accompanying a permanent resident outside Canada

You may count each day you accompanied a permanent resident outside Canada as long as:

• the person you accompanied is your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you are a child under 19 years of age); and
• the person was employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the public service of Canada or of a province or territory during the time you accompanied them.

Proof needed

You must provide supporting documents to prove that:

• The person you are accompanying is a permanent resident;
• You are the spouse, common-law partner or child of that person; and
• The permanent resident you are accompanying meets the residency obligation.

Supporting documents may include:

• Mandatory:
  • documents showing the person you are accompanying meets the residency obligation;
  • all passports or other travel documents the person you are accompanying used in the five (5) years before the application
  • marriage licence or proof of common-law partnership (if you are accompanying a permanent resident spouse or common-law partner);
  • child’s birth certificate, baptismal document, or adoption or legal guardianship document (if you are accompanying a permanent resident parent);
• You may also include:
  • School or employment records;
  • Canadian Income Tax Notice of Assessment;
  • association or club memberships;
  • any other documents you want us to consider.

Humanitarian and compassionate grounds

If you cannot meet the residency obligation, it may still be possible to keep your status as a permanent resident of Canada. To assess your application on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, you must show that there were exceptional circumstances or factors beyond your control that have kept you living outside Canada.

Factors that might be acceptable are unusual and undeserved, or disproportionate hardships you would face if you lost your permanent resident status.

To have your application considered on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, you must:

• answer question 19 of the application form;
• provide proof that there are compelling humanitarian and compassionate factors in your personal circumstances that justify keeping your permanent resident status;
• describe why you were not able to meet the residency obligation;
• describe the extent of any hardship the loss of residency status would cause to:
  • yourself;
  • family members who would be directly affected by this decision; and
  • the best interests of any child directly affected by this decision, if this applies to you.

While there are no guidelines about the supporting documents to submit, you must provide documents and information on any aspect of your exceptional circumstances that would justify keeping your permanent resident status.