PR card renewal for truck drivers: what to check first
Cross border drivers spend many days outside Canada, sometimes in short trips that add up quickly. Before renewing your PR card, check where you stand.
1. Count your days honestly
The residency obligation is generally 730 days of physical presence in Canada in every 5 year period. For drivers, the difficulty is not the rule, it is the number of trips.
2. Gather your records
- CBSA travel history through an access to information request
- US entry records (I‑94 or FOIA)
- Logbooks or ELD data, dispatch sheets and pay stubs
See how to get your travel history.
3. Ask whether an exception may apply
In limited cases, time outside Canada while employed full time by a Canadian business can count toward residency. Whether this applies to your trucking work depends on your employer, your role and how your work is structured, so get it assessed rather than assumed.
4. Think about citizenship
If you have enough days, citizenship removes the need to renew PR cards. I check both routes.
Driving cross border and renewing your card?
I organize long travel histories and check your days before you file.
This article gives general information and is not legal advice. Every case is assessed individually and decisions are made by IRCC.