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IMM 5444: renewing a PR card or applying for a PR travel document, what the form asks

IMM 5444 is one form for two applications: a permanent resident card if you are in Canada, or a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) if you are outside Canada without a valid card. The IRCC fee list shows $50 for each. IRCC says not to renew a card that is still valid for more than nine months unless your legal name has changed, and an undated or electronically signed paper form is returned.

IMM 5444 is titled "Application for a Permanent Resident Card (PR card) or Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD)". IRCC's form page says the form was last updated in September 2024 and is dated 9 December 2025. This guide walks through what the form asks, the fees on the IRCC fee list as at 21 September 2026, and IRCC's own rules on timing, photos, signatures and travel. It explains the rules. It does not tell you how to answer the residency questions for your own case, and it does not tell you whether you have met the residency obligation. Always use the current form and read IRCC's instructions first.

One form, two different applications

IRCC's form page says which application you make depends on where you are: - If you are in Canada, you apply for a PR card. - If you are outside Canada, you apply for a PRTD, unless you want to give up your permanent resident status. Renouncing status uses a different form, which IRCC links from the page.

The distinction matters because the two documents do different things. IRCC's page on travelling outside Canada as a permanent resident says that to board a commercial carrier (plane, bus, boat or train) to return, you need a valid PR card and a valid passport or travel document. If your card is expired or you do not have one, IRCC says to apply for or renew the card before you leave, because a card can only be obtained while you are in Canada. If you are already outside Canada without a valid card, or your card was lost, stolen or damaged, you need to apply for a PRTD, which you can only do from outside Canada. For a private vehicle, IRCC says the PR card or other accepted documents can be used to return.

IRCC also notes that you may need a visa for other countries on your route even with a valid PR card, so check each country's entry rules.

Online or paper: the form page says not to fill in the PDF if you apply online through the Permanent Residence portal. For paper applications, it recommends filling the form out on a computer, validating it, then printing and signing. IRCC's PRTD guide (Guide 5529) says a PRTD can be applied for online through the portal, which accepts applications at any time, or on paper through a visa application centre if your country accepts paper applications.

What it costs: the fees on the IRCC list

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows these amounts in Canadian dollars: - Permanent resident card (renewal or replacement): $50.00. - Permanent resident travel document: $50.00.

IRCC's PRTD guide says the fee is $50 per PRTD and is not refunded once processing starts or if the application is refused. The fee list adds that PR cards are delivered only to Canadian addresses and that a person outside Canada without a valid card should apply for a PRTD.

Note that IRCC's pages describe a first PR card differently. A page dated 5 March 2026 says a first card does not cost anything if you send your photo and address within 180 days of becoming a permanent resident. That applies to a first card only and not to a renewal. Anything beyond that, such as a replacement of a lost card, is a separate application and carries the fee above. Read the fee list on the day you pay, because fees and rules change.

The renewal timing rule: nine months

Here the form page contains a rule that surprises people. It says not to renew a PR card that is still valid for more than nine months (270 days), unless your legal name has changed. Otherwise, IRCC says, the application will be returned.

A worked example of the arithmetic. If a card expires on 1 December, nine months before is 1 March. An application for renewal made in January falls inside the window. One made the previous October would be more than nine months before expiry and falls outside it, unless the name has changed. This is only the date arithmetic of IRCC's rule.

IRCC's PRTD guide adds a related point: it is the permanent resident's responsibility to keep the PR card valid and to apply for a new one "before your current card expires". Processing takes time and IRCC publishes the current processing times on its site. A traveller whose card expires soon should check those times before booking a flight, because the card is what lets you board a commercial carrier home.

IRCC also has an urgent processing option. The PRTD guide says to tick the urgent box online, or write "Urgent" on the envelope, and that you must show travel within the next 5 days and include a letter and proof of the urgency. Read IRCC's urgent processing page for the full rules.

The residency questions: absences and the 730-day rule

The form asks you to list all absences from Canada over the past five years. The reason is the residency obligation in section 28 of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Section 28(1) reads: "A permanent resident must comply with a residency obligation with respect to every five-year period." Under section 28(2)(a), a permanent resident complies by being physically in Canada for at least 730 days in the five-year period, or by being abroad on days that count under the listed exceptions. The full rules and examples are in the guide to the 730-day obligation on this site.

IRCC's form page gives a simple counting aid. It says that if your total time outside Canada, excluding time that falls under reasons A, B or C on the form, is 1,095 days or more, you may not meet the residency requirements. Here is the arithmetic. Five years is about 1,825 days. If 1,095 of those are spent outside Canada, 730 days remain in Canada. The point of 1,095 is that it is the amount of time outside that leaves exactly 730 days inside, before any exceptions are counted. This is arithmetic, not an assessment of any person's situation.

Reasons A, B and C come from the PRTD guide: - A: full-time employment abroad with a Canadian business or government. - B: accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or parent. - C: accompanying a permanent resident spouse, common-law partner or parent who meets the residency obligation.

If you cannot meet the obligation, IRCC says you may ask for humanitarian and compassionate consideration by answering question 5.7 on the form. The humanitarian and compassionate guide on this site explains that route and its limits. What counts as a compelling reason is for the officer to assess on the evidence you give. A general guide cannot say whether yours would be accepted.

For a PRTD, the guide says you provide two pieces of evidence showing you met the residency obligation, and that a person who has been a permanent resident for less than five years must show they can meet 730 days within five years of becoming a permanent resident.

Signatures: how paper applications get returned

IRCC's form page is firm about signatures. The application must be signed and dated by hand. It will be returned if it is: - undated; - stale-dated, meaning dated more than 90 days before IRCC receives it; - post-dated; or - signed with an electronic signature.

An applicant under 14 needs a parent or legal guardian to sign. Applicants aged 14 to 17 must sign along with a parent or legal guardian.

The online route is different. IRCC's PRTD guide says online applicants sign digitally by typing their full name exactly as it appears on their passport. If you use an immigration representative with IMM 5476, the guide says you and the representative must sign by hand. The guide to IMM 5476 on this site explains that form.

A practical consequence follows from the 90-day rule: do not sign a paper application weeks before you have all your documents. Date and sign it when the package is ready to post.

Photos and what a replacement needs

IRCC's photo page (dated 26 March 2026) gives separate rules for digital and paper applications. - Digital: one photo uploaded in the portal, from a commercial photographer or studio. IRCC says a photo of a printed photo taken with a camera or phone is not accepted: "We do not accept a photo of a paper photo taken with your digital camera or phone." The file is 715 x 1000 to 2000 x 2800 pixels, 4 MB or less, in jpeg or jpg format, and taken no more than 12 months before you apply. - Paper: two identical photos, 50 mm wide by 70 mm high, with the chin-to-crown head size 31 to 36 mm, from a commercial photographer or studio. The name, date of birth, studio's name and address and the date taken go on the back of one photo.

IRCC also lists what can and cannot be worn. Glasses are allowed if the eyes are clearly visible and the lenses have no glare. Head coverings worn daily for religious or medical reasons are allowed if the face, ears, background and shoulders are visible. Sunglasses and tinted prescription glasses are to be avoided. Read the page before the photo appointment, not after.

Section 6 of the form applies to replacements. If you are replacing a damaged card, IRCC says to send the damaged card with the application. A lost or stolen card means there is nothing to send, and for someone outside Canada the PRTD route applies instead.

Consent to share information, and the PRTD documents

Section 7 of the form asks whether you authorise IRCC to collect your entry history from the Canada Border Services Agency and tax and residency information from the Canada Revenue Agency. IRCC's page says that declining may cause processing delays. Whether to consent is your choice. The consequence IRCC states is delay.

For a PRTD, Guide 5529 lists the following: - A completed Document Checklist, form IMM 5644. - Photocopies of your current passport and of all pages of passports or travel documents used in the past five years. Originals are not to be sent. - Two pieces of evidence showing you met the residency obligation. - A copy of the fee receipt. - Other items if they apply, such as a minor travel authorisation.

For reason B the guide asks for the residential addresses of the person you are accompanying for the past five years. If your situation depends on one of the exceptions, read the guide's description of it in full.

Common mistakes, drawn from IRCC's own warnings

From IRCC's form page and guide: - Renewing too early, with a card still valid for more than nine months and no name change. - Signing by hand but forgetting the date, or dating the form more than 90 days before it reaches IRCC. - An electronic signature on a paper form. - Missing absences from the five-year list. - Using the PDF form when you are applying through the online portal. - A photo that does not meet the rules, or a photo of a printed photo. - Applying for a PR card from outside Canada. IRCC says you cannot apply for a PR card while overseas. - Leaving the damaged card out of a replacement application. - Asking an unlicensed person to prepare the application for payment. The guide to checking an RCIC licence explains how to verify a representative.

Checking the facts on your own residency is a separate step from completing the form. If the absences list produces a number you are unsure about, that is a question for a lawyer or a licensed consultant who has reviewed your travel records.

When it is worth paying a regulated adviser

Most routine renewals are done by the card holder. Paying for advice comes up when the five-year absence total is close to the line, when a PR has been outside Canada for a long time and needs a PRTD, when there is a criminal or inadmissibility history, or when a past refusal exists. A lawyer, or a consultant licensed by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants, can review your records and advise on your own facts.

What that involves: a written consultation agreement before the consult, a fee agreed up front, and IMM 5476 filed with your application if they act for you. Check their College ID or law society number on the public register before you pay. You can find regulated advisers through the directory on this site.

Questions people ask

How much does a PR card renewal cost?

The IRCC fee list (page date 21 September 2026) shows $50 for a PR card renewal or replacement and $50 for a PR travel document. Read the fee list on the day you pay.

How early can I renew my PR card?

IRCC's form page says not to renew a card that is still valid for more than nine months (270 days), unless your legal name has changed. Otherwise the application is returned.

Can I apply for a PR card from outside Canada?

No. IRCC says you cannot apply for a PR card while overseas. If you are outside Canada without a valid card, the application is for a PR travel document.

Can I sign IMM 5444 electronically?

Not on a paper application. IRCC says the paper form must be signed and dated by hand, and is returned if it carries an electronic signature, is undated, post-dated or dated more than 90 days before IRCC receives it. Online applicants sign by typing their name in the portal.

What is the 1,095-day figure on the form?

IRCC's form page says that if your total time outside Canada, excluding reasons A, B or C, is 1,095 days or more, you may not meet the residency requirements. The 730-day obligation is explained in the residency guide on this site.

What do I need to fly back if my card has expired?

IRCC says you need a valid PR card plus a valid passport or travel document to board a commercial carrier to Canada. If you are already abroad without a valid card, you apply for a PR travel document.

Sources

Last checked 2026-10-09.

Related guides

  • PR Residency Obligation: The 730-Day Rule and What Happens If You Miss It — A permanent resident must be in Canada, or in a few listed situations treated as in Canada, on at least 730 days in every five-year period (IRPA s.28). Falling short does not end status by itself: status continues until an official decision, and a decision made outside Canada can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division within 60 days.
  • Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) Applications in Canada: The Rules — An H&C request asks the Minister to grant permanent residence, or an exemption from a requirement, for humanitarian and compassionate reasons under IRPA s.25(1). IRCC calls it an exceptional measure. The IRCC fee list shows $1,260 for an adult application including the right of permanent residence fee, or $660 without it (as at 2026-09-21).
  • IMM 5476, Use of a Representative: what the form asks and how it is submitted — IMM 5476 tells IRCC that someone may act for you on an application, paid or unpaid. You complete the applicant sections, your representative signs their own declaration, and a paid representative must give their membership ID from the College, a law society or the Chambre des notaires. The same form is used to cancel or change a representative.
  • Canada PR Fees 2026: Application Fee and the $600 RPRF — On the IRCC fee list (date modified 21 September 2026), an economic permanent residence application, including Express Entry, is $1,590 with the right of permanent residence fee (RPRF) and $990 without it. A spouse or partner included on the application is the same again, and each dependent child is $270. IRCC says it refunds the RPRF if you withdraw or it refuses the application.
  • Canadian Immigration Fees 2026: The IRCC List, Explained — The IRCC fee list (date modified 21 September 2026) sets the government fees for most applications: for example $100 for a visitor visa, $150 for a study permit, $155 for a work permit, $1,590 for an economic permanent residence application including the $600 right of permanent residence fee, and $653 for an adult citizenship application. Medical exams, language tests, police certificates and representative fees are not on it.
  • Canadian citizenship requirements: the 1,095-day rule, tax filing, language and the test — Under section 5(1) of the Citizenship Act an adult applicant must be a permanent resident, have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years before applying, have met any tax-filing requirement for three years, and, if aged 18 to 54, show language ability and pass the knowledge test. Days before permanent residence count at half value, up to a cap.
  • How to check an RCIC licence on the College's Public Register — Search the consultant on the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants Public Register (register.college-ic.ca). Only people with an "Active" status and "Yes" in the "Entitled to Practise" column may legally give you immigration advice for a fee. Then contact them using the details on the register, not the ones in an ad or a message.