Count your days: what counts and what doesn't
Updated
How to rebuild your five-year travel history
IRCC asks for every absence from Canada in the last five years. If you never kept a log, here's what IRCC says to enter, what the border record holds, and a way to put your trips back together.
What IRCC asks for
The PR card application has a table called "Time spent outside Canada" (section 5.5 of the IMM 5444). IRCC's instruction: "You must list all your absences from Canada in the past five (5) years".1
- Go from the most recent trip to the oldest.
- If you leave Canada and come back the same day, IRCC says you "do not need to include this travel as an absence".
- Do not enter time spent in transit while travelling through Canada. IRCC says it does not count as travelling outside Canada.
- The "To" date is the date you sign and submit the form.1
IRCC also says the day you left and the day you returned count as days in Canada, so an officer excludes them from the days outside. Enter the number of days you were absent on that basis.1
What the border record holds
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) keeps travel history records. They include your name, date of birth, citizenship, gender, date of entry, the port of entry and any document number tied to the trip, such as a passport number.2
For a PR card, CBSA says: "If you are renewing or applying for a Permanent Resident Card you do not need to request your Traveller History Report from the CBSA." Ticking Yes in the consent section of the application lets CBSA share your entry records with IRCC directly.2
| Exit data | Collected since |
|---|---|
| Foreign nationals leaving for the United States (excluding American citizens) | June 30, 2013 |
| All travellers, by land | July 11, 2019 |
| All travellers, by commercial air | June 25, 2020 |
So the exit for an older trip may not be in that record. CBSA says it keeps a report for 15 years.2
Rebuild your trips, step by step
Note: This part is our suggestion
IRCC doesn't publish a list of records to use for each trip, and its pages don't say what to do if you can't recall a date. The steps below are a practical method, not IRCC's instruction.1
- Set the window. Start five years before the day you plan to sign, or on the day you became a permanent resident if that is more recent.
- Collect what you already have. Every passport you used in that period, airline and booking emails, travel and card statements, calendar entries and phone photos.
- Write each trip as two dates: the day you left Canada and the day you came back. If a record gives only one date, look for a second record that gives the other.
- Work from the most recent trip back. Recent trips are the easiest to date, and they give you landmarks for the older ones.
- Drop same-day trips and transit. IRCC says you need not enter them.
- Put the trips in a calculator. The days outside, with your departure and return days excluded, are the number IRCC asks for.
When you can't pin down a date
IRCC asks for the exact number of days, so a guess is not a good fit. Look for a second record of the same trip before you settle on a date, for example a booking email for the flight home or a card statement from the week you came back.
If you still want the border's own record, CBSA says people can request their own report online under the Privacy Act at no cost, and that it takes up to 30 days. For a PR card renewal CBSA says you do not need to.2
When to get help
If your trips add up to a long time outside Canada, or you're unsure about your status, speak to a licensed professional before you submit.
Note: Who can advise you
Only lawyers and paralegals in a Canadian law society, Quebec notaries, and consultants who are members of the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants can charge you to represent you. prcard.ca explains IRCC's own instructions; it doesn't give advice on your case.3
Got your trips? Count the days.
The renewal pack turns your trips into every IMM 5444 answer, in portal order. The interview is free.
Quick answers
How far back does my travel history go?
IRCC asks for all absences in the past five years, or since you became a permanent resident if that is less than five years ago.
Do I need to request my CBSA travel history report?
No. CBSA says that if you are renewing a PR card you do not need to request it.
Do I list a trip where I left and came back the same day?
IRCC says you do not need to include it as an absence.
Do the days I left and returned count as days outside Canada?
No. IRCC says those days count as days in Canada and an officer excludes them from the days outside.
What if I lost my old passport?
IRCC's pages don't say what records to use. Look for emails, statements and calendar entries that give the dates of each trip.
Keep reading
Sources
- 1.canada.ca, IMM 5444 instructions, section 5.5 Time spent outside Canada. canada.ca
- 2.CBSA, Travel History Report. cbsa-asfc.gc.ca
- 3.canada.ca, Learn about representatives. canada.ca