Applications for Canadian Permanent Resident Cards

Applications for Canadian Permanent Resident Cards Updated: 08/12/07 Who Should Apply for a Canadian Permanent Resident Card Canadian immigrants with permanent resident status who arrived in Canada before June 28, 2002 should apply for a Permanent Resident Card. The card replaces the IMM 1000 document. After December 31, 2003 all Canadian permanent residents, including children, returning to Canada by commercial vehicle (plane, boat, train or bus) must use the new card to prove their permanent resident status. Permanent Resident Cards are generally issued for five years, or in exceptional circumstances for one year. Permanent residents who plan to travel overseas should obtain a Permanent Resident Card before their departure. You should apply for a Permanent Resident Card at least two months before your departure. Processing times may vary, so check current processing times provided by Canada Citizenship and Immigration and adjust accordingly. Immigrants who became Canadian permanent residents on or after June 28, 2002 do not need to apply for a Permanent Resident Card. A Permanent Resident Card should have been mailed to you automatically. If you did not provide a mailing address to the Canada Border Services Agency when you entered Canada, you should do so as soon as possible. You must provide your mailing address within 180 days of entering Canada, or you will have to apply for a Permanent Resident Card and pay the appropriate fee. You can provide your mailing address online or by contacting the Permanent Resident Card Call Centre. Renewal of Permanent Resident Cards Since Permanent Resident Cards are issued for five years, or in some cases one year, permanent residents should check the expiry date on their PR Card if they plan to travel outside Canada. Five-year permanent resident cards began expiring in July 2007. Be sure to apply for a new Permanent Resident Card at least two months before you plan to leave the country. Permanent Resident Card Application Kits and Forms You can download the Permanent Resident Card application kit and forms from the Citizenship and Immigration Canada site. The forms must be completed, signed and mailed to the address given on the form. Detailed instructions on completing the form and the documents required to be included with the form are given in the application guide that comes with the kit. If you wish to have a printed application kit mailed to you, you can call the Permanent Resident Call Centre at 1-888-242-2100. Kits can only be sent to addresses in Canada. Allow at least two weeks for delivery. Application Fees for Permanent Resident Cards The fee for processing a Permanent Resident Card application is $50.00. Fees are subject to change. There are two ways to pay the application fee. Pay onlinePay your fee at a financial institution in Canada. To pay the fee, you must complete an original of the Fees Receipt Form IMM 5401, and take it to a financial institution with your payment. The bank will stamp the receipt form. You then attach the middle portion (Copy 2) to your Permanent Resident Card application. The fee is not refundable. Urgent Cases If you plan to travel outside Canada and do not think you will have time to get a Permanent Resident Card before you leave Canada, Citizenship and Immigration Canada may be able to process your application on an urgent basis. Check Information Regarding Urgent Cases to find out how to request that your application be processed on an urgent basis. Permanent residents wanting to return to Canada who do not have a Permanent Resident Card may contact the nearest Canadian visa office to obtain a limited use travel document to re-enter Canada at a cost of $50 each. You can download the application for a travel document (permanent resident abroad) online. Check the Status of Your Permanent Resident Card Application To check on the status of your Permanent Resident Card application, you can use the Canadian Immigration Client Application Status tool. Please note that the status of your application will not show in the Client Application Status tool until Citizenship and Immigration Canada has begun processing your application. To find out how long it may take to process your application, check the current processing times. There is no point in checking on the status of your application unless the specified processing time has passed. Questions About Your Permanent Resident Card Application If you have questions about your Permanent Resident Card Application, contact the Citizenship and Immigration Canada Call Centre if you are in Canada, or your local visa office if you are outside Canada.

All About the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City

All About the Chapultepec Castle in Mexico City Located in the heart of Mexico City, Chapultepec Castle is a historic site and local landmark. Inhabited since the days of the Aztec Empire, Chapultepec Hill offers a commanding view of the sprawling city. The fortress was the home of legendary Mexican leaders including Emperor Maximilian and Porfirio Diaz and played an important role in the Mexican-American War. Today, the castle is home to the first-rate National Museum of History. Chapultepec Hill Chapultepec means â€Å"Hill of the Grasshoppers† in Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The site of the castle was an important landmark to the Aztecs who inhabited Tenochtitlan, the ancient city which would later become  known as Mexico City. The hill was located on an island in Lake Texcoco where the Mexica people made their home. According to legend, the other people of the region did not care for the Mexica and sent them to the island, then known for dangerous insects and animals, but the Mexica ate these pests and made the island their own. After the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire, the Spanish drained Lake Texcoco to control flooding issues. On the grounds near the castle, at the base of the hill in the park near the  Nià ±os Heroes  monument, there are ancient glyphs carved into the stone during the reign of the Aztecs. One of the rulers mentioned is Montezuma II.   The Castle After the fall of the Aztecs in 1521, the hill was largely left alone. A Spanish viceroy, Bernardo de Glvez, ordered a home built there in 1785, but he left and the place was eventually auctioned off. The hill and assorted structures upon it eventually became the property of the municipality of Mexico City. In 1833, the new nation of Mexico decided to create a military academy there. Many of the older structures of the castle date from this time. Mexican-American War and the Hero Children In 1846, the Mexican-American War began. In 1847, the Americans approached Mexico City from the east. Chapultepec was fortified and placed under the command of General Nicolas Bravo, a former president of the Mexican republic. On September 13, 1847, the Americans needed to take the castle to proceed, they did, then secured the fortress. According to legend, six young cadets remained at their posts to fight off the invaders. One of them, Juan Escutia, wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and leaped to his death from the castle walls, denying the invaders the honor of removing the flag from the castle. These six young men are immortalized as the Nià ±os Heroes or â€Å"Hero Children† of the war. According to modern historians, the story is likely embellished, but the fact remains that Mexican cadets did defend the castle bravely during the Siege of Chapultepec. The Age of Maximilian In 1864, Maximilian of Austria, a young European Prince of the Habsburg line, became emperor of Mexico. Although he spoke no Spanish, he was approached by Mexican and French agents who believed that a stable monarchy would be the best thing for Mexico. Maximilian resided at Chapultepec Castle, which he had modernized and rebuilt according to the European standards of luxury at the time with marble floors and fine furniture. Maximilian also ordered the construction of Paseo de la Reforma, which connects Chapultepec Castle to the National Palace in the center of town. Maximilian’s rule lasted three years until he was captured and executed by forces loyal to  Benito Juarez, the president of Mexico, who maintained he was the legitimate head of Mexico during Maximilians reign. Residence for Presidents In 1876, Porfirio Diaz came to power in Mexico. He took Chapultepec Castle as his official residence. Like Maximilian, Diaz ordered changes and additions to the castle. Many items from his time are still in the castle, including his bed and the desk from which he signed his resignation as president in 1911. During the Mexican Revolution, various presidents used the castle as an official residence, including Francisco I. Madero, Venustiano Carranza, and Alvaro Obregà ³n. Following the war, Presidents Plutarco Elias Calles and Abelardo Rodriguez resided there. The Castle Today In 1939, President Lazaro Cardenas del Rio declared that Chapultepec Castle would become the home of Mexicos National History Museum. The museum and castle are a popular tourist destination. Many of the upper floors and gardens have been restored to look as they did during the age of Emperor Maximilian or President Porfirio Diaz, including original beds, furniture, paintings, and Maximilians fancy coach. Also, the exterior is renovated and includes the busts of Charlemagne and Napoleon that had been commissioned by Maximilian. Near the entrance to the castle is a massive monument to the fallen during the 1846 Mexican-American War, a monument to the 201st Air Squadron, a Mexican air unit which fought on the side of the Allies during World War II  and old water cisterns, a nod to Lake Texcocos former glory. Museum Features The National Museum of History includes pre-Colombian artifacts and displays about ancient cultures of Mexico. Other sections detail important parts of Mexican history, such as the war for independence and the Mexican Revolution. Oddly, there is little information about the 1847 Siege of Chapultepec. There are numerous paintings in the museum, including famous portraits of historical figures such as Miguel Hidalgo and Josà © Marà ­a Morelos. The best paintings are the masterpiece murals by legendary artists Juan O’Gorman, Jorge Gonzlez Camarena, Jose Clemente Orozco, and David Siqueiros.