Lost PR Status: A Twenty-Year Immigration Story
A couple's journey from the Netherlands to a Canadian ranch – and back again
We received this letter via regular mail from a couple living in France – both Dutch nationals. They found us online, writing that we were "their last hope of a good outcome." The letter describes an immigration journey spanning from 1999 to the present day – a genuine immigration saga.
Unfortunately, the story does not have a happy ending – at least not yet. The outcome was shaped by a series of avoidable mistakes made throughout the process, primarily out of ignorance, misunderstanding, and at times simple naivety.
The letter is reproduced in full below, preserving the author's voice and original style. Names and identifying details have been changed. The text is at times raw and emotional – but that is what makes it real.
The Letter
The Canadian Experience: Our Immigration Story
After a holiday of 3 weeks in Alberta, Canada in 1999, we decided to emigrate from the Netherlands to Canada.
We started the procedure to obtain a PR Card in 2001 as entrepreneurs. This procedure took us 4 years and a lot of money (fees for an immigration consultant, interview at the Canadian Embassy in London, health check in the Netherlands, etc.). The procedure took an extra year because of the "9/11" attack in the US.
We finally got the green light in 2005 and got our PR Cards with the restriction that we had to move to Canada within 1 year. At that time we lived in France and we had to sell 2 houses and take with us 6 horses, 2 cats and 2 dogs.... We felt like the first settlers....
Very excited to land in Edmonton, Alberta on the 6th of June 2006 with all our animals. Almost missed the plane to Calgary because of an error of customs!
We had bought a pickup truck to travel around in search of a ranch to buy. We wanted to buy a ranch in Alberta because that was the place we fell in love with in Canada in 1999.
However prices had risen so much since 1999 we could not afford to buy a ranch in Alberta anymore! What a disappointment that was...
So... we crossed the border and went to BC. We did not know BC at all, but were stunned by its beauty. Our ideal was to buy in the Rockies... but I think you can guess.... too expensive for us.
Finally after 3 months traveling, searching and living in motels with 2 dogs in the pickup truck we found our ranch! We bought a ranch close to 100 Mile House, BC with 320 acres and we were happy! Our dream came true, now we could start with our future: a guest ranch and raising some cattle.
Soon we found out that life in Canada was not that easy... As an entrepreneur to start up your own business was very difficult: many rules, regulations and certifications...
We got farm status because of the land we rented out to a local rancher. That helped a bit but raising cows with the dropping beef prices (mad cow disease) was impossible.
Starting up a B&B and trail rides was almost an utopia and my Dutch papers of Western Riding Instructor were not recognised in Canada, so impossible to get insurance. Based on those papers we got the green light to immigrate to Canada!!! Isn't that funny!!
Well we had to look for other options! My husband had to go and look for a job! He is a very well experienced engineer, so how hard would that be? Surprise!!!! His papers were not recognised either!!
We are not citizens from a Commonwealth country. If you do come from a Commonwealth country they accept all your qualifications. We never got this information beforehand. That sounds like discrimination...
The only job my husband could get was as a salesperson after he took a 2-day course to be a certified car salesman! He worked his butt off for several years in the RV industry. Now he has a very small pension out of Canada (CPP).
It has been a big struggle to survive and after 5 years I finally found myself a job in 100 Mile House as a ski lodge attendant for a few months in 2011 and 2012, which I loved to do!
Unfortunately we got some very bad news from our family in Europe and we decided to sell our ranch and go back to Europe for a while. So the ranch was sold and we left Canada in October 2012.
We applied for Canadian citizenship in March 2012. We wanted to be sure that we could go back to Canada at any time. The time for this procedure was supposed to be 6 months according to the Canadian government. We thought we could have our citizenship before leaving Canada in October 2012.
But it took the government 1 year... to send us an invitation for the ceremony. At that time we lived in France.
After we moved back to France in October 2012 and bought a house in 2013, we got word from the Canadian government a year later that we could attend the ceremony for our citizenship in Kelowna. First we had to come to BC to check our papers again and then come back for a second time to attend the ceremony.
Meanwhile we did not have the money to go to Canada twice. We let them know if there was another option for us, but we never did get an answer back on that question!
By the way, try to phone the Canadian Government from outside of Canada: impossible! I tried to contact the Canadian Embassy in Paris once. The first question they ask you is if you are a Canadian citizen, and if you are not they do not want to talk to you!!
The only option we had was to renew our PR Card which expired in September 2015... I started the renewal procedure in March 2015 to be sure to be on time. NO answer and NO renewal, not even after one year.
We left Canada the first of October 2012, so we thought when we applied for the renewal in March 2015, that we stayed 2 out of 5 years in Canada, so there should not have been any problem to renew our PR Card. But because of their late reply, we outstayed our time. Not our fault.
What was going on... I could not speak to anyone from the immigration service who could help me out. I phoned for help to 100 Mile House to speak with a representative from the MLA. She made some inquiries on my behalf. My demand was put "on hold" – no refusal. They said my application should not have been made out of Canada, but made out of France. I applied with an address within Canada, because we still had a postal address in Canada. Never realised this could lead to problems.
Well anyways we had to start up another "landing" procedure, because if we would come to Canada in the meantime the immigration border services could refuse us entry!!
Well we did start up the procedure again with all the costs involved and waited for an answer... which finally came and they refused us a renewal of our PR Card because we stayed out of Canada for a longer period of time than was allowed. Not our fault, they were too late answering us!
They even asked us if we wanted to oppose their decision but we had to go to Canada to defend ourselves! What about those costs??
Our file was closed like we never existed. We did not appeal, maybe we should have. I think we had a chance. What about now?
But... you know how it is... we could not forget our time and friends in Canada, we were a bit "homesick." With the difference now we are retired, no need to work anymore. We decided to try to apply for a new PR Card.
It is not possible to apply as an entrepreneur anymore if you do not have a substantial amount of money to invest in a business or hire a Canadian employee.
The other option is to apply as a skilled worker and YES I am a skilled worker, hurrah!!! I am a Western Riding Coach whose papers are indeed recognised by Canada Equestrian!! I have now an international equestrian passport as a Western Riding Coach. I speak fluent French as well!!
But... now I can enter a special "Provincial Nomination Program" only in Alberta... to have a chance...
Impossible to communicate with Canadian government services. Very hard to understand people who barely speak English on the phone, not personally involved, no empathy. You are treated like a number. No one contacted me ever in person to ask me to tell my side of the story. They just do not care. We are not to blame here!
I do hope you understand now what we have been through. I just ask for a little understanding. We want to let you know that we did everything in our power to come back to our beloved country.
I just want to hear what a lawyer thinks about our case. Is it possible to restore our PR status? Canada admits a million new immigrants. Why not us? They know everything about us. We have been very good Canadians. We want to go back to have a peaceful rest of our life. We both have pensions. We are not asking for money. We want to buy a house and spend our money in Canada.
My question to you is: can you help us? Please let us know if there is a way to get our PR status back.
What Can Be Learned from This Story
First, it is essential to understand the basic principles of immigration processes: when you can apply for a PR card renewal, how your place of residence affects the renewal, and what consequences a refusal may carry. By understanding these questions in advance – or by consulting a professional – it would have been straightforward to complete all immigration formalities on time and without incident.
Second, nobody owes you anything. The government is not obligated to process your application within the stated timeframe, to contact you proactively, to explain your options, or to be impressed by your credentials and achievements.
And third, never underestimate the importance of doing your homework: research everything relevant to your immigration process before you move – real estate prices, whether foreign certificates and diplomas are recognised, the feasibility of working in regulated professions in Canada. If you do, you won't "feel like the first settlers."
Lawpoint Immigration provides legal support on all matters related to Canadian immigration, including PR card renewals, residency obligation issues, and restoring lost status. If you are in a similar situation, early professional advice can make all the difference.