The Permanent Resident Card is the document that officially states that an immigrant has the right to live and work in Canada. The document itself is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada and it is completely illegal to try to forge one of these cards.
The CIC, headed by Minister Jason Kenney takes fraud very seriously and has no compunction about revoking any immigration benefits a person might enjoy if they attempt to forge a PR Card.
Many people are motivated to forge their PR Cards so that they can find work or collect Employment Insurance, but the risks far outweigh the benefits of such a scheme. If a forger gets caught they will in all likeliness be deported for their crime. Such action carries a lasting immigration ban.
There are many different ways to identify a forged Permanent Resident Card. Because forgeries are often not made on the same standardized equipment that the CIC uses they are often not as consistent.
- Misspellings (If you receive your PR Card legally and it has errors of this nature, you should file to have it corrected immediately.)
- Ink smears or smudges.
- Poor photo quality.
- Important and relevant biographical information missing.
- Unusual color patterns.
If you have suspicion that the document is not genuine you should not accept it as proper proof of Permanent Residency without additional supporting documentation and information.
In reality, there are few circumstances where one would have to examine the Permanent Resident Card. Usually, a Citizenship and Immigration Canada representative would end up catching the fraud either at a customs point or when they apply for government benefits.
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