Canadian Permanent Residency

Are you thinking about applying for Canadian Permanent Residency?

With a Canadian Permanent Residency, you could live and work anywhere in Canada. You could attend school and receive social benefits and health care.

Also if you have a Canadian Permanent Residency for more than three years, you can apply for Canadian citizenship. Permanent Residents who become citizens have the same rights as citizens who were born in Canada.

As a permanent resident, you may travel outside Canada after you arrive. However, you must meet certain residency obligations to maintain your status as a permanent resident.

To meet these residency obligations, you must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (2 years) in every 5-year period.

This means that you can spend a total of up to 3 years outside of Canada during a 5-year period. However, if you want to apply for Canadian citizenship, you will have to spend 3 years+ during the 5-year period in Canada.

The process of obtaining Canadian Permanent Residency is complex and it is also in a state of constant change due to different foreign policy initiatives and modifications to regulations.

One of the most attractive immigration programs to obtain Canadian Permanent Residency is Federal Skilled Worker under the Express Entry Program.

Remember that in order to have an accurate application, you can benefit from the help of a registered agent, accredited by the ICCRC authority of Canada. If you have received a permanent resident status by Canadian government, you are permanent resident but not a Canadian citizen. Permanent residents are citizens of other countries. A person living in Canada temporarily, like a student or foreign worker, is not a permanent resident.

The permanent resident card (PR card)

If you travel outside Canada, the permanent resident card is your proof that you have a Canadian Permanent Residency.Canadian permanent residents need to show their permanent resident card when travelling to Canada in order to prove their permanent resident status. If your permanent resident card expires, it does not mean you have lost permanent resident status.

Your rights while holding the Canadian Permanent Residency:

• get most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage and public education,
• live, work or study anywhere in Canada,
• apply for Canadian citizenship,
• Protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• You must respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

What you are not able to do:

• vote or run for political office,

Losing your permanent resident status

Losing your permanent resident status does not happen automatically. You cannot lose your permanent resident status simply by living outside of Canada long enough that you don’t meet the residency requirement. Unless you have gone through an official process, you have not lost or given up your permanent resident status, even though you may not be eligible to return to Canada as a permanent resident.

You may lose your permanent resident status if:

An adjudicator determines that you are no longer a permanent resident following an inquiry.

A visa officer determines you do not meet the required residency when you apply for a permanent resident travel document or temporary resident travel document.

You may lose your permanent resident status in one of the ways described above if:

• you are convicted of a serious crime and told to leave Canada; or you become a Canadian citizen.

You do not lose your permanent resident status if your PR card expires.

Voluntarily giving up (renouncing) permanent resident status

Losing your permanent resident status does not happen automatically.

There may come a time when you no longer want to be a permanent resident of Canada.  If so, you can apply to voluntarily give up (renounce) your permanent resident status.

Remember that being a Permanent Resident of Canada comes with great benefits for you and your family:

• Stay in Canada indefinitely

• Work and study anywhere in Canada

• Free medical insurance

• Have free education for children in any public school

• Benefit of social security and age pension plan

• Sponsor a family member for a permanent residency visa

• Travel to and from Canada for 5 years from the date the visa was granted

• Apply for citizenship subject to meeting eligibility requirements

Interested to apply for a Permanent Residency in Canada? You can fill in our Assessment Form and one of our consultants will support you through the process. The Immigration Office is a registered ICCRC immigration consultant, so all you need to do is to give us a call and #livebetter , #startnow