Obtaining Permanent Resident status in Canada is a significant step in your immigration path. This allows you to live, study, or work anywhere in Canada. You can also enjoy the majority of the social benefits available to Canadian citizens. This is also a step ahead in the process of getting Canadian citizenship.
As a PR status holder in Canada, you must also complete certain requirements. In general, you must have been physically present in the country for two years or 730 days in the previous five years. However, there are certain exceptions. It includes, for example, persons who are travelling abroad with their Canadian common-law partner or spouse. Those who work full-time for a Canadian company are also included.
Meanwhile, the language and terminology used to describe the commitments might be unclear.
Connecting Countries Immigration, the leading Canadian Immigration Consultant in Delhi NCR, has assisted thousands of people in obtaining and maintaining PR status. Here, we’ve selected some of the most common myths about the requirements for sustaining PR status, as well as the facts that disprove them.
Myth: If you failed to meet your residency requirement, you instantly lose your PR status.
Fact: As a Permanent Resident of Canada, you are expected to complete the residency requirements. However, you do not lose your status until the Government of Canada notifies you through a legal process that includes appeal possibilities.
Meanwhile, as a PR holder, you may have concerns about noncompliance with residency rules. In this case, you must make steps to overcome difficulties with your standing. This is more essential than presuming you have already lost your PR status.
Myth: When your PR card expires, so does your PR status.
Fact: This is not correct. Keep in mind that a PR Card is simply that: a Card. It allows you to prove your immigration status when you arrive in Canada. This card typically has a 5-year validity duration and can be renewed at the conclusion of the validity period.
Maintaining a valid PR Card is crucial for proving your PR Status while landing in Canada from abroad. However, just the card, not your PR status, expires after five years. An individual’s PR status does not have an expiration date.
It is critical to remember this distinction. Some PR status holders are misled and apply for their PR Card renewal, believing that failure to do so will result in the loss of their PR status. This is true even if they have not met the residence requirements.
In numerous cases, this might lead to an investigation into their PR status, which may result in their PR status being terminated. This is true if they applied for a renewal of their PR Card before accumulating the required time of stay in Canada to complete their residency commitment. As a result, it is critical to keep account of the days spent in Canada before applying for a PR card renewal.
Myth: If you leave Canada and do not return within 6 months, you lose your PR status.
Fact: This is also incorrect. There is no requirement to return to Canada every six months to preserve PR status. This mistake may be caused by an out-of-date statute. It had previously required candidates to be present in Canada for a minimum of six months over a set number of years in order to qualify for Canadian citizenship.
However, there was no such criterion for preserving PR status. The criteria is to have physically resided in Canada for 730 days in the previous five years. The total number of days does not have to be added up consecutively. No law provides for the automatic loss of PR status if a person is absent from Canada for more than six months.
Myth: Canadian permanent residents must always have a valid PR card.
Fact: This is simply not the case. You do not lose your PR status simply because you do not have a valid card. It’s similar to not having a valid passport; your citizenship does not vanish. As a result, when the Card expires, you retain your PR status. The PR Card merely represents status and does not signify or constitute status in and of itself.
Myth: Upon arrival in Canada, all PR status holders must show their card to CBSA officers.
Fact: Once again, this is not a fact. The PR Card is only required when travelling to Canada in a commercial transport such as a bus or airline. For example, if a PR status holder comes in Canada by private car, he or she is not required to have a valid card.
However, PR status holders who do not have a valid PR card must present CBSA with additional proof of status. This is to persuade the officers of their PR status. The original PR Confirmation or landing page must be sufficient. CBSA personnel are aware that PR status holders have the right to enter Canada.
Of course, having and maintaining the PR Card is more feasible. However, you do not need to feel trapped in Canada if your renewal process is delayed, which is common.
Renewal of a PR Card
The Canada Permanent Residence Card, sometimes known as the PR Card, is a plastic card. It is the primary means of identification for many people with PR status. The card permits entry into Canada and often expires after five years. The benefits of holding a Card for convenient travel to Canada are self-evident.
However, various issues develop after the card expires. These become apparent when the card renewal application is submitted. In addition, chief identification is a practical, but not legal, advantage of the PR card in a variety of applications.
Waiting for the renewal of PR Card
Renewal applications for PR Cards can and frequently are delayed. This is especially true if you rely on anything other than physical presence in Canada to fulfil your residency obligation. For example, you may be reliant on abroad employment to meet the commitment. In this instance, the application may take longer to process than ordinary applications.
In general, it takes approximately 88 days to process PR Card renewal applications. The Canadian Passport is intended to serve a similar purpose to the PR card – travel – and is processed in 2 to 4 weeks. However, when it comes to global mobility, PR status holders are disproportionately under-resourced in comparison to Canadian citizens.
Connecting Countries Immigration is the leading Canada PR Visa agent in Delhi. We have 11+ years of expertise assisting with the processing of hundreds of Canada PR Visa applications. If you have any worries about retaining your Canada PR status, please contact us right away.
