My PR card is Expiring

Hello Biplab,

As stated above, to find out if someone has fulfilled their residency requirements, each time a Permanent Resident re-enters Canada, the Officer will count back 5 years from the date the permanent resident has re-entered Canada.

In that 5 year period, if the permanent resident has not accumulated 2 years (730 days) of physical presence in Canada, then it may be determined that the permanent resident has lost their PR status.

The five-year time frame set out in the Refugee and Immigrant Protection Act is not static. Rather it is a moveable window that is dependent on the time at which a visa officer examines your situation. Therefore, if you cannot fulfill the two-year (730 day) requirement for the five-year time frame starting from when you became a permanent resident, you should remain in Canada until you can satisfy the requirement for another five-year time frame.

The IRCC’s Permanent Residency Status Determination Manual states:

“For persons who have been permanent residents of Canada for more than five years, the only five-year period that can be considered in calculating whether an applicant has met the residency obligation is the one immediately before the application is received in the visa office. A28(2)(b)(ii) precludes a visa officer from examining any period other than the most recent five-year period immediately before the date of receipt of the application.”

It is important to note that you do not lose your permanent resident status the instant your Permanent Resident Card expires.

Since the officer cannot choose any five-year time period for consideration, but must always assess the most recent five-year time period (the one immediately preceding examination), you may still have the opportunity to satisfy the two-year “in Canada” requirement.

We suggest that you speak to a Lawyer who is familiar with Canadian immigration issues for additional information regarding your situation.

I hope this information is helpful. Please let us know if you have further questions and if there is any follow up to your question/situation.

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Anna
Settlement.Org Content and Information/Referral Specialist, CIRS
Settlement.Org