Not Meeting Residency Requirement

Hi,
My parents got their PR card in May 4th, 2013. For some personal reasons, they had go back home for couple years. The expiration date on their PR card is Jul.09.2018. On May, 4th 2018, the number of days they have physical present in Canada is about 700 days and hence won’t be able to meet 730 days requirement out of 5 years.
My question is:

  • Should they apply for PR card renewal and Do they have chance to get new card.
  • Will they loose the PR status on May 4th 2018? Can they stay in Canada after May 4th, 2018?
  • What are their options and what should they do to maintain the PR status ?

Thanks

Hello,

Thank you for sharing your parents’ situation and question with us.

We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation and would be interested in finding out what your options are.

Regarding what you have stated about losing permanent residency, it is important to note that in terms of loss of permanent residency, a person does not lose it until a final determination has been made.

This means that your PR status needs to be formally removed.

You can find some information on the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website, Here is an excerpt,

According to the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) ENF 23 - Loss of Permanent Resident Status manual,

It also states in relation to the process of loss of permanent residency,

Additionally, we have previously received some information from one of our legal researchers related to being in Canada after not meeting the residency requirements.

According to their research, 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:

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), they may still have the opportunity to satisfy the two-year “in Canada” requirement.

As you may already know, a PR card is required to re-enter Canada.

You mentioned that your parents have a PR card. It is important to note that the PR card’s expiry date has no correlation between whether or not you have met the residency requirements.

Regarding your question,

We suggest that it is important and probably best that you and your parents speak to a Lawyer who is familiar with Canadian immigration issues for additional information regarding you and your family’s situation and before they apply to renew their PR cards.

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