I got PR on 17th Jan 2008 and after spending 1 month i left canada with my wife who is a Canaidan citizen working abroad.
Since then we have been living togather outside Canada.
My PR card expired on 17th Jan 2013.
Now we are planning to visit Canada in vacations.
As i understand from CIC website that I still have PR status since i am living with my Canadian husband.
But I am worried that my PR card has been expired more than 3 years ago and i may have lost the PR status already ?
Can you please tell me if CIC has any rule which restricts the stay of PR outside canada accompnaying canadian citizen Or 5 or 6 years after the expiry of PR card (when PR is abroad) , PR status is lost automatically ?
In my situation will it be straight forward case if i apply for a travel document ?
Thank you for sharing your situation and question with us.
We can appreciate that you would be concerned about this situation.
As you may already know, the PR card’s expiry date has no correlationbetween whether or not you have met the residency requirements.
Therefore, 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.
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.
It is important to note that the processing time for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) can be at least 7 to 10 working days. This is only an average processing time. There are no guarantees and may not include the time needed for the passport and visa to be returned to you.
It is important to contact the nearest Visa Office directly for some information specific to 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.
Thanks for your reply. As i understand , PR status is not lost until a final determiniation is not made. So if i am continuously living abroad with my husband (a Canadian citizen) for last 5 years (since only last 5 years will be assessed) , i still meet residency requirments and eligibile to get PRTD ?
Moreover do i need to send visa office any extra documents with my application on top of what is required in application package ? Is there any need to tell Visa office about Humanitarion/compassionate grounds or it will be straight forward case of meeting PR residency obligations ?
So from the situation you have described, each day of your husband accompanying you, a Canadian citizen, outside Canada, constitutes a day of physical presence in Canada for your permanent residence requirement. It is interesting to note that it also states,
What about if the Canadian spouse is NOT working for a Canadian Company or Public Service in Canada? Do the days still count for the person for the person with Permanent Residence requirements?? The wording is rather confusing.
So from the situation described, each day a permanent resident is accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or common-law partner outside Canada, constitutes a day of physical presence in Canada for your permanent residence requirement. It is interesting to note that it also states,
Thank you for sharing your additional question with us.
Unfortunately, we cannot provide any definitive information regarding this section. However, from the information we have previously received from the Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) Call Centre, you may want to try and include documents such as leases in your (applicant) name with proof of payment of rent, e.g., cancelled cheques, receipts for cash payments etc.
They have previously stated that you should try to include as much as you can.
If you would like to contact Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, we have had some of our users previously state that they have been able to contact IRCC from abroad by dialing 1 613 944 4000 . Listen to the options to get to IRCC.
Some have reported that it is no longer working.
You may want to give it a try. If you do decide to call, let us know the outcome.
Long distance charges will apply.
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.
I finally got the PRTD from Canadian embassy in UAE. We were quite uncertain about the putcome as it took embassy about two months to decide. Probably due to my long absence from Canada (around 9 years) they scrutinized each and every document (and historicla records etc).
we provided three different type of proves of residensial address like internet bill, electrcity bill, and lease agreement of apartment. In addition you can also provide credit card bills, bank account statement, photocopy of driving licence etc.
This thread is very useful. Thanks for the great work you doing.
I have quick question, my son was born in Canada in 2015 and is a Canadian Citizen. Me and my wife had applied for PR and it is expected to come soon. My employer will likely send me to work outside Canada in near future. My question is will our (me and my wife) days spend outside canada be considered as days spent inside canada as we will have our son accompanying us and he is a Canadian citizen ??
I did not see this situation described above. Kindly advise.
To maintain your status as a permanent resident, you must live in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. During this time you must be here physically.The two years may not need to be continuous.
An officer can confirm if your time in Canada counts when you:
re-enter Canada, or- apply for a permanent resident card.
Time spent outside Canada may also count towards the two years if you are:
travelling with your spouse or partner who is a Canadian citizen,- a child travelling with his or her father or mother who is a Canadian citizen,- an employee of (or under contract to) a Canadian business.
It may also count if you are:
travelling with your spouse or partner who is a permanent resident and works full-time for:
a Canadian business, or- the public service of Canada or a province,"
Unfortunately, it does not state a situation where a parent accompanies a Canadian citizen child.
You may want to get someone in Canada to contact the IRCC Call Centre directly for some clarification and additional information regarding maintaining residency requirements.
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.
Hi I am Canadian Citizen and my wife is permanent residence, her PR is about to Expire next June, We are concern because we want to get back to Canada but we do not when this will be.
I was working in Latin America for a Canadian Company for 5 years, and she was accompanying me, I basically quit my Job 2 years ago to pursue my own business, but now we want to get back to Canada.
So my question is, have those year where I worked for this Canadian company been able to help my wife to renew her permanent residence?
Also do they count to her application for citizenship?
if we get back to Canada in 2 months before June, can she still enter in Canada although she has not lived there for more than 2 years?
Your working for a Canadian company abroad doesn’t effect her PR status. As she is accompanying a Canadian citizen abroad, she has maintained her PR status.
If she wishes to return to Canada, and her PR card has expired, she would have to apply for a PR Travel Document. It can be multiple entry, but you have to ask for that. If you return before June, just ensure that you have proof that she is accompanying you abroad.
No, only physical resident time in Canada counts for the present 4/6 years for a citizenship application.
Your post was very helpful. As my situation is pretty much same like you as i am planning to go back to Canada.
Would you suggest any additional list of the documents (other then proves of residence which you already mentioned) they asked. So i will have it well head of time.
You may also provide credit card bills, bank account statements having your address mentioned. In addition , school fee receipts or reports , birth certificate of kids who are Canadian citizens but born abroad etc can also be helpful.