Hello,
As Manishprakash303 has stated, in order to fulfill the residency requirements, a permanent resident must be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (2 years) in every 5-year period.
This means that they can spend a total of up to 3 years outside of Canada during a 5-year period. However, if you leave the country for an extended period of time, it is up to you to prove to Citizenship and Immigration Canada that you plan to continue to live in Canada.
Regarding your question,
Unfortunately, we cannot tell you when to re-enter Canada or how long to stay outside Canada. It is up to you to decide.
Most recommend not staying outside Canada the total allowed time because in the event you have to leave Canada once you re-enter Canada for an emergency you would have already used up the allowable time to be outside Canada.
When it comes to fulfilling the residency requirements, it has no correlation with the expiry date on the PR Card. Simply renewing a PR Card does not mean that a person has renewed their residency requirements.
You can find information on the process that is followed when entering Canada in this Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) ENF 23 - Loss of Permanent Resident Status manual.
Here is an excerpt from the manual on what happens at the port of entry here:
"7.8 Examining Permanent Residents at a POE (Port of Entry)
When a permanent resident appears at a POE for examination, the officer must confirm that the person is a permanent resident. Officers must remain cognizant of the fact the Act gives permanent residents of Canada the right to enter Canada at a port of entry once it is established that a person is a Permanent Resident, regardless of non-compliance with the residency obligation in A28 or the presence of other grounds of inadmissability.
Port of entry officers(POE) can refuse entry to a Permanent Resident only when the person has already lost the status in accordance with the provisions of A46 (such as when a final determination has been made that they have failed to comply with the residency obligations or when a removal order comes into force).
In other words, once a permanent resident’s status is established, the person may enter Canada by right and the immigration examination under IRPA concludes.
If an officer has concerns that a permanent resident has not complied with the residency obligation of A28, the officer should advise the permanent resident when the examination is concluded that they are authorized to enter Canada; however, the permanent resident may wish to answer additional questions so the officer may determine whether their concerns are well founded or not."
If you have any concerns as to what to expect when you return, you may want to contact the nearest Visa Office for information.
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