Yeah I think you have to have Temporary Resident status. So Visit, Worker, Student. No status == no bueno.
You do raise an interesting question regarding the presence, then slipping out of status, then being granted a PR. I would guess that the law would be interpreted that all the days you didn't have status would not count. But I think a case could be made for all the days that you did have status would.
An additional question: Does that mean that only days that your PR application was in play, or would it mean that any day you were present in Canada in the 5 years before you apply for citizenship? I think that's what it says... if that's the case, we can tack way more days on
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