Can I hold two Permanent Residency status at the same time?

[mpitillo]

Hello everyone,

Before I post my question I would like to give a little bit of context...
I am Brazilian, residing in England and currently with a UK Work Visa (expiring in this coming October), and recently got my Canadian PR Card. My plan is to officially move to Canada between December 2019 to March 2020.

I am about to complete my 5th year in the UK, which allows me to apply for a Permanent Residency status in England. Even though my employer is familiar with my plans to move back to Canada next year, they've offered to cover the UK PR application process, because they believe that it is a safer plan to embrace this opportunity, just in case something happens and I have to move back to the UK in the future. I really hope that doesn't have to be the case, but I can appreciate the line of thought behind it.

So, this made me wonder: Can I be a citizen of Brazil, and hold two Permanent Residency status at the same time? Or if I apply for the UK PR Status I will have to give up on my Canadian one? I just want to make sure that I don't jeopardize my Canadian PR status, since this is my life plan.

Thank you for your time.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hello everyone,

Before I post my question I would like to give a little bit of context...
I am Brazilian, residing in England and currently with a UK Work Visa (expiring in this coming October), and recently got my Canadian PR Card. My plan is to officially move to Canada between December 2019 to March 2020.

I am about to complete my 5th year in the UK, which allows me to apply for a Permanent Residency status in England. Even though my employer is familiar with my plans to move back to Canada next year, they've offered to cover the UK PR application process, because they believe that it is a safer plan to embrace this opportunity, just in case something happens and I have to move back to the UK in the future. I really hope that doesn't have to be the case, but I can appreciate the line of thought behind it.

So, this made me wonder: Can I be a citizen of Brazil, and hold two Permanent Residency status at the same time? Or if I apply for the UK PR Status I will have to give up on my Canadian one? I just want to make sure that I don't jeopardize my Canadian PR status, since this is my life plan.

Thank you for your time.

Canada doesn't care how many citizenships or residencies you have.

 

[mpitillo]

Canada doesn't care how many citizenships or residencies you have.

Thanks for the reply.

But do you think this could affect my chances when in the process of extending the Canadian PR in the future? I just don’t know if this would send the wrong idea down the line, since I would be getting this UK PR after I got the Canadian one.

Thanks.

 

[scylla]

Thanks for the reply.

But do you think this could affect my chances when in the process of extending the Canadian PR in the future? I just don’t know if this would send the wrong idea down the line, since I would be getting this UK PR after I got the Canadian one.

Thanks.

No - it won't. The only thing that will impact you is if you don't meet the PR residency requirement.

 

[Bloodrose]

Keep in mind that the UK has tighter RO rules than Canada. It is 3 years out of 5 versus Canada's 2 out of 5. It's possible to maintain both at an absolute push but it would be a hard and somewhat expensive endeavour.

 

[david1697]

Yes, you can. But, once you are in breach of RO you risk losing one or another PR status. Maintining both is possible in theory, but in practice can be a very costly endeavour. You may have to travel back and forth to keep required residence in both countries, and unless you win a lottery the expenses can be quite prohibitive.

I personally don't understand why country such as Canada has this strict RO which it also tends to enforce rather zealously. Especially if you cross the border by land, beware, they are extremely zealous and try to find any reason to bully you and strip you of your status.
But instead of punishing people for not living in Canada, why not start to make your economy less corrupt (in Canada you must know someone and be "well connected" to get a job of a doorman or a garbage picker)? The US has requirement for PR not to be out of US for more than 6 months, and too few people fail to do that, because you don't have to starve to death or drive taxi cab with doctor's and engeneer's degree in New York.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Yes, you can. But, once you are in breach of RO you risk losing one or another PR status. Maintining both is possible in theory, but in practice can be a very costly endeavour. You may have to travel back and forth to keep required residence in both countries, and unless you win a lottery the expenses can be quite prohibitive.

I personally don't understand why country such as Canada has this strict RO which it also tends to enforce rather zealously. Especially if you cross the border by land, beware, they are extremely zealous and try to find any reason to bully you and strip you of your status.
But instead of punishing people for not living in Canada, why not start to make your economy less corrupt (in Canada you must know someone and be "well connected" to get a job of a doorman or a garbage picker)? The US has requirement for PR not to be out of US for more than 6 months, and too few people fail to do that, because you don't have to starve to death or drive taxi cab with doctor's and engeneer's degree in New York.

Strict?? 2 out of 5 years is pathetically lenient for a Residency Obligation. It is also not enforced that zealously, as evidenced by the innumerable threads on this forum of people who have made it in without being reported.

 

[david1697]

Strict?? 2 out of 5 years is pathetically lenient for a Residency Obligation. It is also not enforced that zealously, as evidenced by the innumerable threads on this forum of people who have made it in without being reported.

I would say they are pathetically strict and zealous, referring to Canadian border agents. As a legal permanent resident you will never be bullied and treated with the same disrespect by US CBP. There is either certain deification of authority in Canada (which starts with ban on criticism of His or Her Magesty), or Canadian border agents at land crossings view Canadian permanent residents the same way the other countries view criminal illegal border crossers. Either way it's pathetic and deplorable.

US requires that PR not leave the country for more than 6 months, but few people leave the US for that amount of time anyway. Because, you can't get a better job and lifestyle in Bangladesh than in the US. You won't drive taxi cabs in the US with a degree of an engeener or a doctor. You won't need a network and powerful connections to get a job of a garbage picker or burger flipper in the US. Therefore, no one is forced to be out of US. Canada first forces you out (by limiting your job opportunities and making it impossible to realize your potential), and then punishes you for doing what it forced you to do.

 

[Copingwithlife]

I would say they are pathetically strict and zealous, referring to Canadian border agents. As a legal permanent resident you will never be bullied and treated with the same disrespect by US CBP. There is either certain deification of authority in Canada (which starts with ban on criticism of His or Her Magesty), or Canadian border agents at land crossings view Canadian permanent residents the same way the other countries view criminal illegal border crossers. Either way it's pathetic and deplorable.

US requires that PR not leave the country for more than 6 months, but few people leave the US for that amount of time anyway. Because, you can't get a better job and lifestyle in Bangladesh than in the US. You won't drive taxi cabs in the US with a degree of an engeener or a doctor. You won't need a network and powerful connections to get a job of a garbage picker or burger flipper in the US. Therefore, no one is forced to be out of US. Canada first forces you out (by limiting your job opportunities and making it impossible to realize your potential), and then punishes you for doing what it forced you to do.

Is this for real ?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

I would say they are pathetically strict and zealous, referring to Canadian border agents.

You're just saying that because you failed to meet the RO.

As a legal permanent resident you will never be bullied and treated with the same disrespect by US CBP.

Are you kidding?? Perhaps you never had a bad experience with US CBP but there are most certainly stories of green card holders treated badly by them.

There is either certain deification of authority in Canada (which starts with ban on criticism of His or Her Magesty), or Canadian border agents at land crossings view Canadian permanent residents the same way the other countries view criminal illegal border crossers. Either way it's pathetic and deplorable.

Again, are you kidding?? This isn't Thailand or some authoritarian country. There is no "deification" and it is perfectly legal to criticize the monarchy. There are numerous groups that campaign to split from the British monarchy. All legal.

Your experience doesn't speak for everyone. My partner traveled in and out of Canada as a PR many times and CBSA was always nice and polite upon re-entry. This is the experience of the vast majority of PRs, particularly when in compliance with the RO.

US requires that PR not leave the country for more than 6 months, but few people leave the US for that amount of time anyway. Because, you can't get a better job and lifestyle in Bangladesh than in the US. You won't drive taxi cabs in the US with a degree of an engeener or a doctor. You won't need a network and powerful connections to get a job of a garbage picker or burger flipper in the US. Therefore, no one is forced to be out of US. Canada first forces you out (by limiting your job opportunities and making it impossible to realize your potential), and then punishes you for doing what it forced you to do.

Lots of people leave the US. No one forced you to come to Canada without actually researching the job market. I suggest you actually do some research instead of speaking from ignorance.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigrants-employment/doctors-as-taxi-drivers-untapped-immigrant-talent-costs-u-s-billions-research-idUSKBN13W2JK

 

[david1697]

You're just saying that because you failed to meet the RO.
Are you kidding?? Perhaps you never had a bad experience with US CBP but there are most certainly stories of green card holders treated badly by them.
Again, are you kidding?? This isn't Thailand or some authoritarian country. There is no "deification" and it is perfectly legal to criticize the monarchy. There are numerous groups that campaign to split from the British monarchy. All legal.
Your experience doesn't speak for everyone. My partner traveled in and out of Canada as a PR many times and CBSA was always nice and polite upon re-entry. This is the experience of the vast majority of PRs, particularly when in compliance with the RO.
Lots of people leave the US. No one forced you to come to Canada without actually researching the job market. I suggest you actually do some research instead of speaking from ignorance.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigrants-employment/doctors-as-taxi-drivers-untapped-immigrant-talent-costs-u-s-billions-research-idUSKBN13W2JK

No , I am not kidding. Just stating my opinion based on observations I have made. And I said this long before I failed RO. As a matter of fact, for 3 years after getting Canadian PR myself and my spouse were trying to get a job in Canada. Hundreds of resumes sent with only few responses, basically saying "Thank you for applying, but you are not qualified for this position". And it didn't matter what we applied for, from entry level jobs to specializied ones, we were just not good enough for Canadian employers. Then it struck me that we had no insider connection. Evidently, you need to know someone even if you want to work as a garbage man in Canada. Anyone who lives in the US will testify: you can get a job here just by responding to an ad on a craiglist. Even during Obama presidency when our economy was in most horrible shape in decades, you could still get interviews and land a job in the US if you persisted in looking for a job online. Not so in Canada.

I never said my experience "speaks for everyone", as a matter of fact I spoke for myself, but being someone with no criminal record (no DUI's/arrests/misdemeanors in my past) and being treated like a criminal by your Border officers tells me volumes about egregious abuse of power by Canadian border patrol. US CBP is for some reason notorious worldwide for allegedly mistreating the immigrants, but out of dozens of times of crossing the border never have I heard anything from them other than "Welcome home!". For US CBP to mistreat you there must be something in your record that will trigger their suspicion and ire, while with Canadian border officers it appears to be all based on primitive ,stereotype based perception.

And you are right , no one forced me to come to Canada, the opposite is true: Canada forced me to leave it for good.

 

[canuck_in_uk]

No , I am not kidding. Just stating my opinion based on observations I have made. And I said this long before I failed RO. As a matter of fact, for 3 years after getting Canadian PR myself and my spouse were trying to get a job in Canada. Hundreds of resumes sent with only few responses, basically saying "Thank you for applying, but you are not qualified for this position". And it didn't matter what we applied for, from entry level jobs to specializied ones, we were just not good enough for Canadian employers. Then it struck me that we had no insider connection. Evidently, you need to know someone even if you want to work as a garbage man in Canada. Anyone who lives in the US will testify: you can get a job here just by responding to an ad on a craiglist. Even during Obama presidency when our economy was in most horrible shape in decades, you could still get interviews and land a job in the US if you persisted in looking for a job online. Not so in Canada.

And yet, hundreds of thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year and are able to get jobs and establish themselves perfectly fine. This would suggest that the problem was you...

Ah yes, there are no unemployed immigrants, or any unemployed at all, in the US.

I never said my experience "speaks for everyone", as a matter of fact I spoke for myself, but being someone with no criminal record (no DUI's/arrests/misdemeanors in my past) and being treated like a criminal by your Border officers tells me volumes about egregious abuse of power by Canadian border patrol. US CBP is for some reason notorious worldwide for allegedly mistreating the immigrants, but out of dozens of times of crossing the border never have I heard anything from them other than "Welcome home!". For US CBP to mistreat you there must be something in your record that will trigger their suspicion and ire, while with Canadian border officers it appears to be all based on primitive ,stereotype based perception.

And you are right , no one forced me to come to Canada, the opposite is true: Canada forced me to leave it for good.

Yes, you spoke for yourself and used your experience to generalize that CBSA treats all PRs badly and you are still generalizing by claiming "abuse of power" etc. In fact, the vast majority of PRs have zero issues with CBSA when entering Canada. As above, it seems that the problem is with you...

Canada didn't force you to do anything. You made your own choices.

 

[david1697]

And yet, hundreds of thousands of people immigrate to Canada every year and are able to get jobs and establish themselves perfectly fine. This would suggest that the problem was you...
Ah yes, there are no unemployed immigrants, or any unemployed at all, in the US.
Yes, you spoke for yourself and used your experience to generalize that CBSA treats all PRs badly and you are still generalizing by claiming "abuse of power" etc. In fact, the vast majority of PRs have zero issues with CBSA when entering Canada. As above, it seems that the problem is with you...
Canada didn't force you to do anything. You made your own choices.

The problem with the suggested theory (i.e. "problem is you") is that we didn't fail to get a job in the US. If we were the problem, we would have similar outcome here. The fact is we both applied for hundreds of jobs in Canada and none was willing to even consider us. Whereas in the US, even in the worst of all years and during Obama administration we were able to land a job within 60 days of starting to look/applying.

We do have unemployment rate, obviously we do, but you can't compare Canadian job market ("you must have powerful connections in high places to get a garbage man's job") to American (where all you need is a laptop and access to internet, to apply, get interviewed and land a job, all within 30 days).

FInally, in US it's unconsionable for Border Patrol to be as rude and bullying as Canadian border agents are. It just doesn't fly here. If someone is roughed up on US border, it's not their appearance and primitive stereotypes at work, but you can be sure there is something in database about them (even if that information is not accurate). In Canada, you could be legal PR with no criminal record at all, yet their border officers WILL treat you like a piece of junk.

Your attempts to change the subject (from Canadian economy, corruption and abuse of power to my person) and argue ad hominem won't change the facts I cited. If you love Canada and wish teh best for Canada, better think how to improve it, not how to silence those who do you a favor by pointing out glaring flaws in your job market and treatment of PR's, which forces your PR's leave Canada for good. Learn from the US. It gives it's PR's better opportunities and doesn't treat them as criminals, as a result there is no discussion of "how to meet RO" in the US.

 

[steaky]

The problem with the suggested theory (i.e. "problem is you") is that we didn't fail to get a job in the US. If we were the problem, we would have similar outcome here. The fact is we both applied for hundreds of jobs in Canada and none was willing to even consider us. Whereas in the US, even in the worst of all years and during Obama administration we were able to land a job within 60 days of starting to look/applying.

We do have unemployment rate, obviously we do, but you can't compare Canadian job market ("you must have powerful connections in high places to get a garbage man's job") to American (where all you need is a laptop and access to internet, to apply, get interviewed and land a job, all within 30 days).

FInally, in US it's unconsionable for Border Patrol to be as rude and bullying as Canadian border agents are. It just doesn't fly here. If someone is roughed up on US border, it's not their appearance and primitive stereotypes at work, but you can be sure there is something in database about them (even if that information is not accurate). In Canada, you could be legal PR with no criminal record at all, yet their border officers WILL treat you like a piece of junk.

Your attempts to change the subject (from Canadian economy, corruption and abuse of power to my person) and argue ad hominem won't change the facts I cited. If you love Canada and wish teh best for Canada, better think how to improve it, not how to silence those who do you a favor by pointing out glaring flaws in your job market and treatment of PR's, which forces your PR's leave Canada for good. Learn from the US. It gives it's PR's better opportunities and doesn't treat them as criminals, as a result there is no discussion of "how to meet RO" in the US.

Couldn't you commute to the US for work and still live in Canada?

 

[canuck_in_uk]

The problem with the suggested theory (i.e. "problem is you") is that we didn't fail to get a job in the US. If we were the problem, we would have similar outcome here. The fact is we both applied for hundreds of jobs in Canada and none was willing to even consider us. Whereas in the US, even in the worst of all years and during Obama administration we were able to land a job within 60 days of starting to look/applying.

We do have unemployment rate, obviously we do, but you can't compare Canadian job market ("you must have powerful connections in high places to get a garbage man's job") to American (where all you need is a laptop and access to internet, to apply, get interviewed and land a job, all within 30 days).

And yet, we still have those hundreds of thousands of PRs who come to Canada every year without "powerful connections blah blah" who get jobs without issue. You apparently think you are above others, such as a "garbage man", so that attitude probably had something to do with it.

I didn't compare job markets in the two countries. You made a statement about the US and I countered it.

FInally, in US it's unconsionable for Border Patrol to be as rude and bullying as Canadian border agents are. It just doesn't fly here. If someone is roughed up on US border, it's not their appearance and primitive stereotypes at work, but you can be sure there is something in database about them (even if that information is not accurate).

You think that every time it was because US CBP has "something in database"? You think they put children in cages because those kid have done "something"?

https://qz.com/898566/customs-and-border-protection-agents-form-the-front-lines-of-a-60000-strong-pro-trump-immigration-force/
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/harassment-at-us-airports_b_58b9c5e4e4b02eac8876ce2b
https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/17/us/border-patrol-agent-harassment-allegation/index.html
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/immigration/migrant-kids-overcrowded-arizona-border-station-allege-sex-assault-retaliation-n1027886
https://www.aclu.org/issues/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/immigration-and-customs-enforcement
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-horrifying-detail-women-accuse-us-customs-officers-of-invasive-body-searches/2018/08/18/ad7b7d82-9b38-11e8-8d5e-c6c594024954_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.bcc6d2227ea3
https://holdcbpaccountable.org/abuses/

In Canada, you could be legal PR with no criminal record at all, yet their border officers WILL treat you like a piece of junk.

And again, entirely your experience and not representative of the vast majority of experiences with CBSA.

Your attempts to change the subject (from Canadian economy, corruption and abuse of power to my person) and argue ad hominem won't change the facts I cited. If you love Canada and wish teh best for Canada, better think how to improve it, not how to silence those who do you a favor by pointing out glaring flaws in your job market and treatment of PR's, which forces your PR's leave Canada for good. Learn from the US. It gives it's PR's better opportunities and doesn't treat them as criminals, as a result there is no discussion of "how to meet RO" in the US.

No ad hominem attack here. You are citing your own personal experience, not facts. You continue to refuse to acknowledge or explain the experience of millions of other PRs who have succeeded in Canada where you did not. You prefer to blame Canada.

US green cards are often revoked for failing to live in the US, so I'm not sure how you can argue "there is no discussion" of it.