Canada PR vs Citizenship

[udayaradhya]

hello....is there a thread or any link that tells us the difference between being a citizen of canada and a PR. i would like to know the facilities and benifits that one enjoys extra if he becomes a citizen.

 

[manianz47]

Hi

At a very high level
(1) Voting Rights - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
(2) Tourist Visa to USA, UK,.. - Citizen (Not required) / PR (Required)
(3) Extended or unlimited Stay outside Canada - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
(4) TN Visa to USA - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
...

 

[PMM]

Hi

Hi

At a very high level
(1) Voting Rights - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
(2) Tourist Visa to USA, UK,.. - Citizen (Not required) / PR (Required)
(3) Extended or unlimited Stay outside Canada - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
(4) TN Visa to USA - Citizen (Y) / PR (N)
...

Should add can't be deported.

 

[udayaradhya]

THank you all. + 1 for you both.

 

[Kazakhstan]

(5) Serving in the Canadian Armed Forces - Citizens (Y) / PR (N)
(6) Working for the Canadian federal, provincial or local government - Citizens (Y) / PRs (in most cases N)
(7) Obliged to live in Canada for a minimum of 2 years within every 5-year period in order to retain your legal immigration status in Canada - Citizens (N) / PRs (Y)
(8 ) Children born abroad are Canadian citizens by descent - Citizens (Y) / PRs (N)
...

 

[udayaradhya]

Thanks Kazakhstan. +1 for the information

 

[toby]

All the reported benefits of citizenship are accurate, but it does not always suit a PR to become a citizen.

In my wife's case, we can live outside Canada and she can keep her PR because she is living with a Canadian citizen (me). The difficulty is proving we are together, which requires an annoying amount of paperwork but it's not impossible. However, while the first PR card is mailed to the address you provide (and can be forwarded by someone in Canada to you abroad), the renewed PR card must be picked up in person, so effectively by the end of the first 5-year PR period it will be easier to reside in Canada.

From that point on, is it better to become a citizen? Not always. If my wife became a Canadian citizen, she would have to renounce her Chinese passport, and therefore would have to get a China visa every year when she returns to China to visit her family. In comparison, she will visit the USA and UK less frequently, so it makes sense for her to remain a PR and keep her Chinese passport.

It WOULD be more convenient to get a Canadian passport if we were world travellers, but those days are behind us for a while (wee baby in the house).


Your case may well be different. In short, "It depends." Isn't this always the case?

 

[udayaradhya]

Thanks for the info Toby....but tell me, how long does one need tos tay in Canada to get a citizenship post PR? And should that duration be a continuous stay?

 

[Leon]

Thanks for the info Toby....but tell me, how long does one need tos tay in Canada to get a citizenship post PR? And should that duration be a continuous stay?

You need 1095 days in the previous 4 years before you apply so no, it does not have to be continuous.

 

[udayaradhya]

You need 1095 days in the previous 4 years before you apply so no, it does not have to be continuous.

Great...thanks Leon.

 

[Kazakhstan]

Oh, one more:

(9) Loose your legal status in Canada and get deported to your home country without a possibility to come back if convicted of a serious crime - Citizens (N) / PRs (Y)

 

[slowmo30]

citizenship is the real deal...if u are planning to live in canada one should go for citizenship....citizenship is a permanent thing, PR can be temporary.....plus once u become a citizen, no more paperwork or dealing with immigration....peace of mind....

 

[toby]

Thanks for the info Toby....but tell me, how long does one need tos tay in Canada to get a citizenship post PR? And should that duration be a continuous stay?

I think it is 1095 days you must spend in Canada during the 5 years prior to applying for citizenship. And those days must be spent in Canada.

Then there is a rigmarole about passing a test. There are other who know more about this than I. Use the search box top right on your computer screen, or look it up o the CIC website.

When I see the hoops foreigners have to jump through to get Canadian citizenship, I want to give my parents a big hug for giving birth to me in Canada!

.

 

[Leon]

I think it is 1095 days you must spend in Canada during the 5 years prior to applying for citizenship. And those days must be spent in Canada.

Then there is a rigmarole about passing a test. There are other who know more about this than I. Use the search box top right on your computer screen, or look it up o the CIC website.

When I see the hoops foreigners have to jump through to get Canadian citizenship, I want to give my parents a big hug for giving birth to me in Canada!

It is 1095 days in 4 years. It is possible to apply after 3 years as a PR if the person never left Canada during that time. It is also possible to apply after 2 years as a PR also if the person was in Canada for the 2 years previous to getting the PR because time in Canada before PR counts at 50% discount, therefore the 2 years before PR count as one and the 2 years after PR count as two and that makes 1095 days.

It is really not that hard to get citizenship once you are a PR. It is the PR that can be hard to get.

 

[toby]

It is really not that hard to get citizenship once you are a PR. It is the PR that can be hard to get.

Don't you have to study for the test, and know silly things like who was the fourth Prime minster, what was his favourite desert, and why is favourite spelled two ways in the Canadian dictionary?