Hi All.
I got my visa. Flew to Canada in December then had to come back to my country. I have received my actual PR card. It’s dated May ‘23 to May ‘28…is that the 5 year period I have to be there for 730 days or did the 5 year period start earlier than that?
Not sure how much time I have left to get back and achieve my 730 days. Any ideas?
Your five year period begins from the date of your first landing (December 22 I guess). After whatever day in December 27, it is any five year period looking back from the relevant day. Eg if you are examined (at a border point for example) on 14 Feb 2028, the relevant period is 15-Feb-203 to 14-Feb-2028.
You can calculate days in Canada (which should be > 730) or days outside Canada (<1095), it's the same thing. During your first five year period (to Dec 2027), it may be easier to calculate days outside (keep them below 1095), because technically you are in compliance with the RO this way. (By law, in the calc, they include days remaining to the fifth anniversary, i.e. you get a sort of 'credit' for days remaining. But it's easier to just count days outside Canada IMO).
You ask, 'how much time you have left' - keep your days outside below 1095. I strongly suggest leaving a solid buffer, because common sob story here is people who cut it close and then something came up (work or family or whatever) and ended up out of compliance with difficulties because of that.
Whatever you do, you should keep track of days. Set up a spreadsheet or whatever now. When you need to reapply for PR renewal or citizenship, you'll need the day count of entries and exits. Any day partially in Canada counts as a full day.
