How long can I stay out of Canada? any new laws?

[MB1978]

Dear Experts,
Please help !

We have landed as a family in Canada in May 2013, we obtained our PR Cards (valid until May 2018) and left Canada in June 2013.
I have no plan of coming back to Canada before June 2015, which means that I will be spending 2 out of my 5 years out of Canada/e yars inside Canada, which still give us a good margin as we only need to spend 2 years in Canada to be able to renew our PR Status and later on apply for citizenship once we spend 4 years in Canada.

My question is : I have been hearing a lot about new laws and rules, so is there any chance that the government may increase the minimum period requested to stay inside Canada (Currently the 730 days) ? will any new laws be applicable to us, having already landed, or will it effect only the new immigrants?

I am afraid that we come back next May/June 2015, and after spending 3 years in Canada or slightly less, we could be denied the renewal of our PR Status !

Thank you very much in advance!

 

[Alurra71]

From everything that I have read regarding C-24 it will have no effect on PR requirements. You should keep in mind though that it is going to require 4 years of presence (1460 days) in the last 6 years for citizenship and 4 of those years the applicant MUST HAVE SPENT 183 days or more per year inside Canada. So effectively while not necessary for PR renewal, you will, if you want to gain citizenship, have to spend a bit more than 1/2 the year in Canada every year for 4 years straight and then the following 2 years fully before applying for citizenship or just 4 full years at once.

If you never plan on getting Canadian citizenship you can continue to maintain your PR RO by having 730 days inside of Canada in any rolling 5 year time span. This also presupposes they don't alter that PR RO in the future.

 

[MB1978]

Thank you very much for this quick answer,
It is exactly what I wanted to know,

My only concern is that as you mentioned they might alter that law (about the 730 days) and I might one day find out that I do not have enough days to renew my PR!

Thank you again,,

 

[Alurra71]

Thank you very much for this quick answer,
It is exactly what I wanted to know,

My only concern is that as you mentioned they might alter that law (about the 730 days) and I might one day find out that I do not have enough days to renew my PR!

Thank you again,,

I would just keep myself informed of any changes regarding this issue. They wouldn't pass it overnight and sneak it up on you. There would be adequate time for you to get into Canada, if necessary, to maintain your RO. As of right now, so far as I know, there are not changes in the works or on the horizon for the PR RO. Just keep an eye on things and you should be fine.

 

[Leon]

You could check the CIC website every 6 months or so to make sure the residency requirements haven't changed.

You can find them here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/5445ETOC.asp#appendixA

 

[MB1978]

Dears,
Thank you all for your input, I will keep an eye on any changes (hopefully none),,
We should be able to return permanently by med next year then...

All the best,,