How to apply for Permanent Resident after living in Canada 60 years

[DianaFamily]

Hi have a family member that immigrated to Canada in the early 1950's. How does this family member apply for premanent residency as they do not fit within the current guidelines that I have researched. They had spoken to a locall MPP in the area they live and were provided the advise to use the apply for Permanent Residence status card application however to do this the person must already be a permanet resident. It seems they being given advise that has then running in circles. How does this person go about applying for permanet resident ?

 

[scylla]

If they "immigrated" to Canada in the early 1950's then they should already be permanent residents.

You'll need to provide far more information for any of us to be able to help. How did they "immigrate" to Canada back then? What type of visa / permit did they arrive on? Are they actually in Canada without status (illegally)?

 

[DianaFamily]

Thier family immigrated to Canada and the parents became citizens however this family member was apparently at an age where the application could not have been done by the parents. This family member married a canadian citizen in 1961 and has been married since however has held a Dutch Passport for all this time. They have held a job, paid taxes etc but never actually obtained canadian citizenship. The family imigrated to Canada from Holland.

 

[Leon]

If they are truly not a permanent resident, their spouse could apply to sponsor them for PR. They could apply inland and have the PR in about 14 months.

 

[alphazip]

I think DianaFamily may be confusing the terms "permanent resident" and "citizen". If the person "immigrated", he is already a permanent resident, unless he left Canada for a long time and lost status. If he is a permanent resident, he can apply for a PR card to prove that status, or he can apply for citizenship.

On the other hand, if he did not properly "immigrate", his wife should be able to sponsor him as a permanent resident. However, because he would currently be in Canada illegally, it may be best if he were to hire a lawyer or other immigration expert to handle his application.

 

[eileenf]

Thier family immigrated to Canada and the parents became citizens however this family member was apparently at an age where the application could not have been done by the parents. This family member married a canadian citizen in 1961 and has been married since however has held a Dutch Passport for all this time. They have held a job, paid taxes etc but never actually obtained canadian citizenship. The family imigrated to Canada from Holland.

It is unclear from your posts, but your relative may already be a permanent resident.

When you say: "Their family immigrated to Canada and the parents became citizens however this family member was apparently at an age where the application could not have been done by the parents," which application are you referring to? Permanent residence or citizenship?

 

[Leon]

True, if the person became a permanent resident in the 50's and ever since then lived in Canada, they are still a permanent resident. If they do not have a PR card, they could apply for one any time. If they want to apply for citizenship, they can. Since they must be older than 54 by now, they would not even have to take a citizenship test.

If they have lost their PR documents, they could ask for a verification of status here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/certcopy.asp

 

[Msafiri]

Thier family immigrated to Canada and the parents became citizens however this family member was apparently at an age where the application could not have been done by the parents. This family member married a canadian citizen in 1961 and has been married since however has held a Dutch Passport for all this time. They have held a job, paid taxes etc but never actually obtained canadian citizenship. The family imigrated to Canada from Holland.

My interpretation of this is that either:

1. The family immigrated to Canada with all as PRs - the parents applied for citizenship but the child was no longer a minor so was not able to be included in the application. If this is the case then the query is about applying for Citizenship.

2. The parents immigrated to Canada as PRs and the child somehow wasn't a PR - only way was to be excluded from being sponsored and not undergo a medical...this seems highly unlikely.

The OP needs to dig out the paperwork from the original entry if at all possible. Are the parents still alive? they may shed light on the landing details.

 

[margobear96]

2. The parents immigrated to Canada as PRs and the child somehow wasn't a PR - only way was to be excluded from being sponsored and not undergo a medical...this seems highly unlikely.

The OP needs to dig out the paperwork from the original entry if at all possible. Are the parents still alive? they may shed light on the landing details.

Actually, I think immigration in 1950s Canada was probably very, very different. My mom's friend immigrated in the early 1970s (20 years later!) to Toronto. According to mom, you basically came to Canada to visit, decided you wanted to stay and went to some office downtown and told someone. Wiz, bang, you were then granted permanent residency. (I'm sure there was more to it, but probably not much more....)

I think Leon is right, OP is asking how to prove someone is a PR (or get a PR card) when they immigrated in the 1950s and apparently never left (or was never asked proof of PR -- were Dutch passports always visa-exempt?).

 

[mikeathome]

(...)
I think Leon is right, OP is asking how to prove someone is a PR (or get a PR card) when they immigrated in the 1950s and apparently never left (or was never asked proof of PR -- were Dutch passports always visa-exempt?).

I believe they were. Dutch, German, most likely Italian, French, UK not sure about Spanish and Portuguese. Most likely all Eastern -communist- countries weren't.

mike