NN74 said:
Hi Leon, my understanding about child residency is as follows:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp#status
So I assume that
children under 18 are not required to meet any residency even for applying citizenship. One of their parents must meet residency and then either renew PR card or apply for citizenship.
You are reading the clause about children and citizenship requirements and true, they do not have to meet them.
However, the residency requirements for PR vs. citizenship are not the same. They are completely separate entities. There is no duty to renew the PR card after 5 years. It is however a good idea because govt. establishement are increasingly asking for it as means to prove your PR status and so you never know when you need it. You also need it to travel so it's good to have one.
The PR residency requirements are staying in Canada at least 730 days in any rolling 5 year period. There is no exception for children to meet these requirements. The only exceptions are: 1) PR is accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse outside of Canada (or a PR minor child is accompanying a citizen parent), 2) PR is working for a Canadian employer and has been transferred to a full time position abroad, or 3) PR is accompanying a PR spouse outside of Canada who falls under 2) (or a PR minor child is accompanying a PR parent who falls under 2)).
It is also possible to get exempted on H&C grounds for example when a PR must tend to a sick relative for long periods of time but these are special cases and require special appeals.
There is also one more clause regarding citizenship and that is that PR status can not be in question. That is, if it were to happen that a person has applied for their citizenship along with a minor child but by the time they are to get it, the minor child is located outside Canada and if it happens that the child is reported for not meeting the residency requirements while entering Canada, the child would not be able to get citizenship as the PR status of the child is now in question.