PR obligations

[Apiang2012]

hi, I landed in canada in February, 2011 and my PR card will expire in March, 2015. I stayed and worked in Canada until May, 2012, which is approximately 1 year and 2 months (or 420 days) from date of my landing. I then went to UK to marry my fiancee. I planned to stay in the UK until October, 2014 which is about 2 years and 5 months since I left Canada. I intend to go back to Canada, and at this point, I would still have approximately 1 year and 3 months (or 450 days) left before my PR card expires. Will I still be allowed to enter Canada and renew my PR card in March, 2015?
I urgently need an answer to this for I don't like to lose my PR.

thanks

 

[keesio]

hi, I landed in canada in February, 2011 and my PR card will expire in March, 2015.

Does your PR card expire March 2015, or March 2016? I assume it is 2016 since you landed in 2011. If it is 2016, then the rest of your math works out and yes, you should be able to enter Canada and renew your PR card.

 

[meyakanor]

Just a little thing to add, your PR expiration date does NOT matter. What matters is the fifth year anniversary of your PR. If you landed in February 1 2011, you need to still be able to complete 731 days within the first five years, that is, the period that goes from Feb 1 2011 to January 31 2016. But otherwise, your calculation seems fine.

 

[Leon]

You are allowed up to 3 years outside without losing your PR so if you return after 2 years and 5 months, you should be fine.

 

[Apiang2012]

Re: marriage outside of canada to a foreign national

Dear keesio, meyakanor, and leon,

thank you very much for your prompt reply to my queries. I stand corrected, my PR will expire 2016. Furthermore, the immigration law states that the renewal of the PR must be done within 6 months before its expiry date. Let say my PR card expires on March 29, 2016, can I apply for renewal within the month of March, 2016 or must it be before March, 2016?
My next query is I married an englishman here in the UK, do I need to inform the canadian embassy about the marriage? How will this affect my PR renewal?
Thank you again.

 

[Leon]

Re: marriage outside of canada to a foreign national

Dear keesio, meyakanor, and leon,

thank you very much for your prompt reply to my queries. I stand corrected, my PR will expire 2016. Furthermore, the immigration law states that the renewal of the PR must be done within 6 months before its expiry date. Let say my PR card expires on March 29, 2016, can I apply for renewal within the month of March, 2016 or must it be before March, 2016?
My next query is I married an englishman here in the UK, do I need to inform the canadian embassy about the marriage? How will this affect my PR renewal?
Thank you again.

You may not try to renew your PR card earlier than 6 months (180 days) before it expires. There are no rules for how late you can renew it. If it expires on March 29, 2016, you may not apply to renew it earlier than October 1st 2015.

If you return in October 2014 and you already have 1 year and 3 months in Canada, you will reach your 730 days about 9 months later or around July 2015. You may not apply to renew your PR card at this point because it is still more than 180 days before it expires. I would advise applying around 5 months before it expires. You will have enough time then to meet the RO and as the processing time is now around 4 months, you will have time to get your new card before the old expires. If you wait until March, your old card will expire and you will be without a valid card while you wait for your new card. Not that this is bad but in case you want to travel or someone asks for it, it is better to always have a valid card if you can help it.

 

[Apiang2012]

Thank you very much...that was really very helpful. Can you help me with my second question, re: do i need to inform the canadian embassy about my marriage outside of canada to a foreign national and how will this affect my PR renewal? Thanks.

 

[Leon]

Thank you very much...that was really very helpful. Can you help me with my second question, re: do i need to inform the canadian embassy about my marriage outside of canada to a foreign national and how will this affect my PR renewal? Thanks.

No, you don't need to inform anybody and it will not affect your PR renewal. If you want to sponsor your husband for PR, you can do that after you have moved to Canada.

 

[Farhan985]

Leon:

I would like to ask you here that we were following the old policy in which we can stay out of Canada for 3 out of 5 year. However, as per new policy introduced in Canada, we have to be physically present 6 months within a year.

Don't you think it will effect in this kind of situation where we are living outside Canada for more than 6 months?

Appreciate your response.

 

[scylla]

I would like to ask you here that we were following the old policy in which we can stay out of Canada for 3 out of 5 year. However, as per new policy introduced in Canada, we have to be physically present 6 months within a year.

There is no policy that requires you to be physically present in Canada 6 months within each year to keep your PR status.

Are you perhaps confusing the new citizenship rules with the PR rules?

 

[Matt the Aussie]

Leon:

I would like to ask you here that we were following the old policy in which we can stay out of Canada for 3 out of 5 year. However, as per new policy introduced in Canada, we have to be physically present 6 months within a year.
Don't you think it will effect in this kind of situation where we are living outside Canada for more than 6 months?

Appreciate your response.

That's a Citizenship requirement. Nothing about PR requirements has changed, even with the new bill.

 

[Farhan985]

Thank you scylla and Matt for your responses.

You are right, I was under the impression that the new policy of Citizenship reflect on PR obligations as well.

It means I can still live outside Canada for 3 out of 5 years, even after implementation of the new citizenship policy.