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PR to Citizenship inquiry

|l|R|l|

Hero Member
May 6, 2018
212
66
Hi all,

Quick inquiry that I'm not able to clarify anywhere.

I became PR Jan 2024 , if I permanently move in Jan 2027, and renew my PR card in Jan 2029, can I apply for citizenship in 2030 ?

Or I have to spend 3 years within the new 5 years period from 2030 till 2035, so eligible in 2033 ?


in a nutshell is the citizenship physical presence eligibility linked to PR status/card or it lapses regardless of PR ?

thank you.
 

foodie69

VIP Member
Dec 18, 2015
3,356
1,039
Hi all,

Quick inquiry that I'm not able to clarify anywhere.

I became PR Jan 2024 , if I permanently move in Jan 2027, and renew my PR card in Jan 2029, can I apply for citizenship in 2030 ?

Or I have to spend 3 years within the new 5 years period from 2030 till 2035, so eligible in 2033 ?


in a nutshell is the citizenship physical presence eligibility linked to PR status/card or it lapses regardless of PR ?

thank you.
10 seconds google search:

You (and some minors, if applicable) must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application. We encourage you to apply with more than 1,095 days of living in Canada in case there's a problem with the calculation.
 
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|l|R|l|

Hero Member
May 6, 2018
212
66
10 seconds google search:

You (and some minors, if applicable) must have been physically in Canada for at least 1,095 days (3 years) during the 5 years before the date you sign your application. We encourage you to apply with more than 1,095 days of living in Canada in case there's a problem with the calculation.
Thanks, i did read that. I just wanted to confirm if it lapses and not linked to my PR.
 

armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,325
8,921
Thanks, i did read that. I just wanted to confirm if it lapses and not linked to my PR.
I don't understand your question, what do you mean 'it lapses'? And it's linked to your PR status, but not your card. PR status does not expire, only cards do.
 

|l|R|l|

Hero Member
May 6, 2018
212
66
I don't understand your question, what do you mean 'it lapses'? And it's linked to your PR status, but not your card. PR status does not expire, only cards do.
Thats what i didnt know. I thought PR status renews with card renewal as well.
And i thought i must spend 3 yrs out of 5 for one PR card. In my example i'll spend 2 years in Canada with the first PR card and the 3rd year on the new PR card. It sounds complicated but i didnt know how it works until now.

Thank you for clarifying.
 
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armoured

VIP Member
Feb 1, 2015
17,325
8,921
Thats what i didnt know. I thought PR status renews with card renewal as well.
And i thought i must spend 3 yrs out of 5 for one PR card. In my example i'll spend 2 years in Canada with the first PR card and the 3rd year on the new PR card. It sounds complicated but i didnt know how it works until now.

Thank you for clarifying.
Okay, now I understand your question. PR status and the PR card are different things. Some people live in Canada for years, even decades, without cards.

Apart from serving as ID of convenience in Canada (less convenient than driver's license), mainly only for a few things (eg health insurance), it mainly serves to let you board a plane back to Canada.

For renewing PR card / applying for citizenship, the residency obligation is separate. Mainly, less than 1095 days out of Canada in most recent five years for renewing PR card & maintaining PR status, and more than 1095 days IN Canada in last five years for citizenship. In both cases, the five year periods are as of date of application (or examination eg at border crossings in case of PR status compliance); if PR for less than five years, than since becoming a PR.

Hope this helps.

My one warning/comment on your plan:
I became PR Jan 2024 , if I permanently move in Jan 2027, and renew my PR card in Jan 2029, can I apply for citizenship in 2030 ?
If this all works out, fine - but this is cutting it way too close and leaves you very little flexibility. The boards here see the story quite frequently that somebody planned this and then 'life happened' - parents got sick, got married, job requires them to travel more than expected, lifestyle doesn't fit with being unable to travel, etc., etc. Sometimes it can be rectified easily, sometimes not, and someitmes eventually leads to losing PR status.

Plan accordingly. Return at least a year earlier than you're talking about above. I mean, do what you want, but recognize it just may not be realistic to leave yourself no buffer.
 
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|l|R|l|

Hero Member
May 6, 2018
212
66
Okay, now I understand your question. PR status and the PR card are different things. Some people live in Canada for years, even decades, without cards.

Apart from serving as ID of convenience in Canada (less convenient than driver's license), mainly only for a few things (eg health insurance), it mainly serves to let you board a plane back to Canada.

For renewing PR card / applying for citizenship, the residency obligation is separate. Mainly, less than 1095 days out of Canada in most recent five years for renewing PR card & maintaining PR status, and more than 1095 days IN Canada in last five years for citizenship. In both cases, the five year periods are as of date of application (or examination eg at border crossings in case of PR status compliance); if PR for less than five years, than since becoming a PR.

Hope this helps.

My one warning/comment on your plan:


If this all works out, fine - but this is cutting it way too close and leaves you very little flexibility. The boards here see the story quite frequently that somebody planned this and then 'life happened' - parents got sick, got married, job requires them to travel more than expected, lifestyle doesn't fit with being unable to travel, etc., etc. Sometimes it can be rectified easily, sometimes not, and someitmes eventually leads to losing PR status.

Plan accordingly. Return at least a year earlier than you're talking about above. I mean, do what you want, but recognize it just may not be realistic to leave yourself no buffer.
Thank you. Makes alot of sense.
I'll move in 2026 to have a year of flexibility as advised.
 
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