Time limit to stay outside Canada after getting PR card.

[Tariq Ali]

Hi

I m pretty confused about the time one can stay out of Canada after getting the pr card. Can you guys please tell me precisly till what time I and my family can stay out of Canada and yet still maintain our PR card. We did our landing on Feb 2011 and got PR cards by April 2011. We stayed in Canada for 14 days and came back home. Can we stay out of Canada till Feb 2013 or 2014?

Appreciate your help in resolving this confusion.

Thanks.

Tariq.

 

[thecoolguysam]

you need to be here in canada for atleast 2 years out of 5 years.

 

[Tariq Ali]

Thanks thecoolguysam. Does this mean we can stay out of Canada till Feb 2014?

 

[Tariq Ali]

Guys please help me out understand till when I can stay out of Canada ? Would really appreciate your feedback.

 

[Leon]

Guys please help me out understand till when I can stay out of Canada ? Would really appreciate your feedback.

Like coolguysam said, you only need to stay in Canada for 2 out of 5 years. That means you can be outside for up to 3. You can therefore be outside Canada until Feb 2014 but then you must come back and stay for a full 2 years without leaving.

 

[Tariq Ali]

Thanks Leon...appreciate your comprehensive reply.

What I conclude is that to maintain the PR status one can stay out of Canada for 3 years out of 5 years but to be eligible to apply for citizenship, one has to complete 3 years out of 5 years in Canada.

Am I right?

Tariq.

 

[Leon]

What I conclude is that to maintain the PR status one can stay out of Canada for 3 years out of 5 years but to be eligible to apply for citizenship, one has to complete 3 years out of 5 years in Canada.

Am I right?

No, the requirements for citizenship is having stayed for 3 years in the previous 4.

 

[Androse]

Like coolguysam said, you only need to stay in Canada for 2 out of 5 years. That means you can be outside for up to 3. You can therefore be outside Canada until Feb 2014 but then you must come back and stay for a full 2 years without leaving.

Hi Leon,
Meant to ask in my earlier query.
You mentioned 'stay for a full 2 years without leaving'. Does it mean the 2 years has to be continuous? I thought we could break the stay i.e. 1 year in 2012 and another year in 2014 for instance. Is that allowed?

Thanking you in advance.

 

[Vats]

No continous 2 yr not require, you can calculAte like 365 x 2 days, in 365 x 5 days
Any number of break allowed

 

[OhCanadiana]

Meant to ask in my earlier query.
You mentioned 'stay for a full 2 years without leaving'. Does it mean the 2 years has to be continuous? I thought we could break the stay i.e. 1 year in 2012 and another year in 2014 for instance. Is that allowed?

Thanking you in advance.

The two years don't have to be continuous. Leon was being specific in his response to someone who was asking a out the case where he was going to be outside for three full years. In that specific case, the only way Tariq would be able to keep his PR status is if he did not leave at all after he arrived back in Canada three years after becoming a PR since otherwise there is no way he would be able to accrue two years out of five and would lose PR status.

 

[Androse]

Thank you Vats and OhCanadiana.
It makes perfect sense.

 

[OhCanadiana]

Thank you Vats and OhCanadiana.
It makes perfect sense.

You're welcome

 

[Androse]

Hi OhCanadiana and other Seniors,

The following was taken from the CIC website :

OPTION 2. Employment outside Canada

You may count each day you worked outside Canada provided that your employment meets the following criteria:

you are an employee of, or under contract to, a Canadian business or the public service of Canada or of a province and
you are assigned on a full-time basis to:
a position outside Canada
an affiliated enterprise outside Canada or
a client of the Canadian business or the public service outside Canada

I have the following queries :-

1) Does it mean that you have to first get hired in Canada and be posted by that Canadian company to a location outside Canada or can you apply directly to work for that Canadian company outside Canada.
2) If you are already working for a Canadian company outside Canada, how do we renew our PR card? Do we have to be physically present in Canada because I think the process takes approx. 90 days.

Many thanks.

Androse

 

[Leon]

1) Does it mean that you have to first get hired in Canada and be posted by that Canadian company to a location outside Canada or can you apply directly to work for that Canadian company outside Canada.

You need to get hired in Canada and transferred overseas and they are also a bit picky of what kind of company they consider to be a Canadian employer.

2) If you are already working for a Canadian company outside Canada, how do we renew our PR card? Do we have to be physically present in Canada because I think the process takes approx. 90 days.

Preferably you have to be inside Canada although they do say in their publications that is is not a set in stone criteria, you at least have to have your application mailed from within Canada and have a Canadian address and you need to be in Canada to pick up your PR card. You do not have to renew your card immediately when it expires but depending on your citizenship, you may need a travel document to return to Canada if your card is expired but if you meet the residency requirements, that is not a problem.