berengena said:
Hi guys,
I have the following similar case and I was wondering if any of you could give me an insight:
initially I came to Canada (B.C) in July 2011 as a post-graduate student in July 2011. In in June 2013 I graduated from my Master`s degree and received a 3 year work permit. Since 2016 I`m a Permanent Resident living in Montreal.
Since January 2014 I work full-time for a Canadian company, based in Montreal, and travelling extensively around the world.
I just got offered and accepted a job in the UK, with the same Canadian Company...this will be working remotely from London for the same Canadian company and coming to Montreal at least 2 or 3 times a year.
My question is, is there anything I can do to maintain my PR status and that my days abroad count towards the right of acquiring the Canadian nationality?
scylla said:
Based on the information you have provided, it sounds like you should be able to count the time you spend working outside of Canada towards your PR residency requirement (provided you remain with that same company).
Short observation: get the advice of a good, independent, reputable Canadian immigration lawyer.
Longer observations:
I am not sure about
scylla's conclusion that you should get credit.
The details matter. Whether the employment abroad is a
temporary assignment or not matters. Credit for time employed abroad by a Canadian business is
NOT intended to allow PR's to retain their PR status while employed abroad indefinitely, and in particular not while employed in a permanent position abroad.
Which is to say, the nature of the actual
offer and
acceptance, and the nature of the actual job itself, will have a big influence on whether this will earn credit toward meeting the PR Residency Obligation.
There are some positive aspects indicated in the information you report, which improve the odds of getting the credit. In particular, regular connections to and activity in Canada should help; the more frequent and longer the stays in Canada, the better.
But the bottom line is that this credit (unlike the accompanying a citizen spouse credit) is clearly not intended to facilitate living abroad indefinitely, certainly not intended for working abroad permanently, but is primarily about protecting PRs who are given temporary assignments abroad.
Thus, my suggestion would be to make an investment in a consultation with a Canadian immigration lawyer, a good one, and one who has no association at all with the company. Definitely not a consultant. A lawyer. And be prepared to go into the fine details of what is involved, how you got the offer, what the terms of employment are, and so on.
I am not saying
scylla is wrong. I am, however, saying how this will be decided when your PR card expires and you apply for a PR Travel Document (at which point it will be presumed you do not have valid PR status) is not at all certain. In this regard, if this employment is long-term, remember that under current policy you will not be eligible to apply for and obtain a new PR card until you are residing in Canada again.
Reminder: the purpose of a grant of PR status is so the PR can come to Canada and settle in Canada, live in Canada,
permanently. There is no intent requirement to keep PR status; nonetheless, PRs who flirt with a life contrary to this purpose do so at their peril (notwithstanding widespread sentiment, in this and similar forums, to the contrary, mostly derived from self-interested rationalization).