Upon obtaining permanent residence in Canada, new immigrants are issued a Permanent Resident Card (PR Card) valid for five years. The PR Card acts as a travel document, allowing permanent residents to easily board planes to travel to Canada or cross the U.S. border into Canada, without the need for a visa.
To have your PR card renewed, you must meet the minimum residency obligations. To maintain your permanent residence, you must:
- Reside in Canada for at least 2 years in a five-year period.
- If you have been a permanent resident for more than 5 years, you must show that you have been physically present in Canada for a minimum of 730 days (2 years) within the past 5 years.
- You may be able to count days spent outside of Canada as part of the 730 days required to meet the residency obligation. For instance, if you accompany a Canadian citizen spouse outside of Canada, you may also count those days.
- Another common situation is when you work for a Canadian company outside of Canada. You can count each day you worked outside Canada as long as certain requirements are met. We’ll look at these two common situations below.
Meeting The Residency Requirement To Renew The PR Card
Canadian Permanent Residence cards are valid up to 5 years. If your PR card has expired, you will still remain a permanent resident even if your card expires. To have your PR card renewed, you must meet the minimum residency requirements
Accompanying A Canadian Spouse Abroad
You may be able to count days spent outside of Canada as part of the 730 days required to meet the residency obligation. For instance, if you accompany a Canadian citizen spouse outside of Canada, you may also count those days.
Working Outside Of Canada For A Canadian Company
Other than being physically present in Canada, the permanent resident may fulfill the residency obligation if he/she was or is employed on a full-time basis outside Canada by a Canadian business.
Renewing PR Card On Humanitarian & Compassionate Grounds
If a permanent resident needs to renew their PR card but has not met the residency requirement, and does not fall into one of the exception categories, the application to renew can be made on Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds
Applying For Travel Documents
Where a permanent resident has remained outside of Canada and their permanent resident card has expired, they may apply for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) to allow them to re-enter Canada. A PRTD is generally a one-way visa to return to Canada that is valid for several months.
Residency Appeals
If a permanent resident applies to have their permanent resident card extended and this application is refused, they may appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division of the Immigration and Refugee Board within 60 days. Similarly, those who apply for a Travel Document and are found to have lost their residence may also appeal within 60 days