From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A Permanent Resident in Canada is someone who is not a Canadian citizen and who has been granted permission to live and work in Canada without any time limit on his or her stay. A permanent resident must live in Canada for two years out of every five or risk losing that status. Time spent outside of Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse is counted as time in Canada. [1]

A Permanent Resident holds many of the same rights and responsibilities as a Canadian citizen, the biggest exceptions being that permanent residents cannot vote in Canadian elections, run for elected office, hold Canadian passports, or work in government jobs.

Permanent residents may apply for Canadian citizenship after three years in Canada, however this is not a mandatory requirement. [2]

British & Commonwealth citizenship
Commonwealth nationality laws
British (history) Australian Barbadian Canadian (history) Indian Malaysian Maltese New Zealand Singaporean South African Irish citizens in the UK
Classes of citizens and subjects
British citizen British subject British Overseas Territories citizen British Overseas citizen British National (Overseas) British protected person Commonwealth citizen
Rights and visas
Right of abode Indefinite leave to remain Permanent resident (Australia) Permanent resident (Canada) Belonger status UK Ancestry Entry Clearance
Acts
Ireland Act 1949 British Nationality Act 1981 Falkland Islands (1983) Overseas Territories Act 2002 Canadian Citizenship Act 1946

In 2002, the Department of Citizenship and Immigration started issuing the Permanent Resident Card (originally billed as the Maple Leaf Card) to all new Canadian permanent residents. All existing permanent residents were given the option of applying for a Permanent Resident Card at a cost of $50, though possessing a card is not mandatory except in the case of international travel. [3]

With effect from December 31, 2003, every permanent resident must be able to present his or her Permanent Resident Card upon boarding a commercial carrier (aircraft, train or bus) in order to travel to Canada. It is a plastified wallet-sized proof of status meant to facilitate entry back to Canada. It incorporates several state-of-the-art security features.

As the Permanent Resident Card may only be issued in Canada, a single-use Travel Document is available (for a fee) from Canadian visa offices outside Canada for those permanent residents wishing to return to Canada who do not possess a Permanent Resident Card.

The Permanent Resident Card expires every five years, and then may be renewed by making application and proving that the applicant has been physically present in Canada for the requisite time period, or has otherwise satisfied the residency requirements. Although an individual may meet the residency requirements by living outside of Canada with a Canadian citizen spouse, the Permanent Resident Card cannot be renewed without being in Canada and having a Canadian address.

Landed Immigrant is a formerly official classification for a person who has been admitted to Canada as a non-citizen permanent resident. The current official classification for such a person is simply permanent resident. Nevertheless, the term "Landed Immigrant" was in use for so long, that it has become part of Canadian vocabulary, and even still appears on some government related forms and publications.

To become a landed immigrant, one should normally legally enter Canada, or land, from one of the designated ports of entry. If one is living in Canada as a temporary resident (e.g. on a study or work permit) and receives a permanent residency visa, s/he should exit Canada and re-enter via one of the ports of entry to officially land and achieve the landed immigrant status. One possible way of doing this is to exit through the Canada/USA border, attempt to enter USA legally (or receive a refusal notice letter), and then re-enter Canada through customs. In some cases, notably those married to Canadians and applying for permanent residence "in-country", it may be possible to "land" at a Citizenship and Immigration Canada office.

• Citizenship and Immigration Canada
• Immigration to Canada

• Canada Immigration Tracker: An immigration tracker that lets users share and discuss the details of their immigration applications, reducing guesswork and making it easier to estimate processing times.