What is permanent residency in Canada? | PR Status
You have probably heard about permanent residency in Canada, but what is it? When can you call yourself a Permanent Resident or a PR? What are the benefits and obligations of a person who holds the PR status? Let’s explore the answers to these questions. Of course, I’ll do my best to answer these questions concisely.
- Defining PR status
- The benefits of being a permanent resident
- The obligations associated with permanent residency
- Let us help!
What is permanent residency in Canada?
Permanent residency means you are neither a foreign national nor a Canadian citizen. Of course, you need to apply for the PR status by immigrating to Canada. There are many ways to immigrate, but here are some of the main options:
- Economic immigration as a skilled person or a business person
- Sponsorship applications
- Applying as a protected person through refugee or PRRA applications
- Becoming a PR under the Permit Holder Class option
- Applying under Humanitarian and Compassionate grounds
- Enjoying specific pilot programs such as the Agri-Food pilot
Of course, the list is not comprehensive. Consequently, you may read my article on this subject or book a consultation session.
What are the benefits of permanent residency in Canada?
As a permanent resident, you could enjoy the following benefits. Nonetheless, these are available to you only if you do not lose your status:
- The right to enter and remain in Canada
- The right to live and work anywhere in Canada
- Enjoying the Universal Healthcare in Canada
- Receiving several benefits such as free education for minors, discounted college or university education, etc.
- Having protection against many grounds for inadmissibility to Canada, such as criminality and medical issues
- The opportunity to become a Canadian citizen! However, you must meet specific requirements.
Please note that this list is not comprehensive. Moreover, it does not cover exceptional situations.
What are your obligations as a PR?
Gaining permanent residency in Canada comes with some obligations. For example, you must spend at least 40% of your time in Canada. We call this residency obligation. As a permanent resident, you must spend 730 days out of every five years in Canada. However, some exceptions apply. Moreover, you could lose your PR status if one or more of the following inadmissibility grounds apply to you:
- Serious criminality, such as Driving Under the Influence (DUI) of alcohol or other substances
- Human rights violations
- Organized criminality or rather membership in criminal gangs
- Security reasons such as terrorism or espionage
You could lose your permanent residency if you do not respect your obligations. However, you could apply for citizenship down the road if you do.
Let us help!
If you intend to apply for permanent residency in Canada, fill out our assessment form. Alternatively, you could book a consultation session with me. However, if you face visa or immigration issues, please fill out the following form.
If you are interested in visiting or immigrating to Canada, please complete our free assessment form.
There is no fee for this assessment. We will review your information and contact you if we identify a suitable immigration pathway or other meaningful option for you.
If you would prefer direct advice about your specific situation, you may book a consultation session. This is a paid service and includes formal immigration advice from a licensed Canadian immigration practitioner.
Al Parsai, LLM, MA, RCIC-IRB
Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant
Adjunct Professor, Queen’s University Faculty of Law
Instructor, Ashton College, Immigration Consulting Program
Author of 88 Tips on Immigration to Canada and Inadmissibility to Canada for Human Rights Violations
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