Permanent Residence and Citizenship
- Canada welcomes between 340,000 – 350,000 Permanent Residents per year
- Canada does NOT have a country quota system and welcomes people from all countries and cultural backgrounds
- Let’s look at a few Permanent Residence programs
Permanent Resident (PR) Benefits
- Work, live, and study anywhere in Canada;
- Get free education for children and reduced university tuition;
- Receive Canadian socialized “free” healthcare in all hospitals;
- Sponsor your family members to come to Canada;
- Qualify for home or car loans from Canadian banks;Receive child benefit payments;
- Receive Canadian unemployment and retirement benefits;
- Qualify for Citizenship and passport in only 3 years
Permanent Residency Requirements
A Permanent Resident must do the following to maintain their status:
730 days (2 years) within 5 years, they must:
- Be physically in Canada, or;
- Outside Canada only if accompanying Canadian citizen who is their spouse (or parent for a child), or;
- Outside Canada working for Canadian business, or Canadian government (full time), or;
- Outside Canada accompanying a Permanent Resident working for Canadian business, or Canadian government (full time).
Become a Canadian Citizen
- As a PR, qualify for Citizenship in only 3 years;
- Qualify in less than 3 years if you also have work experience in Canada before obtaining PR;
- Get a Canadian passport (access to over 175 countries);
- Work and travel in the United States and Mexico under NAFTA regulations;
- Vote in Canadian government elections.
Citizenship Requirements:
- be physically present in Canada for at least 1095 days (3 years) during the 5 years immediately before the date of application;
- Days as temporary resident can be counted as half days, up to 365 days;
- Also count days: outside of Canada accompanied by Canadian spouse employed with armed forces/Canadian government;
- maintain permanent resident status;
- meet any applicable requirement under the Income Tax Act to file a return of income for the 3 years out of the 5 years before the date of application;
- Speak and listen in the English or French language, level 4 for 18-55 years of age
- Take a knowledge test of Canada and the responsibilities and privileges of Citizenship, including knowledge of:
- Canada’s history
- Canada’s geography
- Canada’s government
- Canadian symbols