CANADA (PR)

Permanent Resident in CANADA

A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada, but is not a Canadian citizen. Permanent residents are citizens of other countries. A person in Canada temporarily, like a student or foreign worker, is not a permanent resident.

The permanent resident (PR) card

Your PR card can be used to show that you have permanent resident status in Canada. If you travel outside Canada, you will need to show your card and your passport when you come back on a commercial vehicle, like an airplane, boat, train or bus.

PRs traveling outside Canada who do not have a valid PR card, or who are not carrying it, need to apply for a permanent resident travel document before returning to Canada by commercial vehicle.

What permanent residents can do

As a permanent resident, you have the right to:

  • • get most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including health care coverage,
  • • live, work or study anywhere in Canada,
  • • apply for Canadian citizenship,
  • • protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

You must pay taxes and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

What permanent residents cannot do

You are not allowed to:

  • • vote or run for political office,
  • • hold some jobs that need a high-level security clearance.

Time spent living in Canada

When you are a permanent resident, you can live outside of Canada, but must live in Canada for at least two years in a five-year period. If you live outside of Canada for longer, you may lose your permanent resident status.

Losing your permanent resident status

You don’t lose your permanent resident status when your PR card expires. You can only lose your status if you go through an official process.

You can lose your permanent resident status if:

  • • an adjudicator determines you are no longer a permanent resident after an inquiry or PRTD appeal;
  • • you voluntarily renounce your permanent resident status;
  • • a removal order is made against you and comes into force; or
  • • you become a Canadian citizen.

Even if you don't meet the residency obligation, you are still a PR until an official decision is made on your status.

Individuals and families around the world can immigrate to Canada within just a few months through the Express Entry immigration selection system. Express Entry, first introduced in 2015, has become the main driver of economic immigration to Canada and one of the most popular immigration systems globally.

What is Express Entry Canada?

Express Entry is system used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), which manages and processes applications, received through Canada’s federal economic immigration programs. Applications are received from eligible candidates who have been invited to apply to immigrate to Canada based on their human capital factors, skills, experience, and other factors. Under Express Entry, individuals and families wishing to settle in Canada can become new permanent residents within just a few months.

How Express Entry works:

Potential applicants will need to be eligible under one of the following federal economic immigration programs.

  • • The Federal Skilled Worker Class (FSWC)
  • • The Canadian Experience Class (CEC)
  • • The Federal Skilled Trades Class (FSTC)

A portion of the Provincial Nominee Programs (PNPs) are streamlined through Express Entry, but candidates must be eligible under one of the three federal programs in order to enter the Express Entry pool.

Eligible individuals may submit an Expression of Interest (EOI). This EOI will be assessed and issued a ranking score.

The ranking score for Express Entry is based on the Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS). Under the CRS, candidates are assigned is a score out of 1,200 used to rank federal economic candidates for immigration to Canada. Candidates can improve their rank, and thereby increase their chances of receiving an Invitation to Apply (ITA), by taking steps to improve their CRS score.

The CRS is not selection criteria (like that of the one used for the Federal Skilled Worker Class). It is a ranking system for candidates who are eligible under the FSWC, CEC, or FSTC. The SCRS score is used as a cut-off point in Express Entry draws. It is designed to project a candidate’s likelihood of being economically successful in Canada. It ranks different candidates based on their career and educational history, language skills, and whether they have already received a qualifying job offer or provincial nomination in Canada, among other factors. Those candidates with a Labor Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), or another qualifying job offer, are eligible for either 50 or 200 bonus points in the CRS. Provincial nominees can receive 6oo bonus points.

Qualifying job offers used to receive 600 points also, but this was amended in the Express Entry changes of November 2016.

Express Entry draw figures for July 11, 2018 are below.

The 14th Express Entry draw for permanent residency candidates in 2018 has taken place, with 3,750 candidates set to receive an invitation to apply (ITA). The Comprehensive Ranking System (CRS) cut-off threshold for this draw stood at 442 points, the same as for the previous draw, which took place on June 25.