What is Permanent Residence?
Permanent Residence or PR is a status under which you may live and work in Canada for as long as you wish. Yes, you can live your entire life as a PR! It is different from temporary residence such as a visitor visa (also known as tourist visa), a student visa or a work permit because all of these statuses have an expiry date and hence are temporary permits to reside in the country. So a PR is comparable to what a “Green card” is in the United States.
Permanent residency is also a path to Canadian citizenship. Every permanent resident has the right to apply for citizenship after spending a certain amount of time in Canada.
How is Permanent Residency different from Citizenship?
When you become a permanent resident of Canada, your citizenship does not change automatically. You are still a citizen of your country of origin. However, as a permanent resident, you can do almost everything that a citizen can do and you will have the same rights and obligations. There are only a few limited things that you can’t do as a permanent resident, such as voting in or running for the elections or holding certain jobs that require a high level of security clearance.
How is Permanent Residency different from work permit?
A work permit has an expiry period, after which you will have to go back to your home country should your permit not get extended. Permanent residency however, as the name suggests, is permanent and you don’t have to worry about planning for your next move. As a permanent resident, you will enjoy all the government benefits that a citizen would enjoy. You are considered “domestic” when you are a permanent resident while your status is a “foreigner” when you are on a work permit.
Your work permit may have several restrictions while your permanent residency allows you to live, work and study anywhere in Canada. It may also be harder to find a permanent long-standing job since your work permit will have an expiry date (most typically 3 years).
What are the perks of Permanent Residency?
There are several benefits of this status, some of which we may have covered earlier:
- Right to live, work or study permanently in Canada
- Ability to work anywhere in Canada without any restriction
- Access to free healthcare
- Same social benefits that citizens receive, such as child care support, etc.
- First time home buyer benefits and exemption from foreign buyer tax
- Ability to sponsor your parents or grandparents for permanent residency
- Free support from numerous settlement agencies
- Ability to apply for Canadian citizenship
- Visa free entry in some countries which you may not get from your current passport alone
Is Permanent Residency really permanent? If yes, then why do I even need Canadian citizenship?
Permanent residency is permanent but it is also conditional at the same time. If you satisfy those conditions, you will be able to enjoy permanent resident status for a lifetime. Some of those conditions include spending a certain amount of time in the country within every 5 year period. Your permanent resident status can get revoked if you fail to satisfy these conditions. You could also lose your status if you are found guilty of certain crimes and you can be deported.
Once you become a Canadian citizen, you don’t have to worry about meeting any of these conditions. You can live outside of Canada for the rest of your life but still maintain your citizenship. There are also some other perks that you can get with citizenship other than the right to vote. With a Canadian passport, you’ll be able to travel visa-free to countless countries. Hello Switzerland, here we come!
However, some countries don’t allow dual citizenship. In that case, you will have to renounce your existing citizenship when you acquire Canadian citizenship. Some people, therefore, may not apply for Canadian citizenship if they want to retain very strong ties to their country of origin or may want to go back there after retirement. Sometimes, you may see one person in a couple acquiring Canadian citizenship while the other one retains the original citizenship. That way they can enjoy the best of both worlds.
Related Topics
How to apply for Permanent Residence
How difficult is to get PR
How much does it cost to apply
How long does to take to get PR