Better Residency rules for Permanent Residents
- 730 Days Physical Residence in a Five
Year Period - (aggregate of 2 years over 5 years)
The current law requires permanent residents, in most cases, to
reside in Canada for 183 days in every 365 day period,
although a Returning Resident Permit may be issued to permit longer
periods of absence from Canada. Permanent residents may be
re-admitted to Canada even if they do not satisfy the 183 day rule,
but they do not know if they will be re-admitted until they seek
re-admission at the border. This requirement has been criticized
as too restrictive, on the one hand, and too uncertain on the other.
Returning Resident Permit applications are not predictable either.
The new rule will be easy to administer and easy to comply with,
and permanent residents will know where they stand. Every
immigrant will be issued a plastic residency card, to be known as
the Maple Leaf Card, which is a Photo ID card valid for 5 years.
To renew the card, a permanent resident will need to spend only
730 days of the five year period in Canada.
Exceptions can be made for special circumstances. Time spent outside
Canada accompanying a Canadian Citizen or working for a Canadian
company will be counted as time spent inside Canada . This
new provision will be very popular and gives Canada a competitive
edge in the world market for skilled workers. |
