Once you have "made your landing", arrived in Canada as a permanent resident, you are required to fulfill certain residency obligations to maintain your status as a resident of Canada. You will not lose your permanent residence status unless you spend too much time living outside of Canada. You must live in Canada for two years within five year period.

Rights and obligations

Permanent residents have an absolute right to enter Canada. Like Canadian citizens, permanent residents may live, study and work anywhere in Canada. Also, they enjoy all the rights guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms such as equality rights, legal rights, and mobility rights, freedom of religion, freedom of expression and freedom of association.

As a general rule, permanent residents may apply for citizenship after accumulating three years of residence in Canada. To acquire Canadian citizenship, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of either English or French, Canada as a nation, and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship.

Permanent residents comply with residency obligations if they accumulate two years of physical presence in Canada in every five-year period. If they are outside Canada for extended periods of time, they can accumulate residency days if they are:

• accompanying a Canadian spouse or common-law partner, or are a child accompanying a parent, or
• employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or the Public Service of Canada, or
• the accompanying spouse, common-law partner or child of a permanent resident who is outside Canada and who is employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or the Public Service of Canada.

As a permanent resident of Canada, you have the same obligations as Canadian citizens. You must pay taxes, and respect all Canadian laws at the federal, provincial and municipal levels.

Permanent Resident Card

The Permanent Resident Card (also known as the Maple Leaf Card or the PR Card) is a new, wallet-sized, plastic card. People who have completed the Canadian immigration process and obtained Permanent Resident status, but are not Canadian Citizens can apply for the card.

Beginning on June 28, 2002, PR Cards will be mailed to new Permanent Residents of Canada as part of the landing process. Personal data, along with a photo, will be confirmed at the point of entry into Canada, and a card will be sent by mail about three weeks later.

People who are already in Canada as Permanent Residents can apply for the new PR Card beginning October 15, 2002.