How quickly should you immigrate to Canada after PR approval?

After you apply for Canada PR from India and your application gets approved, you must prepare to immigrate to Canada eventually. Several of the freshly approved PR Visa candidates are unable to move to Canada due to various reasons. It could be to complete school, work, or family commitments in their residence nation. So, what is the time period within which you must immigrate to Canada after the approval of your application?

Arriving in Canada

You must arrive in Canada prior to the date of expiry on your Confirmation of Permanent Residence. Once you receive the COPR, you will have to first make a note of this date. If you have included dependent family members in your PR application, you have to arrive before them or along with them.

The landing process has to be completed by all the dependent family members also prior to the expiry date on COPR. You can complete confirmation of your PR status online via the IRCC portal if you are in Canada already.

Validity of COPR

You will be offered the COPR in your Passport after the processing of your PR application is completed. The expiry date on COPR is usually aligned with the validity of your medical test results. The results of the medical exam have 1-year validity.

So, if you received the results of the medical exam in June 2021, the expiry date of COPR will be in June 2022. On the other hand, if your Passport’s validity gets completed before medical results, the validity of COPR is dependent on the expiry date of your Passport.

Applying for your first PR card

You will become a Permanent Resident in Canada after arrival and you can file an application for a PR Card. It is a good thing to apply for a PR Card immediately as for re-entering Canada you have to demonstrate that you are a PR.

PR Cards are not mailed to overseas addresses by IRCC. So you can request for a PR Card to be sent to your Immigration Attorney or opt for collecting it in person once it is ready. This is if you do not have an address in Canada or are staying temporarily in Canada.

The processing of the fresh PR Card can require more than 3 months. You will have to apply for a PR Travel Document if in the meantime you have to travel to your home nation. It is a formal document offered by the Overseas Canada Visa Office. PR Travel Card can be used instead of a PR Card while re-arriving in Canada.

Stay duration in Canada after completing the landing process

You are required to fulfill the Residency Obligations after you complete the landing procedures and obtain the PR status in Canada. It implies remaining physically in Canada for a minimum of 730 days over a period of 5 years.

If you opt for returning to your home nation after completion of the landing process, you must ensure returning within the time for spending a minimum of 730 days in Canada to fulfill this obligation. This requirement has some exceptions:

•         You are residing overseas but are accompanying a close member of the family who is a citizen of Canada, or
•         You are employed by a company in Canada for full-time

Normally, the assessment of whether the PR status holder has fulfilled the residency obligation is done at the time of their application for:

•         Renewal of PR Card
•         PRTD – Permanent Resident Travel Document
•         Citizenship of Canada

Note:

The determination of the residency obligation is based on 5 years before the Visa Office received the application. This is if the individual has had Canada PR status for more than 5 years.

An individual can qualify to file an application for PR Card renewal or PRTD if they have held the PR status for less than 5 years. But they must prove that they will be able to fulfill the obligation of 730 days of physical presence within the period of 5 years.

Determination of Status

The PR status holder in Canada can be deprived of their status only through a formal process of determination of status. A Visa Officer will perform a formal determination of status each time a PR holder applies for a PR Card or PRTD. It is to confirm that the applicant has fulfilled the residency obligations and there exist no other obstacles to renewal.

Till the completion of this official determination, an individual technically continues to hold the PR status in CA. If a PR status holder knows that they have not fulfilled the residency obligation, they can officially give up their PR status.

If you want to know how to get Canada PR from India contact Nationwide Visas, the top Immigration and Visa Consultancy in India.