As a permanent resident, a person receives a significant number of benefits:

• Access to Canadian healthcare and social services.

• The right to live, work and study anywhere within Canada.

• Protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms

• The ability to leave and enter Canada’s borders using their Canadian permanent resident card, or permanent resident travel documents (PRTD).

• The ability to apply for Canadian citizenship after requirements are met.

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Permanent Residence Card

When you are traveling, you need a permanent resident (PR) card to prove you are a PR when you return to Canada. If your PR card expires, you can renew your card and retain your PR status even if your PR card expired.

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Permanent Residence Card Renewal

PR cards are valid for 5 years but some can be valid for only one year. PRs should apply for card renewal within six months of their card expiring.

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Permanent Residence Travel Document (PTRD)

PRs returning to Canada must show a valid PR card or PTRD before boarding. You may apply for this if you are outside Canada, have lost your PR card and need proof of your status to return to Canada.

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Residency Requirement 

To retain your PR status, you must meet a residency obligation. Canada’s residency obligation for PR requires a person to be physically present inside of Canada for at least 730 days within a five-year period or to fall under one of several exceptions.

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Canadian Citizenship

If a foreign national wishes to become a Canadian citizen, they can start be attaining a PR card. Afterwards, as a PR they must meet different residency requirements. 

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Renouncing PR Status

PR status is not automatically lost when a PR card expires. PR status can only be lost through an official process, in which a PR must submit an application to voluntarily renounce their status.