Maintaining Your Permanent Residence Status PL

A Permanent Resident is free to travel in and out of Canada.

However, if order to comply with the residency obligations, he/she must accumulate two years of physical presence in Canada for every five-year period after they become a landed Permanent Resident (they have arrived in Canada).

An exception to this rule would only apply to any one of the following:

* The Permanent Resident is accompanying a Canadian-citizen spouse or common-law partner;
* The Permanent Resident is a child under 22 years of age, accompanying a Canadian-citizen parent;
* The Permanent Resident is employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business, the Public Service of Canada or the public service of a Canadian province; or
* The Permanent Resident is a child under 22 years of age, accompanying a permanent resident parent who is outside Canada and employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business, the Public Service of Canada or the public service of a Canadian province.


A Permanent Resident may lose his/her status if she/he fails to comply with the residency obligations. When a Permanent Resident fails to meet their residency obligations, a departure order may be issued. This order requires that person to leave Canada. The decision to issue a departure order may be appealed to the IAD within 30 days of receiving the notification.