FAQ

Yes, you can lose your permanent resident (PR) status.

If you haven’t been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five years, you may lose your PR status. 

You may also lose your PR status if you:

• become a Canadian citizen
• give up (renounce) your PR status
• become inadmissible to Canada

Permanent residents don’t have the same protections and privileges as Canadian citizens do. If you commit a serious offence as a PR, you may have to leave Canada permanently.

Once you are granted citizenship, you are no longer a permanent resident (PR) and your PR card will no longer be valid. Canadian Gov will collect your PR card at the citizenship ceremony.

If your card expires when you’re outside Canada, you still have your permanent resident (PR) status. To keep your PR status, you need to stay in Canada for a certain amount of time.

What happens if your PR card expires when you’re outside Canada depends on how you plan to return to Canada.

You can bring family members with you to Canada if they were processed for permanent residence as your dependents. This includes:

• your spouse or common-law partner
• your dependent child
• your spouse or common-law partner’s dependent child
• a dependent child of a dependent child

The family members that can’t come with you include:

• your parents
• grandparents
• brother or sister
• uncle or aunt
• nephew or niece
• other relatives

Your dependents can’t arrive in Canada before you. They must arrive with you or after you.

You may be able to sponsor them after you immigrate to Canada.

How do I renew my permanent resident card?

If your permanent resident card (PR card) is expired or will expire in less than 9 months, you can apply for a new card. The new card will have a new expiration date. Most new PR cards are valid for 5 years.

To be eligible for a PR card, you need to

• be a permanent resident and
• submit your application in Canada

Most travelers need a visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to fly to, or transit through, a Canadian airport.

What you need depends on:

• the type of travel document you will travel with;
• the country that issued your travel document;
• your nationality; and
• how you will travel to Canada.

If you do not have the proper documents, such as an eTA or visa, you may be delayed or prevented from boarding your flight to Canada.

You can apply for a transit visa by filling out the application for a Temporary Resident Visa and selecting transit visa from the list of options on the form.
You may not need a transit visa if you are travelling to or from the United States. The Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the China Transit Program (CTP) allow certain foreign nationals to transit through Canada on their way to and from the United States without a Canadian transit visa, if they meet certain requirements.

Anyone who plans to visit Canada must apply from outside of Canada before they travel.

What your friend or family member needs depends on:

• the type of travel document they will travel with;
• the country that issued their travel document;
• their nationality; and how they will travel to Canada.

If they need a visitor visa, you may provide your family member or friend with a letter of invitation in support of their visa application. A letter of invitation can help, but it does not guarantee the person will get a visa.

No, business visitors who need a visa or an electronic travel authorization (eTA) must complete the visitor visa or eTA form. The eTA and visitor visa cover all visitors, including those coming to Canada on business.

It depends on

• the job you want to do
• the program you want to apply for
• whether or not your job requires a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA)

In most cases, you’ll need 1 or more of the following documents to apply for a work permit:

• an LMIA number from your employer if your job needs an LMIA
• proof that your employer has submitted an offer of employment through the Employer Portal
• an employment contract or letter (if your employer is exempt from the employer compliance process)
• proof that you are certified, accredited or qualified to work in the job you want

In some cases, you might be exempt from an LMIA:

• Mobility Francophone allows Canadian employers hire French-speaking and bilingual workers from abroad to work outside of Quebec in managerial, professional and technical occupations and skilled trades.
• If you are between 18 and 35 years old, you might be eligible for a temporary work permit under International Experience Canada.
• Learn about other LMIA- -exempt work permits.

In most cases, the employer must send you:

• the job offer and a Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA) number; or
• the offer of employment number.

Once you have one of these numbers, you can apply to get, extend or modify a work permit.

If the employer is LMIA-exempt, find out how to get a work permit for these jobs.

If you apply for an open work permit, you don’t need to provide any documents from an employer.

Yes, but you can only do this if your permit expired fewer than 90 days ago. You also need to restore your temporary status in Canada.

Single-Entry Temporary Resident Visa

• If you have a single-entry temporary resident visa, you will generally need a new visa to come back to Canada.
• You can request to return to Canada on your original single-entry temporary resident visa, if:
  • you will only visit the U.S. or St. Pierre and Miquelon; and
  • you will return to Canada before the end of your approved stay in Canada.

Multiple-Entry Temporary Resident Visa

• Yes, you can come back to Canada, if you have a multiple-entry temporary resident visa and it has not expired.

Expired Temporary Resident Visa

• You can ask to come back to Canada on your original temporary resident visa, even if it is expired, if:
  • you will only visit the U.S. or St. Pierre and Miquelon, and
  • you will return to Canada before the end of your approved stay in Canada.

An officer will make sure you meet all the requirements before allowing you to come back to Canada. If you visit any country other than those listed above, you will need a new temporary resident visa.

Canada offers many choices of schools for international students. These include primary and secondary schools, post secondary institutions (i.e. colleges and universities) private career /vocational schools, and language schools. Find more information on choosing a school.

Once you have chosen a school, you will need to make sure it is on the designated learning institution list. This list names the schools in Canada that are approved to accept international students. A study permit can only be issued to someone who has been accepted to study at a designated learning institution.

If you want to study in Canada longer, you need to extend your study permit.

You should apply to extend your study permit at least 30 days before your current permit expires. However, we recommend you apply more than 30 days before it expires.

If you need to renew your Social Insurance Number (SIN) or health insurance, you need a valid study permit. If you wait until there are only 30 days left, you may have problems renewing these, because your study
permit will be expiring.

Apply as soon as you receive your letter of acceptance. The times needed to process your application may vary among visa offices.