You received the great news—“decision made”. Congrats, you’re about to get permanent residency status in Canada!
What happens next? What should you do before coming to Canada? How does the landing process work?
Before coming to Canada
If your permanent resident application is approved, you will be asked to submit your passport to the Canadian visa office where you applied in order to receive your permanent resident visa.
You will get two important documents:
- The confirmation of permanent residence (with identification information, photograph…)
- An entry visa
The confirmation of permanent residence has an expiry date by which you must arrive in Canada. This doesn’t mean you have to settle in Canada by that date, but it does mean you must travel to Canada and become a landed immigrant before the confirmation of the permanent residence expiry date. After that, you may come back to your home country and prepare for your actual arrival if you wish.
You must have your Confirmation of Permanent Residence and your visa with you when you arrive in Canada.
When landing in Canada
When you arrive in Canada with a permanent residence status, you become a landed immigrant. This is a very important step.
Note that there are two cases here:
- If you received your permanent residence status abroad: Most people will fly to Canada and land at an airport. The busiest the airport, the more likely it is that officers will be familiar with immigration papers, that there will be interpreters available if needed etc. In the East, Montreal and Toronto are good choices.
- If you received your permanent residence while you were already in Canada: this is a bit weird, but you have to exit Canada and re-enter (even if it’s five minutes later!) in order to become a landed immigrant. The French have an expression for it: “faire le tour du poteau” (to go around the flagpole). Most people will go to the U.S.A. and re-enter Canada immediately. Walking, driving or biking to Canada are all acceptable options! Officers on both sides of the border are used to it and you shouldn’t have any problem. I did it in 2005 to become a landed immigrant.
Whether you arrive by air or by land, you will first meet an officer from the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).
The officer will ask to see:
- Your passport
- Your valid permanent resident visa
- Your confirmation of permanent residence
- If you immigrate through a category that requires you to prove that you have sufficient funds to support yourself (for example, the skilled worker category), the officer will need to see the supporting documents, such as a recent bank statement.
There are a few routine questions to establish your identity and to make sure you gave correct information that matches your application, but this usually only takes a few minutes. Make sure you have all your documents with you and everything will be fine!
Be aware that you will be asked to declare items you bring to Canada. Take a moment to check out what you can and cannot bring in Canada, and what you must declare. You may want to check “How do I bring my belongings with me?” as well.
After that, the officer will authorize you to enter Canada as a permanent resident. He will also confirm your Canadian mailing address. Your permanent resident card will be mailed to you at this address.
The permanent resident card
A permanent resident card is a small wallet-sized card and a very valuable document, which allows you to prove your status in Canada or when travelling in and out of the country.
Permanent resident’s cards are not issued on the spot when you arrive in Canada. They are mailed to your Canadian address within a few weeks. If you do not have a Canadian address at the time you land in Canada, you must supply one to CIC within 180 days (plenty of time!). There is no fee for the permanent resident card applied for at the time of the landing process. It usually takes about 30 days to receive the permanent card after you land in Canada, but it varies (you can check the current processing time here).
The permanent residence card is normally issued for 5 years. It can be renewed if you wish to remain a permanent resident, or you may not need it anymore if you apply for Canadian citizenship after three years of residency!
…And then what?
After landing in Canada, some people decide to go back to their home country for a little while to finalize their move and settle their affairs. Some have houses to sell, some have to finish their work etc. This is perfectly acceptable. Once you become a landed immigrant, you are free to travel in and out of Canada!
However, if you leave Canada before you receive your permanent resident card, you may need to apply for a single-use permanent resident travel document to return to Canada. If you hold a passport from a country that does not need a visitor visa to come to Canada (such as with an American or a U.E passport), you should be able to enter Canada without your permanent resident card. See the list of countries which require a visa to visit Canada or read the article I need to leave Canada but I do not have my PR card yet for more information.
Be aware that to keep your status as a permanent resident in Canada, you must meet the residency requirement. This means that you must live in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. If you don’t, you will lose your permanent residence status (and yes, it does happen a lot).
If you stay in Canada after landing, you can start applying for Canadian IDs (such as your SIN card), looking for a job, a place to live etc.
Your rights and duties as a permanent resident
As a permanent resident in Canada, you have both responsibilities. You can:
- Live, work or study anywhere in Canada
- Receive most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, such as health coverage
- Be protected under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Note that as a permanent resident, you cannot vote or hold certain jobs that have a high-security clearance.
You may lose your permanent status if you don’t meet the residency requirements or if you are convicted of a serious crime.
After three years in Canada as a permanent resident, you may choose to apply for Canadian citizenship if you meet the requirements.
Hi there,
My partner and I recently got PR for Canada, he will be arriving a few days before me in another city and do the landing interview. I have gotten PR by virtue of us being married so he must enter the country before me or at the same time as me (as I understand it). However, if I arrive after him in a different city (after he has done the landing interview) will I still be allowed entry?
Many thanks.
J.
Yes, as far as I know it doesn’t matter where you land. Welcome to Canada!
Hi! My wife and I entered Canada in July, 2000 as permanent residents under the Manitoba Provincial Nominee Program. However, we had to leave our 2 year old child behind. Due to parental obligation to our child, we had to leave Canada after seven months of stay (February, 2001) and were not able to comply with the residency requirements.
At this point, is there a way that we could be reconsidered as permanent residents of Canada? Thanks.
This is going to be tough, as you are supposed to meet the residency requirements. You should contact CIC directly.
Thanks for the article – a great help.
I do have a question though but I am guessing a little unusual so you might not be the right person to help.
You said that “some people decide to go back to their home country for a little while to finalize their move and settle their affairs. Some have houses to sell, some have to finish their work etc.”
I am working in the Cayman Islands and my PR is due to be approved in the next few months, however I still have about a year to run on my work contract here. I also own an apartment in Calgary, Canada.
I understand that I will need to land in Canada to meet the expiry date on the PR confirmation and then become a landed immigrant but does that immediately change my tax status?
i.e. At that point do I then immediately become eligible for Canadian tax on anything that I earn for the remainder of my time in the Caymans which is a tax free country?
Or does it make any difference that I have not yet applied for a SIN, etc. and have departed straight back to finish my contract.
Obviously I want to make sure that I stay on the right side of the tax legislation and not land myself in hot water by getting it wrong.
Many Thanks,
Mike
Hi,
Sorry, I am not really knowledgeable about taxes, I can barely do my own! I think your best bet would be to call the Canada Revenue Agency, they are pretty helpful. As far as I know, you are considered a resident for tax purposes when you actually establish residence in Canada, i.e get your SIN and land.
Hi, I had same question in mind. Did anyone figure out this part?
No worries, and thanks for your help.
Sorry I couldn’t help more!
Hi
I am living in India and got my PR in june 2010.
I will be employed by a Canadian firm in August and paid in Canadian dollars.
I wish to know that if I get tax deducted in Canada and am staying in India will I be complying with PR laws/ norms
No, you have to be physically present in Canada.
Hello ZHU, how you are doing, my details: Me and my family (mother and father) arriving in canada as an immigrant for the first time as my sister sponsered us and is a Canadian Citizen (married in 2005)after her marriage, now the main question is after how many days me myself or my parent can call my elder brother (unmarried) as a tourist to Canada and for how long, can u provide the full procedure. Thanks for the informtaion. It will help me a lot really
Hi,
I have no idea… the best way would be to check http://www.cic.gc.ca; Good luck!
hi zhu, please find answer to my question (above), i am not getting any idea really, only you can do this to me.
thank you
You have to check the CIC website, I don’t know much about bringing relatives to Canada and policies changed a lot since I came here.
Hi,
I intend to do my landing in Q4 of this year and then return back to my place of work. I intend to continue working for 18 months or so and then return to Canada.
I have a question in regards with the funds needed to be carried as bank drafts whilst doing the landing. Do we need to deposit the same in a bank immediately after landing or only when I return to stay permanently
As far as I know, you only have to show you have sufficient funds when landing, that’s it.
What happens if the PR landing visa in your passport expires and you don’t land in Canada ?
You lose your permanent resident status (well you never get it since you don’t land).
Hello Zhu, thanks for posting these interesting and helpful information. I have a question, not sure if you can help…. I have recieve my PR Visa after applying to Ottawa, but thinking of first landing in Toronto, do you know if that is oermitted?
Yes, not a problem. You can land and settle anywhere! Welcome to Canada 🙂
hii
i was thinking after landing in Canada where you officially don’t know a single thing there,do you have an assistant or something like that ?
Nope, you are on your own. Do research!
Hey Zhu, I have a question: What kind of risk is associated with sending the PR card to a person who has already landed in Canada but had to leave for his country of origin before receiving the PR card. Thank you!
I guess the biggest risk would be that it could get lost in the mail!
Thank you Zhu!
You’re welcome!
just arrive here in canada 2 mos ago as a permanent resident.. my husband and i have already arguments.. he has the key to our mailbox where my pr card will going to be mailed..i dont know if he received it already. and he told me that he would not give it to me anyway. what will i do if i am planning to go back to my country of origin? how can i come back here in canada without a pr card?
You need your PR card or you will have issues. Talk to your husband!
can i use a travel documents to come back here in canada?
Depends on your citizenship. If you need a visa to enter Canada as a visitor, it may be tricky.
Have a look here for more info:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/helpcentre/answer.asp?q=064&t=10
hi zhu. my family and i landed at ontario last yr then went back to our original country . now we r set to come back and live in alberta. is it true that we have to live in ontario for a year before moving to any other province.
It depends on any restriction you may have on your PR… like provincial nominee status, but I don’t think it exists for Ontario anyway. Generally speaking, as permanent residents, you can live anywhere you want in Canada, no restriction.
The Flag Pole Run is not required, if you already live in Canada you can get a appointment with your Local CIC Office and Land there.
I live in Canada for 4 years and landed in my Local CIC Office.
When you get your COPR on the additional Letter is a phone # that you can call for a appointment.
That’s true now. It didn’t exist when I wrote this article 😉
How did your appointment go? How does it work?
when i com for first landing who will direct me to live?
No one. you are on your own.
Hi I have a question. I recently received confirmation from the authority confirming my PR and expecting my PR anytime. I have applied for myself, my wife and my daughter. When visiting canada for the first time (to become a landed immigrant) should all three of us need to visit canada or as the prinicipal applicant is it sufficient for only me to arrive in canada to obtain PR for my all family members.
Thanks
You can land first as the principal applicant and your family can land later. But you cannot “land” for them.
Thanks for the valuable information.My friend just got his Permanent Resident card last week and is ready to take off this month.
Good luck to him, and welcome to Canada!
hola, mchas gracias por toda la informacion. Mi esposo es canadiense y yo Mexicana y acabamos de mandar todos los apeles para el sponsorship..migracion dice que toma aproximadamente 18 meses. mi pergunta es: Cuando reciba la rsidencia permanente..yo puedo entonces salir de Canada y regresar, sin ningun problema? mi visa de turista ahora esta expirada.Gracias
Si, claro. Cuando tu tienes la residencia permanente, puedes salir y regresar sin problema!
Hi,
Just want to ask. my Uncle have a permanent Visa issued last Feb 2013 and will expired on Feb 6, 2014. He already landed on Mar 2013 there. Last January they went here in the Phil for emergency purpose. But they had accident here before they go back in canada. Can he go back to Canada even if his visa is already expired but he already had a PR Card.?
Thank You
Yes, as long as he landed. Now he has to be physically present in Canada for 2 years for every 5 years period to maintain his PR status.
Hi
my mum just received her confirmation of pr while she is already in Canada. in order to go through the US border and turn right around to acquire her pr status from Canada immigration, does she need to apply for a US visa to do so?
Depends on her citizenship. If she needs a visa for the US, yes. The PR doesn’t give her any rights in the US.
Hi,
When i will get my PR then i would like to pursue MBA in any Candadian University. Will i be eligible to get a study loan for this despite the fact that i will not be having any house or property etc ?
Thanks & Regards,
Yogesh Bhatia
Hello,
I guess it would depend on your credit score? This is a good question actually. You may need to contact a banking institution or the university to find out, I am not sure!
Hello,
My Mom is here on PR. She is 68 and she is going to stay with me for next 2 years straight to maintain her PR status.
But we are wondering what after 5 years? Does she need to stay again for 2 years..which she don’t wanted at all. She don’t need Canadian Citizenship but want her PR status maintained. Is that oakey if she stays here for 2 years and go back and never come back for at least next few years ..still she able to come back here as a PR suppose after 10 years.
Please answer…
Thank you.
Vrushali
No, she has to be physically present in Canada for two years for every five-year period to maintain her status as a PR.
Thank you very much Zhu for quick response.
You are very welcome!
Hello there
I have landed in Canada under PNP program and soon will be 4 years straight living here and never left the country
Last year l was maried to my wife and she is a US citizen and we desided to move to US and looks like l will be going there in the next few months .
My question is that l don’t want to loose my canadian papers and what would be the next step, can l aply for my canadian passport although I want be here at the time and I can come here just for the exam .
I was wondering if l can aply right away for my citizenship and that way I’m in the waiting list .
Thanks for your time
Hi,
It looks like you may meet the requirements to apply for citizenship. If so, do it now! You can leave Canada while your application is being processed but you will still need a Canadian address, and you will have to come to Canada for the citizenship test and ceremony. To keep your permanent resident status, you need to be physically present in Canada for 2 years for every five-year period, so you are all good for now, even if you go the US for a while.
Good luck!
Hi Zhu,
I got my COPR and some papers with instructions. None of these said I had to resend my passport to get a visa, and I have my flight to Canada in 3 days….
What can I do??
Thank you
Ok I saw that the law changed since december 1, 2011. Now its not needed the visa for my country.
Thanks!
Hi Zhu,
I’m from the Philippines and I receive my confirmation of permanent residence to Canada and entry visa under the leave in caregiver sponsored by my mother.
The problem is that i have a long time girlfriend and she wants to come with me, what is the best thing to do so that she can come with me to Canada?
Do we need to get married before I leave? or should i land as an immigrant first then wait for my PR card?
What is the fastest way so that we can leave together in Canada?
Hi Iseah,
If you are a permanent resident, you can sponsor a spouse/common-law partner/ conjugal partner after you land in Canada. However, if you simply have a work visa, you can’t. You have to be a PR holder or a Canadian citizen. My understand is that a live-in caregiver “status” is a visa and won’t let you sponsor another person.
I am a permanent resident but my relationship with my current girlfriend does not fall under the three categories (spouse/common-law partner/conjugal partner)…We are in a relationship for 6 years but we are not leaving under the same house…. If i marry her before i leave to make him a spouse should i inform the mmigration office before i leave or can i just simply announce my change of status after i land in canada?
You have to inform CIC before you land in Canada or you will be be able to ever sponsor her since she was not declared as a dependant/family member.
Hi!
I, along with my family received our COPR and our visa last February and it was a blessing reading your articles because it really helped us a lot preparing our papers and stuffs for Canada, see you soon in Tim Hortons eh?
Thank you so much for taking the time to say “hi”… I mean, “eh”! 🙂 Have you landed yet?
Welcome to Canada!
Hi Zhu,
I am a Canadian sponsoring my husband. We got a letter from immigration requesting an update on his family composition (which has not changed) his original passport, his current mailing address and the address where he intends to live once in Canada (we will live in my condo). In the letter it gives him until April 28, 2015 to travel to Canada. We submitted their request 10 days ago It did not ask for photos and I paid everything up front when I submitted the application over a year ago. It worked out to approximately $1400.00cdn. He just finished his second medical as his first one expired. In your experience, What are my expectations now? Does this mean we are near the end? What if they reject his application. I’m so nervous
Well, it does look like your are nearing the end! I’m a bit confused why they give him until 2015 to travel to Canada, never heard of such letter… Do you have more info on this? Are you, the sponsor, living in Canada right now?
Hi Zhu, thank you for your response. The exact phrasing is as follows “before a visa can be issued, we require the following: passport, mailing address, address of where you intend to live. Your visa will expire April, 28 2815. If the validity of your passport expires before this date then your visa will expire at this earlier date. Please note you must travel to Canada within the validity of your visa. No new medical examinations will be authorized to extend the visa” I am sponsoring him and I live in Canada and he in Mexico. I have been back and forth and my las trip I was with him for 1.5 months.
Well, then I believe it sounds like the process is over and that they are requesting his passport to stick a nice “permanent residency” visa in it!
Thank you. GREAT NEWS!!! He just picked up his passport and HE GOT IT!!! After 13mos it’s over!
Congrats! 🙂
Hello the immigration have already requested for our passports for visa stamping. Does it mean that we are already approved and the process is successful? how long will it take to get our passports back?
Without much context, I can’t really say.
Also, I hate to be rude but… a “thank you” is always appreciated, I’m not a program but a real human being.
Im really sorry, i mean no offense in any way.. Thanks for the reply! Just to add, we applied for permanent residency and my family of 3 is done with the medical exams and they asked for our passports i was just asking maybe you have an idea on how long does visa stamping take and is it an assurance that our application is successful? Im really sorry if i have too many questions or maybe asking the wrong questions.. Thank you!
No worries, it wasn’t personal 🙂 I get dozens of questions every day and few people bother to say hi or follow up. It gets to me after a while!
If the visa office asked for your passports, it does generally means it’s all done and that you will indeed be a permanent resident soon. From my own experience, having the visa stuck in the passport was very quick–a week, maybe? This is for sure the quickest part of the process!
Welcome to Canada. I think you made it!
I am researching all posibilities of a pernament move to Canada. I have lived at my curret home most of my life and a flood in April has caused a lot of damage. I have a lot of alergies and the heat making it worse. I would like to check on every thing that is needed to know before I do any thing toward moving, to be sure it is what will be best for me. My son is single and wants to come with me as he has been looking for work for over 5 years and was only able to get a job in fast food for 2 weeks, the job was ended on a conflict of intrest due to fellow employee.Can you tell me what I need to know and how to go about doing it? I Thank-you for your time and consideration on this matter and would deeply appreciate an help you find you may be to me. I think you provide a necessary source of information and look forward to hearing from you as soon as is convenient for you.I am at you lesiure, sincerly Joycie
You need to do research. http://www.cic.gc.ca has all the info you need.
hi, hoping u r fine, actually we are a family of three and we have recently landed in Canada about two months ago as permanent residents now my brother and sister over there in my home country want to come here can u tell me which will be the fastest way to arrive in Canada as I am thinking of student visa and please also guide me how to apply for a student visa and after arriving as a student how to get permanent residency and me and my spouse both are struggling for job but yet not got any. so if we don’t have any job but are permanent residents, still do we have any options of sponsoring our blood relatives or not? thanks for considering my problem.
Everything you need is on http://www.cic.gc.ca. They will have accurate info.