If you’re outside Canada and want to apply for permanent residence in Canada, there are easy ways to get it
done and the hints will be discussed below.
Who is a Permanent Resident of Canada?
An immigrant to Canada who has been granted permanent resident status but is not a Canadian citizen is known
as a permanent resident. A visitor to Canada, such as a student or an employee from abroad, is not considered a permanent resident.
Who May Apply for Permanent Residence in Canada from Outside Canada?
Anyone may apply for permanent residence in Canada from outside Canada, but only those who meet the requirements will be considered.
How to Apply for Permanent Residence in Canada from outside Canada
Depending on your chosen path, there are various criteria and stages, so it’s vital to understand more and consider
consulting with an immigration specialist. A PR Card will be sent to you after your application for permanent
residence in Canada has been approved or extended.
You will have a physical examination to determine your eligibility for permanent residence by your:
- Canadian work experience
- Age
- Education Level
- Official Language Proficiency
- Second Official Language
Five main immigration routes lead to permanent residency in Canada.
This route includes:
Explicit Entry
Through particular economic immigration programs, the Express Entry system administers applications for
permanent residence in Canada from outside Canada for immigrants who can fill occupations when there is a shortage of qualified Canadian employees.
Enterprise Immigration
Foreigners who visit Canada intending to do business will find many options. Business immigrants to Canada who have previous ownership, management, or investment expertise are welcome.
Families as sponsors
Families in Canada may reconcile via family sponsorship. Through various sponsorship options, Canadian citizens
and permanent residents may sponsor their family members’ immigration to Canada.
Class for Canadian Experience
An immigration program called the Canadian Experience Class (CEC) enables temporary foreign employees and
students currently residing in Canada to use their education and employment history to support their petitions for
permanent residence in Canada.
Program for provincial nominees
The Provincial Nominee Programs are intended for those with the training, credentials, and work experience
needed to meet Canada’s labor shortages. Every province and territory has streams geared toward employment,
business, and students.
How your temporary status can be changed to permanent residency?
You have the choice to change your status to permanent residence if you are visiting Canada temporarily to live, work, or study.
Work Permit – It’s pretty popular to apply for permanent residence in Canada from outside Canada with a work permit, which may be done by:
- Program for Federally Skilled Workers (FSWP)
- Program for Provincial Nominees (PNP)
- Class for Canadian Experience (CEC)
Study Permit: You have choices similar to those available to people with work permits if you are an international student in Canada seeking permanent residence. The Post Graduate Work Visa (PGWP) program application and subsequent permanent residence application are the two most significant ways to get permanent residency with a study permit in Canada effectively.
Visiting Visa: It’s pretty uncommon to successfully get a tourist or visitor visa to change your temporary status to permanent residence, but it does happen sometimes. Typically, the only option to accomplish this is to be eligible for refugee status or to have a spouse who is a citizen of Canada.
Visa processing time for Canada
The processing time for Canadian visas is when it takes Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) to
complete your application once they receive it. This is also referred to as the IRCC or CIC processing timeframes.
A practical new approach to speeding up the processing of Canadian immigration will be implemented in 2022.
On January 31, 2022, Sean Fraser, Canada’s Minister of Immigration, made the promise at a press conference.
Several of Canada’s most well-liked immigration programs will see processing times slashed thanks to a raft of
new initiatives announced by Minister Fraser.
Factors that May Prolong the Processing Time for Canadian Visas
The CIC (Canadian Immigration Center) states several factors might affect how long it takes to process your Canadian visa. These consist of the following:
- Visa application type
- The nation of the applicants’ residence
- Accuracy and completeness of the application
- The ease with which the applicant’s data may be verified
- The speed at which the IRCC can handle applications already in the system.
- How quickly an applicant responds to further questions or issues
Process time for Express Entry
60 days
The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW), Federal Skilled Trades (FST), Canadian Experience Class (CEC), and various
Provincial Nominee Programs are among the streams that make up the Express Entry Program (PNP).
The majority of Express Entry applications are handled six months after being accepted. The applicant must
provide all required papers and upload them to their unique Express Entry profile before the six-month processing period starts.
Time for Processing PR Cards
13-27 days
While renewing or replacing a PR card will take around 27 days, applying for a new one may only take 13 days.
Processing Time for PR Card Renewal
3- to 4 months
Processing a PR renewal request might take weeks or even months. Consider renewing it before it expires if you
plan to travel outside Canada.
Processing Time for Canadian Work Permits
1-27 weeks
The processing period for Canadian work permits has the widest variance. The time it takes to process a work
permit entirely relies on how well your application was filled out and whose office you submitted it to. According
to our research, a Canadian Work Permit may be processed between 1 to 27 weeks.
Processing Time for LMIA
8-29 days
In 2022, Canada will receive many LMIA applications, which might lead to lengthy processing periods and potential
delays, particularly in the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. The processing time for your application might
range from 8 to 29 business days, depending on whatever LMIA you apply for.
Processing Time for Study Permits
1-16 weeks
Similar to work permits, the processing time for Canadian study permits mostly depends on the applicant’s place
of residency. A Canadian study permit typically takes 1 to 16 weeks to complete.
Processing Time for Citizenship in Canada
1 year
An average Canadian Citizenship award takes one year and twelve months to complete. This implies that it should
take around a year from the day your completed application is submitted for it to be completely processed.
Processing Time for Canadian Visitor Visas
12 days
Similar to work visas and study permits, the nation from which the application is made might affect how quickly a
guest visa is processed. A Canada visitor visa may take a few days to a few weeks to complete. The processing
period for applications submitted from inside Canada is merely 12 days.
Processing Time for Canadian Spousal Sponsorship
12 to 36 months.
The processing period for a spousal sponsorship is usually around a year. However, it may be shorter or as long as
36 months, depending on certain situations and geographical areas.
Processing Time for Super Visa
3-8 weeks
Most super visa applications are approved in a few weeks or less; however, it might take up to 8 weeks. Depending
on the visa office and the nation you are applying from, processing periods vary.
Permit to Work After Graduation (PGWP)
2 to 3 months
After your education, you may anticipate a 2- to 6-month delay before applying for a Canadian post-graduate
work visa. You might work while you wait if you applied for your PGWP before your student permit expires.
How to renounce your permanent residence in Canada
There are various ways for someone to lose their PR status in Canada, including:
- Following an investigation or PRTD appeal, an adjudicator concludes that you are no longer a permanent resident.
- You willingly give up your status as a permanent resident.
- A removal order is issued and becomes effective against you.
- You get Canadian citizenship.
In conclusion, many of the same privileges available to Canadian citizens are also available to permanent residents. As for citizens, they must retain their status by fulfilling obligations like the need for residence.
How to Renew a Permanent Card
The Permanent Resident card (also known as a PR Card) is issued by Citizenship and Immigration Canada to be
used as a valid identity document for persons traveling abroad and returning to Canada by car, bus, airline, or any
other means of transportation. Therefore, it is essential to have a valid PR card to be allowed to enter Canada.
Your PR card needs to be valid when you show it. If your card expires, you will have to apply to renew. Luckily if
your PR card is damaged or stolen, it’s the same process to replace your PR Card. If your PR Card is expired, you
are still considered a permanent resident, but renewing as soon as possible is vital!
To keep your permanent resident status, you must have been in Canada for at least 730 days during the last five
years, which doesn’t need to be continuous.
Who Can Apply for a permanent resident card
New residents don’t need to apply for a permanent resident card (PR card).
To be eligible for a PR card, you must be a permanent resident and submit your application in Canada. You should only apply for a PR card if:
- Your card has expired or will expire in less than 9 months.
- Your card is lost, stolen, or destroyed.
- You didn’t receive your card within 180 days of immigrating to Canada.
- You need to update your card to legally change your name, change your citizenship, change your gender designation, and correct your date of birth.