Difference Between Canadian Permanent residence and Citizenship

Permanent residence (PR) is the process of becoming a resident of Canada. Many people come to Canada initially with temporary status either as a student or worker and then apply for permanent residence later. Some applicants apply for their PR status directly from abroad. The essential aspect of becoming a PR is that you need to make an application and you need to demonstrate that you meet the criteria of a particular program. Many people obtain their PR status being sponsored by a relative – a spouse, parent, or an adult child. This is done through the Family Class or the Inland Spousal categories and it requires the sponsor to demonstrate the appropriate family relationship and then the applicant meeting all of the requirements of that category.

The economic immigration program is for individual applicants and their accompanying family members but it requires the principal applicant to meet the criteria of a specific program such as the Skilled Worker, Canadian Experience Class, Federal Skilled Trades Program, Express Entry, and Self Employed categories or a Provincial Nominee Program. Once an application is processed to completion, the federal government issues you and your family members with a Confirmation of Permanent Resident ( COPR) document which you will present either at the border or at an immigration office in Canada to actually become a PR. A copy of this processed document will be given to you at the time you become a PR and then a few months later you will be sent a Permanent Resident card – also known as a Maple Leaf card. It is important that you keep copies of your PR card and your COPR document and that you save the originals in a safe place as you will need them either to become a Canadian citizen or to renew your PR card.

After becoming a permanent resident, you are able to live here and work and/or study on a full time basis. On becoming a Canadian Permanent Resident, a person gets the following rights:

• The right to use the healthcare coverage and get the same social benefits as any Canadian citizen
• The right to work live and study at any place in Canada
• The right to protected under the provisions of Canadian law as well as the Canadian Charter of Freedoms and Rights
• The right to submit an application to get citizenship in Canada.

After living in Canada for several years, you are able to apply for Canadian citizenship. Citizenship entitles you to vote in Canadian elections and also to obtain a Canadian passport. It is possible to lose your permanent resident status if you are convicted of a serious criminal offence or if you fail to meet the residency requirement. Citizenship entitles you to permanent status in Canada and can only be taken away from you if you obtained your citizenship based upon fraudulent information.

Canadian PRs have a share in several social responsibilities enshrined in the Canadian citizenship. They need to pay taxes and follow all the Canadian laws. There are only two things which permanent residents cannot do but the Canadian citizens can do. They are voting and running for public office. There are a few restrictions put on permanent residents to hold some government positions. For doing them they need governmental security clearance.

Canadian Passport is not given to PR Holders. When they wish to travel out of the country, they can use a valid PR card, or use a PR Travel Document and the passport issued from the country of their original citizenship.PR cards have a period of validity and need to be renewed at regular intervals. The permanent resident status is not automatically lost when the PR card terminates. In order to maintain the status of a permanent resident, the person needs to meet a few requirements of residency.

As a PR holder, you can live out of Canada. One is required to live in Canada for a period of at least two years during the past five-year period. If that is not the case for a long time the status is lost. One can count the time spent abroad if he/she is assigned a position out of Canada by a business belonging to Canada.After failing to meet residency requirements, a person does not lose the PR status automatically.  For this one has to go through a formal process.

Canadian Citizenship

In order to become a citizen, a person must become a permanent resident first. PRs can submit an application for obtaining citizenship after meeting a few requirements of residency. Being the naturalized citizen, they can submit an application for obtaining a Canadian passport and also take part in politics of Canada freely. There is no difference between a naturalized citizen and a citizen who is born in Canada.

Another significant difference between permanent residence and citizenship is that permanent residence is required to be maintained. A  Canadian citizen is not needed to do anything in order to maintain the status of citizenship. A person loses Canadian citizenship if he/she decides to renounce it.

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If you are applying for the Canada visa for the first time, seek advice and assistance from a trusted and accredited Consultant. Please contact us at  infouk@permitsandvisas.com or call us +971 4 553 8913  and we will be glad to guide you in all immigration-related matters.

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