Permanent Residency

[zaina929]

Please advice me regarding a query related to my PR status. I got my Canadian immigration and landed in Canada on 28 February 2008. I stayed initially for two weeks and left Canada on March 13, 2008. My family includes myself, husband and two small daughters? If my family plans to eneter canada again in July 2009 and stay there for three years, will we be able to get Canadian passport. I have been told that I have to live for three years in first four years to get passport. Please also advice that whether we will face issues while entering canada as the immigration authorities might question and ask reason for not staying in canada for the period March 2008 till July 2009.
 
Regards

[Leon]

Unless you have some very special circumstances, you can't get a Canadian passport unless you get citizenship.  To apply for citizenship, you need to have been living in Canada as a PR for at least 3 years (3 out of 4?) and then it takes some time to process your citizenship application.  I just waited 2 years and 4 months from the point of application to take the test and I am not a citizen yet until the ceremony which will hopefully be within 3 months.  Then I can apply for the passport.  I have no idea if this long time is normal or abnormal but that is how long I have waited.

As a PR, you are allowed to be gone for up to 3 years in every 5 year period without losing your PR status.  If immigration asks you why you were gone for a year, tell them.  For work, school, family reasons, whatever the real reason was.  They can not take your PR card away for being gone only for a year.