Living outside of Canada since '08 and need to renew PR card!

[NewYorkYankee89]

I am a US Citizen but lived in Vancouver from 2004 to 2008. In March 2007 I received my Permanent residency card and obtained a SIN number.I left Canada the following year (October 2008) with my girlfriend and moved to the US. In 2010 We got married in the US and have been living together ever since arriving in New jersey. Due to adjusting to life over here again, I lost track of my PR card status and it expired in 2012. We are now considering moving to Toronto but we have been wondering about my PR card status. I am aware that if you do not reside within Canada for two out of five years that you will lose your residency status.I had read that if you are living with your Canadian spouse outside of the country, it can count as time towards meeting your obligations. I had spent one year physically in Canada and was married to my wife who is a Canadian citizen for 2 years before my card expired.

1: Will I be able to just renew the Card or will I need to restart the whole process?
2: When renewing the card from within Canada, Do I need to remain in Canada or can i return to the US while the process is being done.
3: We are returning Soon to visit and hope to relocate to Toronto within 6 months, Is this realistic?
4: I still have a SIN card, will I be able to obtain a job without a PR card?
5: How Long can a US citizen stay in Canada without PR status or a VISA.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ANY INFO AND ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE

 

[dpenabill]

I am a US Citizen but lived in Vancouver from 2004 to 2008. In March 2007 I received my Permanent residency card and obtained a SIN number.I left Canada the following year (October 2008) with my girlfriend and moved to the US. In 2010 We got married in the US and have been living together ever since arriving in New jersey. Due to adjusting to life over here again, I lost track of my PR card status and it expired in 2012. We are now considering moving to Toronto but we have been wondering about my PR card status. I am aware that if you do not reside within Canada for two out of five years that you will lose your residency status.I had read that if you are living with your Canadian spouse outside of the country, it can count as time towards meeting your obligations. I had spent one year physically in Canada and was married to my wife who is a Canadian citizen for 2 years before my card expired.

1: Will I be able to just renew the Card or will I need to restart the whole process?
2: When renewing the card from within Canada, Do I need to remain in Canada or can i return to the US while the process is being done.
3: We are returning Soon to visit and hope to relocate to Toronto within 6 months, Is this realistic?
4: I still have a SIN card, will I be able to obtain a job without a PR card?
5: How Long can a US citizen stay in Canada without PR status or a VISA.

THANKS EVERYONE FOR ANY INFO AND ASSISTANCE YOU CAN PROVIDE

You are still a Permanent Resident (PR).

PR status is not dependent on having a valid PR card.

If I understand correctly, your current wife, who you are living with and have been living with since marrying in 2010, is a Canadian citizen. If so, yes, time living together, with your Canadian citizen spouse, counts toward compliance with the PR Residency Obligation.

For purposes of what time period matters, it would be based on the date you seek entry into Canada, if you are subjected to a residency examination at that time, going back five years from that date. But, again, if you have been living with your Canadian citizen spouse, and are still living together, and especially if you are accompanying one another when traveling to Canada, there should be no problems, no issues, your are in compliance with the PR Residency Obligation and your status is preserved.

Thus, you can still just move back to Canada. And, yes, as a PR you can work . . . although practically you need the SIN card . . . which you have, so you are all set on the employment front (except Canada is struggling a bit economically right now compared to the U.S., and jobs might not be easy to obtain).

You don't have to worry about how long a U.S. citizen can stay in Canada without PR status.

Because you are in compliance with the PR Residency Obligation, you can apply for a new card immediately upon establishing a place of residence in Canada. Be sure to include proof of marriage, spouse's citizenship, and documentation to show actual cohabitation (living together).

 

[Leon]

Add to that, if you haven't been in Canada in years, your SIN may have been set to dormant status. An easy fix for that is to go to Service Canada with your documents and get it reactivated.

You can apply for jobs but employers these days will sometimes ask to see your valid PR card as proof of your status, same when applying for a drivers license but you will have to deal with those things as they happen.