Hello everyone,
I would appreciate your advice regarding my Canadian PR status and whether I have any options based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) grounds.
Here is my timeline:
- I became a Canadian Permanent Resident in 2021.
- I landed in Canada in 2021, stayed for about 2 months, received my PR card, and then returned to India.
- The reason I returned was because my mother was seriously ill. She had suffered a brain stroke in 2016, developed Parkinson's disease, and became completely bedridden. I was her primary caregiver.
- During this period, I was not working because I was taking care of my mother full-time.
- Around the same time, my wife received a job opportunity in Germany and moved there. She became the only earning member of our family, while I remained in India to care for my mother. Occasionally, I visited Germany to maintain my dependent residence status, but I spent most of my time in India with my mother.
- In 2023, I returned to Canada and stayed for approximately 6 months in Toronto. During that time, I worked for about 3 months on a contract position.
- I left Canada again at the end of December 2023 to return to India because my mother still required my care.
- In mid-2024, I travelled to Germany to stay with my wife for some time.
- Sadly, my mother passed away in 2025.
- After her passing, I planned to return to Canada permanently. However, we then found out that my wife was pregnant, so I postponed my plans once again to support her during the pregnancy.
My PR card is now due to expire in
October 2026, and I understand that I have not met the 730-day residency obligation.
I have extensive evidence to support my circumstances, including:
- Medical records
- Hospital documents
- Parkinson's diagnosis
- Stroke-related records
- Other documents showing that I was my mother's primary caregiver
My questions are:
- Do I have any realistic chance of keeping my PR status based on humanitarian and compassionate (H&C) considerations?
- Can I proactively write to IRCC explaining my circumstances before my PR card expires?
- Does IRCC ever grant relief or allow PR renewal in situations like mine?
- Would it be better to travel to Canada before my PR card expires and apply for renewal from within Canada, or is there another strategy that would give me the best chance of keeping my PR?
- Has anyone here successfully renewed PR after failing to meet the residency obligation due to caring for a seriously ill parent?
Becoming a Canadian permanent resident was a goal that took years of hard work. I never intended to abandon Canada permanently. My absences were entirely due to exceptional family circumstances, first because I was the sole caregiver for my bedridden mother, and later because of my family's situation in Germany.
I would sincerely appreciate any advice or experiences from members who have dealt with similar situations.
Thank you.