Canadian PR hoping to study abroad

[philosophystudent]

I've been a Canadian PR since 98. I'm hoping to do a phd in the States, but that will require me to be out of the country 5 years at least. Can someone please tell me if I can retain my PR status even though I'll be gone so long. If so, how do I do it?

 

[scylla]

You still need to meet the residency obligation (living in Canada 2 out of every 5 years) to retain your PR status. Being a student outside of the country doesn't change this fact.

Do you qualify to apply for citizenship? If you do, you should apply now.

Any chance you have a spouse who is a Canadian citizen? If you do and your spouse is going to accompany you outside of Canada, then every day you spend outside of Canada with your Canadian citizenship spouse will count towards your residency obligation.

 

[philosophystudent]

Thanks a lot. My partner is Canadian, and chances are good we'll be married in the next couple of years. So that bit is good to know. I am eligible for Canadian Citizenship, but I've avoided it, because my other citizenship is German. Germany doesn't really allow dual citizenship.

 

[Msafiri]

Thanks a lot. My partner is Canadian, and chances are good we'll be married in the next couple of years. So that bit is good to know. I am eligible for Canadian Citizenship, but I've avoided it, because my other citizenship is German. Germany doesn't really allow dual citizenship.

You can ask for an exemption from the German authorities as per poster below:

http://www.canadavisa.com/canada-immigration-discussion-board/-t128042.0.html

You gotta take a chance...Citizenship trumps PR status all day every day!!