Canadian government are doing many good reforms about immigration & it is really appreciable. I feel that government should become a little liberal with the Canadian residents who are not able to meet the PR obligation of staying in Canada and now want to come back. It will be good for Canada also as they have already fulfilled the required immigration conditions & understand Canada also , except PR obligation due to one or other reason. Canadian government can charge health insurance for first one or two years from such cases as extra burden on Tax payer Canadian should not come from such cases. I think Canadian MPs should put this issue in parliament to given chance to such PRs.
Dear Mr. Hawk39,
I appreciate your views. Yet, as Manpreet says, there could be so many unique circumstances preventing some people from fulfilling the RO. My 2 cents here in are:
In case a person demonstrates his sense of belonging and seriousness to Canada through means like the immediate family of spuse and children staying and having fulfilled the PR obligatiosn and have either renewed the PR or having applied for citizenship, family ownership of property, not claiming any social benefits so far, etc. Perhaps, on such parameters, the honourable Govt. may consider deserving cases and allow the renewal of the PR Card w/o the fulfillment of RO. Of course, I do appreciate and endorse that they will and need to take all requisite precautions and exercise the right discretion warranted. Let's see how the authorities may view such cases, especially more so, given the exceptional circumstances caused by Covid 19 !
As
@hawk39 observes, the PR Residency Obligation is liberal, considered by many to be rather generous. There is little hint that Canada is going to amend or change the RO anytime soon.
Thus, new immigrants who remain abroad for a total of more than 1096 days prior to the fifth year anniversary of the date they landed will, as a matter of law, be in breach of the Residency Obligation. PRs who, after the fifth year anniversary of the date of landing, fail to be IN Canada for at least 730 days within five years as of any day a CBSA or IRCC official examines the PR's RO compliance, likewise as a matter of law are in breach of the RO.
There is a relief valve. The consideration of H&C factors.
Obviously the impact of Covid-19 will be a factor for MANY PRs who fail to comply with the RO this year or even into next year. How this will affect individual PRs will depend on the individual PR's own, personal situation, including the particular PR's immigration history, the extent of the failure to meet the RO, other reasons for not coming to Canada sooner, and otherwise the extent to which the PR can show he or she DESERVES to keep PR status despite failing to comply with the RO.
It is possible that IRCC will implement policies and practices which more formally structure how the Covid-19 situation will influence the H&C analysis. It is possible that Parliament could undertake making amendments to the IRPA provisions governing PR residency obligations.
Likelihood of the latter is NOT much, not much at all. Again, there is no hint that the RO itself will be amended. Moreover, it would be extremely unusual for the Canadian government to change its statutes in response to a temporary situation. Particularly where there is, again, already a means of relief available.
There is, perhaps, a significant possibility of the former. A more or less formal policy adopted. But so far it appears more likely that H&C policies and practices will largely remain the same. Which means that any and all explanations for failing to come to Canada sooner MUST be considered, so the effect of Covid-19 will be considered. No special relief but, rather, the standard H&C relief with due consideration for each individual PR, including consideration for the impact of Covid-19.
Personal PR Decision-making:
For PRs currently abroad, the safe approach will be to return to Canada sooner rather than later, soon enough to avoid a breach of the RO. Alternatively,
at the least getting to Canada as soon as possible with as small a breach as possible.
Those who breach the RO will have, at the least, a fair opportunity to present a case as to why they deserve to keep PR status. Including an explanation as to how Covid-19 affected their personal return to Canada.
I cannot forecast how it will go for those who failed to actually settle permanently in Canada prior to measures in response to Covid-19. Any claim to know how it will go is suspect.
That said, some factors loom larger and obviously more influential than others.
In general, the biggest factors will continue to be big factors. The bigger the breach, for example, the greater the risk of a decision terminating PR status. The sooner the PR comes to Canada, the lower the risk.
The more and stronger the PR's ties are to Canada, in Canada, the better the odds of keeping PR status. Especially if the PR makes the effort to return as soon as practical relative to travel restrictions being eased.
My guess is that PRs who were already in breach of the RO before Covid-19, before mid-March this year say, will face more difficulty persuading Canadian officials they deserve to keep PR status. But again, by how much they are in breach will be a big factor.
Carte Blanche relief, however, is almost certainly NOT GOING to HAPPEN.