Hey guys,
New to this thread. It answered almost all the questions I had in mind, but one.
So, I understand the day we receive visa stamped on our passport, from that day till the expiry date of our medicals, we have to make a landing in Canada. (Please, correct me if I am wrong)
The date your medical expires or the expiry date of your current passport, whichever comes first. Your COPR will mention the date before which you have to land.
My question is, how long are we supposed to really STAY in Canada to fulfill the citizenship requirement/ or be able to get Canadian Passport?
There are 2 things you have to consider -
1) Residency obligation to maintain PR status
2) Residency obligations to be eligible to apply for citizenship
Both requirements are different.
#1) To maintain your PR status, you should be present in Canada for at least 2 years in any 5 year period. This 5 year period begins the day you land and become a PR in Canada.
#2) To be eligible for citizenship, you have to meet the following criteria -
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp
Per the current law, you need to have maintained a PR status for at least 4 years out of the past 6 years. Other requirements are in the link above.
Only after you become a citizen, you can apply for a Canadian passport.
Say, I entered, stayed for a month, and came back to the US, can I stay out of Canada for 3 consecutive years before being permanently moved to Canada?
Theoretically, you can land in Canada today and never look back for the next 3 years but once you come to Canada after 3 years, you CANNOT leave the country for ANY reason (few exceptions apply) for the next 2 years. If you do, you risk losing your PR status.
And I read somewhere, there is a specified amount of time in years that you have to be physically present in Canada before you qualify for Passport/ Citizenship.
Thanking in anticipation.