Question on maintaining my PR

[flopdix]

Hello All,

I need help in know the various options i would have to maintain my PR.

My scenario:
I and my wife got PR last year. We currently live in USA and due to some personal reasons we are unable to move to canada immediately. I am aware that we have to maintain the stay of atleast 2 of 5 years in order that we can successfully renew our PR after 5 years.

Can someone share the different options that i can avail while we are living in USA so as to contribute towards canada that will help us prove our interest to settle there in future?

Please suggest on all the available options that we can have.

 

[Leon]

You do not need to do anything in the US to show your interest to settle in Canada in the future. All you have to do is spend at least 730 days in Canada in the first 5 years after you landed as a PR.

There are a couple of exceptions to that such as working for a Canadian employer who has transferred you to another country or accompanying your spouse who is in the before mentioned situation or accompanying a spouse who is a Canadian citizen.

If you fail to meet the residency requirements by a few days, you still have a chance to keep your PR if you manage to get to Canada without anybody asking about that. If that were to happen, you must stay in Canada until you have at least 730 days in the previous 5 years and then apply for your PR card renewal. This could mean that your PR card would expire while you wait to make up the required number of days but if you are settled in Canada with health care, drivers license etc. and you don't travel, if will not matter if your PR card is expired.

 

[flopdix]

Thanks leon for the information. This helps.

Can you please give me some links that i can get help from on the health care & drivers license application? I also wanted to file for tax this year, can you pls suggest me some known tax consultants that i can approach.

Also, if i begin some investments towards common wealth, will that help? If yes, can you also please forward me some link that would give me some information on that.

Also what are some good sites that i can use for basic things to know or enquire?

Sorry for too many questions If you feel like replying, can you please do it, it will really help me.

 

[Leon]

There is no reason to file taxes in Canada when you haven't even moved yet and do not have any Canadian income. Once you move and start making some money, you can use ufile.ca or quicktax or you can go to HR Block or a number of other accountants to get your taxes done.

Health care and drivers license depend on which province you are moving to. Health care is based on you living in the province where you are applying for it so you can not apply while you are still in the US.

To get a drivers license, in some provinces you also have to prove that you are living in that province before you can get a license. As far as I know, all provinces will exchange a US drivers license for a Canadian one but they will actually take your US license away because they don't want you to have two. If your US license is recently renewed and does not show the first issue date, you may want to get a letter from the DMV stating when they issued your first license. You may need that to prove how long you have been driving since many provinces now have a graduated drivers license program where you will not get a full license unless you have been driving for 2 years or longer.

Why would you want to begin investments towards common wealth and what is that anyway? I do not understand the question. What is that supposed to help you with?

Like I said before, all you have to do to keep your PR is stay in Canada for 730 days or more in your first 5 years as a PR. Applying for a drivers license or health care before you move (even if you could), filing taxes when you don't have to or investing in I don't know what will not make any difference at all.