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Renewing PR Card as Common Law - Lots of Travel

JJN

Star Member
Jan 6, 2020
87
3
Hi guys,

Myself and my partner will be applying to renew our PR cards soon as they expire in around 6 months and I now see that we can renew them up to 9 months in advance. We have a trip to our home country planned for April next year for weddings so hope to get our new cards before that.

We will have around 880-900 days (depending on when we apply) out of the 730 required when applying to renew, but we did spend almost 2.5 years outside of Canada together travelling the world while I worked online for a Canadian company. We're now back in Canada and we are both working for Canadian companies: I'm still working for the same one as before and my partner is also working in the same company as me.

My questions are as follows:
  1. Is there a way to re-apply for PR together as a common-law couple?
  2. Do you think that this much travel will impact our PR renewal application? Should we wait a little longer before applying?
  3. Will this much travel impact my partner's application for renewal more than me because he was not working at the time for a Canadian company?
  4. How should I fill in all of the travel details on the PR application form? We were literally in 100s of locations, hostels, hotels, Air Bnbs, on and off the books, campsites, etc. over 2.5 years.
  5. For addresses in Canada, we are off the books right now renting from a friend. When we returned to Canada the last few times we rented Air Bnbs. For the next few months we will be in lots of different Air Bnbs as we move from west to east. How will we fill all of this information into the application form?
  6. Will they look for proof of address - Air Bnb, hotel, etc. data?
  7. Is there anything else we need to know?
Thanks a lot.
 

Bs65

VIP Member
Mar 22, 2016
13,190
2,419
So your 2.5 years travelling was in addition to your days you are claiming for residency ? The travel was classified as business trips or a temporary foreign assignment by the Canadian company or given you were working online your choice to be outside of Canada ?

PR card applications and the residency obligation are an individual responsibility.
 

JJN

Star Member
Jan 6, 2020
87
3
So your 2.5 years travelling was in addition to your days you are claiming for residency ? The travel was classified as business trips or a temporary foreign assignment by the Canadian company or given you were working online your choice to be outside of Canada ?

PR card applications and the residency obligation are an individual responsibility.
We left for pleasure. We were not travelling for work - I just worked remotely while travelling.
 

PMM

VIP Member
Jun 30, 2005
25,494
1,946
HI

Any feedback from anyone else?
1, The only question is on the date that you apply for renewal, will you have 730 days of residence in Canada in the previous years. Note your years of travel and working remotely won't count as working abroad for a Canadian company.
2. No, you apply as individuals.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,252
3,018
Hi guys,

Myself and my partner will be applying to renew our PR cards soon as they expire in around 6 months and I now see that we can renew them up to 9 months in advance. We have a trip to our home country planned for April next year for weddings so hope to get our new cards before that.

We will have around 880-900 days (depending on when we apply) out of the 730 required when applying to renew, but we did spend almost 2.5 years outside of Canada together travelling the world while I worked online for a Canadian company. We're now back in Canada and we are both working for Canadian companies: I'm still working for the same one as before and my partner is also working in the same company as me.

My questions are as follows:
  1. Is there a way to re-apply for PR together as a common-law couple?
  2. Do you think that this much travel will impact our PR renewal application? Should we wait a little longer before applying?
  3. Will this much travel impact my partner's application for renewal more than me because he was not working at the time for a Canadian company?
  4. How should I fill in all of the travel details on the PR application form? We were literally in 100s of locations, hostels, hotels, Air Bnbs, on and off the books, campsites, etc. over 2.5 years.
  5. For addresses in Canada, we are off the books right now renting from a friend. When we returned to Canada the last few times we rented Air Bnbs. For the next few months we will be in lots of different Air Bnbs as we move from west to east. How will we fill all of this information into the application form?
  6. Will they look for proof of address - Air Bnb, hotel, etc. data?
  7. Is there anything else we need to know?
Thanks a lot.
As already noted, each Permanent Resident must individually comply with the Residency Obligation and individually apply for a new PR card.

The key factor is how many days present in Canada the PR has been within the five years preceding the date the application is made (dated). As long as the PR has been physically present for at least 730 days within the five years preceding the date the application is made, the PR is in compliance with the PR Residency Obligation. That will suffice and should result in the issuance of a new PR card.

The other factors are relevant to whether or not IRCC processes the application --
-- promptly, based on the information submitted by the PR, or​
-- the application is subject to non-routine processing, which can mean --​
-- -- the application is referred to a local office to conduct an investigation as to the PR's presence and compliance with the RO, or​
-- -- the application is referred to Secondary Review​

The difference between these mostly has an impact on how long it takes to be issued and delivered a new PR card, as long as the PR met the RO as of the day the application was made and continues to be in compliance (some PRs make a PR card application and leave Canada while it is pending, and some of these can end up in breach as days in Canada from five years ago fall out of the calculation).

In some cases, where there is non-routine processing, the PR is sent a formal request for RQ-related information and documents. RQ refers to "Residency Questionnaire" even though the obligation and calculation is based on days present in Canada.

Very difficult to predict which PRs might get a referral to either the local office or to Secondary Review, and thus run into some delay getting their PR card, but there are many indications that PRs who have been outside Canada more than in Canada are at higher risk. However, how it goes does not depend so much on this or that particular factor, but rather is more about the overall situation and history of the PR. The longer and more settled in Canada the PR is currently appears to lower the risk of a non-routine referral, lowering the risk of a delay in getting the new PR card.

Reminder: a PR does NOT need to have a valid PR card in possession.