How long can you stay outside Canada with a pr card?

Answer 1

When you are a permanent resident of Canada, you can live outside of the country for two out of five years. Any longer than that, and the country has the right to strip you of your citizenship.

Answer 2

Since 2002 law, to keep PR status the person should accumulate 730 days of physically presence in Canada - with few exceptions - in all rolling 5 years periods following the person become PR (the day person become PR and each day after that started a new 5 years period).

The exceptions are that days the person outside Canada - because of working with a Canadian company / institution or accompanying a spouse (or parent, if the person is a minor) which is Canadian citizen or accompanying a spouse (or parent, if the person is a minor) which is PR who outside Canada because of working with a Canadian company / institution - are counted as if the person inside Canada for PR residency obligation purposes (for other purpose it may not be counted as such).

In general this is how you do the calculation:

1. Track all days where the person fulfill all six conditions:

* outside Canada, and

* not under 22 with Canadian citizen parent, and

* not with the person's Canadian citizen spouse, and

* being outside Canada not because of working with Canadian company / institution, and

* not under 22 with parent who is outside Canada not because of working with Canadian company / institution, and

* not with the person's spouse who is outside Canada not because of working with Canadian company / institution.

2. If in any stretch of 5 years (starting the days became PR and any days after that) the total of number of days in that period fulfilling all 6 condition in no. 1 exceeds 3 years, then the person's PR status will be invalid, otherwise, the person PR status should be fine in the matter of the residency obligation.