If your application is successful, you and your family members will receive permanent resident visas. You will become permanent residents of Canada when you move to Canada within the validity of your visa(s). Some conditions will apply:
Permanent residents may leave and re-enter Canada as often as they wish to settle their affairs or to travel. But, at the time they re-enter Canada, they must prove that they have been physically present for at least 730 days within five years, starting from the day they became permanent residents.
If you have been a permanent resident – For 5 years or more
Then you must have accumulated 730 days of physical presence in Canada within the 5 years preceding the date you re-enter
If you have been a permanent resident – For less than 5 years
Then you must either have accumulated 730 days or will be able to have the required physical presence within 5 years.
Note: Permanent residents outside Canada may also meet the residency obligations if certain conditions apply.
As permanent residents, you and your family members will have the right to:
As permanent residents, you will also have the same legal obligations as Canadians, such as paying taxes and respecting all federal, provincial, and municipal laws.
There are a few limitations on permanent residents:
If you or any of your family members commit a serious crime, you or your family members may be stripped of permanent resident status and deported from Canada.
All new permanent residents will be issued a card as part of the process. Cards will be mailed to your home address soon after you become a permanent resident. For more information on the Permanent Resident Card, visit our website.
In cases of spouses, common-law partners, conjugal partners and/or dependent children, CIC is committed to issuing visas as quickly as possible.
You must send all documents, forms and fees we need to make a decision about your request.
You can obtain current processing times on our website at:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/times/index.asp
Note: If your case is not routine, we may not be able to process your application within the regular service standards.
During the application process, you must advise us of any change of address or telephone number. You can do this by going to Change of address or by consulting the How to contact CIC section at the end of this guide.
Note: If your personal situation changes (for example change of marital status, birth of a child, or you wish to withdraw your sponsorship, etc.) after you have submitted your application, you must contact us.
The Canadian visa office responsible for your country
You can check the status of your application on-line by doing the following:
Note: Your application status will only appear on-line once the application is received and the initial review by CIC is completed.
To obtain details on how to remove your application status information from the Internet, visit the Help Centre section.
Your personal information is:
Our quality assurance program randomly selects applications for a special review. If selected you will be asked to attend an interview with a Citizenship and Immigration official so that we can:
Note: You will be notified in writing should your application be selected.
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