Permanent Resident (Canada)

Permanent Resident (Canada)

A Permanent Resident in Canada is a person who is not a Canadian citizen but who has been granted permission to live and work in Canada without any time limit on his or her stay. A permanent resident must live in Canada for two years out of every five or risk losing that status.

A Permanent Resident holds many of the same rights and responsibilities as a Canadian citizen, among others the right to work for any enterprise as well as for the federal or provincial government (under restriction of access rights to certain regulated professions). The main differences are that residents cannot:

• vote in elections in Canada;
• run for elected office;
• hold Canadian passports;

In addition, they may be allowed to join Canada's armed forces if the national interest would not be prejudiced.

Permanent residents also risk deportation for serious crimes committed while resident in Canada. Permanent residents may apply for Canadian citizenship after three years in Canada; however this is not mandatory.