Eligibility for Citizenship/PR status

[Robert098]

Hello

Need some urgent help. I have recent landed immigrant to Canada. I have a couple of questions regarding Permanent Residency & Citizenship:

1) Whats the rule for citizenship. On the immigration website it says I have to spend (3 out of the last 4) years to be eligible to apply for citizenship. If so, how long does it take to get the citizenship after applying. And Most importantly, can I leave the country after applying for citizenship for a few months/a year?

2) It says that I need to spend atleast 2 years out of 5 to maintain my PR status. If so, can I re-apply for my PR status (after spending 2 years) - how long will that take?

Thanks

Thanks

 

[scylla]

To qualify to apply for citizenship, you must live in Canada for 3 out of 4 years before applying. Processing times are now close to two years. Yes - you can leave Canada after applying for citizenship. However make sure you can return to Canada quickly if necessary. Very little notice is typically given for the citizenship test.

To maintain PR status, you must live in Canada for 2 out of every 5 years. You would re-apply for a new PR card once you are close to the expiry of your current PR card - so about 5 years from now. And no - you cannot apply to renew your PR card in two years if you spend that entire time in Canada. You won't be able to apply until much much closer to the expiry of your current PR card.