Permanent Residency

Permanent residency (PR) is the destination most newcomers are working toward, the status that gives you the right to live, work, and study anywhere in Canada indefinitely, access provincial healthcare and social services, and eventually apply for Canadian citizenship after meeting the residency requirement.

In this section we cover the practical realities of holding PR: the financial requirements that apply to different applicant types (including retirees), the rights and benefits permanent residents actually receive, and the obligations you need to maintain, most critically the 730-day physical presence rule over each five-year period. Whether you’re newly landed and figuring out what to do first, or weighing PR versus citizenship for the long term, the guides below break it down.