Many people often ask about the difference between a permanent resident and a citizen in Canada. Though they both have many similarities, they also have many differences. Let’s take a look at both of these terms and shed more clarity on them.
Permanent Residence
A permanent resident in Canada has the legal status to live, work, study or do business in any Canadian province. They can move freely across the country without any restrictions. They received the PR status upon immigration to Canada. They remain citizens of the country from which they emigrated to Canada.
Becoming a permanent resident of Canada is the first step to obtaining the coveted Canadian Citizenship. You need to be a PR for a specified time and then become eligible to apply for Canadian Citizenship.
Benefits of Canadian PR
Once you apply for and obtain the permanent residency, you receive the PR Card. The Canadian PR Card is the US equivalent of the Green Card. Upon receiving the PR Card, below are the benefits which you and your family will receive:
- Eligibility for all Canadian Social Security Benefits like Healthcare, Child Care Benefit, GST/HST, CPP, EI and much more;
- The freedom and right to work, study, do business and live anywhere in Canada;
- Coverage of all rights and protection as per the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and applicable Canadian law;
- Ability to apply for Canadian citizenship
Permanent residents of Canada share social responsibilities just like the Canadian citizens such as adhering to Canadian law and paying all applicable taxes.
Canadian permanent residents are not eligible for voting and running for office. They cannot hold government positions which need certain security clearance.
Living & Travelling as a Canadian PR
Canadian passport is not available to permanent residents, but they use their PR Card and passport from the country of their citizenship to travel outside Canada.
Maintaining residency requirements are also vital if you are a permanent resident of Canada. If you travel abroad for business, work or pleasure, you will need to review the residency requirements to avoid losing your PR status.
Canadian Citizenship
You can become a Canadian citizen after you have been a permanent resident for a specified time period. After obtaining Canadian citizenship, you become a naturalized citizen of Canada and become at par with the citizens who received their citizenship by birth.
Benefits of Canadian Citizenship
Once you obtain the Canadian citizenship, you can apply for a Canadian Passport and also run for office. You will also become eligible to hold all positions across the Canadian political system.
One of the biggest benefits of obtaining the citizenship is that you will never lose the citizenship status unless you renounce it yourself. Residency requirements are not required once you become a citizen.
How We Can Help
The well-informed immigration lawyers and Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants(RCICs) at Nanda & Associate Lawyers will assist you in all immigration matters regarding Misrepresentation charges. Whether you need help to understand the permanent residency eligibility requirements or prepare the citizenship application, our accomplished lawyers at Nanda & Associate Lawyers will ensure that you smoothly navigate the immigration process with successful outcomes.
Our Mississauga Immigration Lawyers are available for a no-obligation free consultation. Come and experience our quality legal counsel and personalized care we give to each client. We ensure prompt communication and a professional approach to achieve successful outcomes for you.
Feel comfortable interacting with our caring team who speak more than 15 languages like English, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Albanian, Hindi, Punjabi, Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Bengali and much more.
