Millions are welcomed to Canada each year as temporary residents. Many of these individuals come through a temporary resident visa (TRV) application. Unless you are from a visa exempt country, individuals coming to Canada as foreign workers or tourists must apply for a TRV. Although, foreign workers and students are granted TRV for varying periods of time, as a general rule, tourists are granted a TRV for a period of six months.
Some foreign nationals come to Canada on TRV under the assumption that they can obtain their permanent residency (PR) after living in Canada for an extensive period of time. Unfortunately, this is a common misunderstanding, simply residing in Canada for any period of time does not guarantee a PR status.
In fact, the purpose of a TRV is for temporary visits, meaning the Applicant will have to leave Canada when or before their TRV expires. Applicants have the presumption that they will come on a TRV, reside in Canada by extending their TRV, and will automatically qualify for PR.
To obtain your PR in Canada is a long process for many people. Depending on an Applicant’s circumstances, there are many different avenues one can pursue to become a PR.
Examples of a few avenues available to an individual on a TRV are as follows:
- Apply through the Express Entry System;
- Sponsorship; and
- Humanitarian and Compassionate (H&C) application
The list above is not extensive, but it should be noted that each of the avenues listed have unique requirements and the chances of success and failure heavily depend on the circumstances of each individual Applicant.
The options for PR can involve complex legal issues, please contact our office for a consultation on PR applications.