PR cards or Permanent Resident cards cannot be re-issued outside Canada, however, Permanent Resident Travel Documents (PRTDs) can. If a permanent resident of Canada wishes to leave Canada for some time the individual can and if he wants to return, they must present their PR card, which confirms their PR status.

PR cards usually last for five years, although some last for less. If your PR card expires, you need not worry as you have not lost your PR status, but it means that you cannot use the card to re-enter Canada. The only exception is if you are traveling by private car.

A PR card application can be made only from within Canada. Canada. If a person is outside Canada when their PR card expires, they cannot apply for a new one. Instead, they have the option of applying for a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD). If the PRTD is approved, the PR can then use the PRTD to re-enter Canada. The PRTD is usually valid for six months after it is issued. It can only be used once. As soon as a person is back inside Canada, they should apply for a PR card. A Canadian PR status is mandatory if you want to apply for a PRTD. They must also currently be outside Canada.

Usually, a person applies for a PRTD by mail through the nearest Canadian Visa Application Centre (VAC). The government website provides a searchable list of VACs and other resources for permanent residents overseas.

At the moment, due to COVID-19, some VACs are not accepting PRTD applications. Some VACs may even be entirely closed. The government offers a list of VACs and which services are provided here. If a person is unable to send their application to the VAC, they can apply online. The person must send in their original passport as part of their application. They may be called for an in-person or virtual interview, although this is unlikely. If their application is successful, they will receive the PRTD, which is a counterfoil on the passport.

To find out more about the application of PR cards and PRTD’s contact us at Vashist Immigration, our RCIC licensed immigration consultants will help you.

How to establish your financial goals in Canada

If you are contemplating making Canada your home and permanently settling there then it’s time that you gear yourself up and after knowing in which province you want to settle in and look for a job or start a business, you will have to formulate a plan to establish your finances. This should be your primary concern when you decide to move. You will eventually learn how to embrace the country and the incredible range of opportunities it offers. Setting up a financially successful career can be overwhelming in the beginning but not impossible. You have to take the process forward step by step. Our team of RCIC licensed immigration consultants at Vashist Immigration can help you with the process of establishing your finances and assist you with the guidelines and financial methods that the country has to offer.

The steps you can follow to:

Open a bank account as a newcomer

As a newcomer in Canada, it can sometimes be difficult to open a bank account if you  

Are not legally enrolled in a Canadian school or legally employed in the country. You can apply for various programs that Canadian banks offer. Whether you enter as a permanent residence, foreign worker, or international student, you can apply for these programs. Various documents required for application are:

• Passport
• Permanent Resident card
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada Form
• (IMM 1000, IMM 1442, IMM 5688 or IMM 5292)

Build your credit score for success

 You have to remember one thing when you move to Canada that is even if you have a brilliant credit score; Canada uses its credit system. It is essential to have a solid credit score for getting approved for loans and buying a home. In Canada, credit scores may also be checked for apartment rental agreements, before moving forward with employment, and even to get better rates on utilities, such as your phone and internet.

One of the easiest ways to develop credit as a newcomer is to open a credit card account through your bank. A financial institution will often want individuals without a credit history to open up a secured credit card, a line of credit that is backed by the user’s collateral, such as money. Most banks provide systems where users can instantly start building their credit history and score without worrying about secured card rules. Once your credit history is established enough to purchase a vehicle, loan, or home, you can choose to use other credit cards with better perks or choose to use them sparingly. 

Study in Canada

 If you study in Canada, you have a chance to be financially successful. Studying in Canada allows you to get a great education at a competitive cost, build international connections in a diverse learning environment, work during and after your studies, and improve your chances of becoming eligible for Canadian permanent residence.

If you have a plan on earning a Canadian credential, you can manage your tuition and daily funds with a free student chequing account. The Student Banking Advantage Plan is available to full-time students enrolled in a post-secondary program in Canada. Additionally, as an international student, you can qualify for an unsecured credit card even with no credit history. You will be able to reward your spending, and easily keep track of your credit score. You already have enough on your school to-do list, and this student account will make managing your finances easier.

To make your financial journey in Canada a success here are certain tips you can follow:

Set your goals: You have to define your goals first, be it education or job or starting a business, and consult them with a financial advisor; who will assist and guide you through the process of realizing your dreams. 

Get pre-approval for your mortgage: If you’re interested in purchasing a house, get your mortgage approved in advance before you start looking at places. 

Evaluate options for buying and leasing a car: owning a car is a necessity so depending on where you decide to live, you need to find out your best options by talking to car dealers (whether to buy or lease) as well as financial advisors (for car loans).  

As a newcomer, it might be quite confusing to navigating your finances in any new Country and Canada is no different. But if you have clarity in terms of your goals and assistance from an expert, you can be undoubtedly striving towards financial success. 

463 PNP candidates invited to apply for Canadian permanent residence

463 provincial nominees were invited by Canada in the Express Entry pool to apply for permanent residence on August 18. To receive an invitation, candidates required a score of at least 751 with a nomination from an Express Entry-linked Provincial Nominee Program (PNP). PNP draws usually have high score cutoffs because the provincial nomination itself is worth 600 points. In the previous PNP draw, Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) invited candidates with scores of at least 760.

Candidates with the minimum score were only invited if they submitted their profiles before April 13th, 2021. IRCC usually publishes a cutoff time, immaterial of whether there was an actual tie. Till now in 2021, IRCC has only been drawing two types of candidates from the Express Entry pool: PNP and Canadian Experience Class (CEC).

Due to the pandemic, Express Entry candidates who are eligible for the PNP or CEC are highly likely to be in Canada already. PNP candidates have demonstrated to a province that they will succeed in the Canadian labor market. The PNP essentially tunes in on where there are gaps in the workforce. The programs that future immigrants apply to at the provincial level were adjusted to fix those gaps. When immigrants get nominated for them, it means they fill a need in the regional labor market. Federal programs cannot fill regional needs in the same way.

The federal government must keep working with the provinces to support their immigration goals. Now that approved permanent residents are exempted from travel restrictions, PNP applicants abroad can complete their landing in Canada and become permanent residents. Compared to the same time last year, the number of Invitations to Apply (ITAs) issued by IRCC has almost doubled. Canada has issued 102,779 invitations through the Express Entry system.

Canadian PR card, a reflection of your Canadian status

Canada is an incredible country and welcomes people all year round. People are attracted to this remarkable country due to its diverse culture and astounding landscapes along with its high quality of living. Numerous people not only come to visit the country but decide to move to the country to build a successful career for themselves gaining the status of a permanent resident. A Canadian permanent resident is someone who has been granted permanent resident status.

After you are approved for Canadian permanent residence, you will receive a PR card. Usually, the PR card is valid for five years, but in exceptional cases, it may only be valid for one year. This card can be used as a valid travel document for entering Canada’s borders. It is advised that permanent residents obtain their PR card since this card allows permanent residents to travel outside of Canada’s borders and demonstrate proof of status if necessary. If you are planning to move to Canada permanently or you already have become a permanent resident and are confused about the PR card validity issues, contact us at Vashist Immigration and our licensed consultants will help you with all the information about permanent residency and PR card.

If you are a new permanent resident you will not have to apply for a PR card. You will be automatically mailed a PR card when you immigrate to Canada and determine your Canadian mailing address.

Only individuals who meet one of the following criteria must apply for a PR card:

• You didn’t receive your PR card within 180 days of immigrating to Canada;
• Your PR card is expired or will expire in less than nine months;
• Your PR card has been lost, stolen, or destroyed, or;
• You legally changed your name and need to update your PR card.
• PR card applications must be submitted in hard copy to one of IRCC’s specified Case Processing Centers for PR cards.

It is interesting to know that the Canadian permanent resident card used to be called the Maple Leaf Card. This is because the card used to include Canada’s national symbol, the maple leaf. 

Urgent Processing of PR cards

In certain cases, the Canadian government might expedite the processing of a permanent resident card. To qualify for urgent permanent resident card processing, you must be traveling within the next three months due to:

• A job opportunity;
• Your serious illness;
• The death of a family member;
• Work-related to your current job, or;
• The serious illness of a family member.

It should be noted that even if a person is eligible for urgent processing, the Canadian government cannot guarantee they will process applications urgently or that PR cards will be received on time. It’s therefore advisable to always maintain a valid PR card in case of emergency. Permanent resident cards are mostly valid for five years, though occasionally PR cards are only valid for one year. Permanent residents are encouraged to keep track of their expiration date and apply to renew their Canadian permanent resident card within six months of their card expiring.

Benefits received as a Permanent Resident

• Access to Canadian healthcare and social services.
• The right to live, work and study anywhere within Canada.
• Protection under Canadian law and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• The ability to leave and enter Canada’s borders using your Canadian permanent resident card or permanent resident travel documents. 
• The ability to apply for Canadian citizenship after the requirement is met.

To become a Canadian permanent resident there are many immigration pathways through which you can attain the status. You can opt for economic immigration or business immigration, sponsorship, and refugee/humanitarian programs. If a permanent resident is outside of Canada and wishing to enter Canada they may apply for a permanent resident travel document (PRTD) if they do not have a valid PR card. The PRTD is usually valid for a single entry to Canada, allowing the permanent resident to enter the country before applying for a PR card, or PR card renewal.

If you want to maintain a permanent residency obligation in Canada you need to be physically present in Canada for a set amount of time. Canada’s residency obligation for permanent residents requires you to be physically present inside of Canada for at least 730 days within five years or to fall under one of several exceptions.

If your pr card expires don’t think that you lost your permanent resident status PR status can only be lost through an official process. If a person wants to renounce their permanent resident status, they may apply to voluntarily give up their permanent resident status. This may save time during travels if a person knows they have not met their residency obligation and they intend to travel to Canada.

The beautiful and spectacular city of Toronto is an immensely popular destination for newcomers to Canada. The first-generation immigrants in Toronto form, 47 percent of the city’s population. The city is renowned because it is the economic hub of Canada. The city provides a high-quality city life and endless opportunities. With the booming tech job market, it is attracting people from all over. The city is bustling with new talents who are focused to build a career for themselves and .experience the comfortable Canadian way of living. If you are keen on immigrating here and make this city your ho0me then the permanent Residency process is quite easy. If you’re willing to move to Toronto, then contact us at Vashist Immigration and we will assist you with the PR process to Ontario.  

The ways to get PR for Toronto:

Express Entry

Express Entry is an immigration system for skilled workers. It is one of the most popular systems and tens of thousands of new immigrants every year. The Federal Skilled Worker (FSW) is a category of Express Entry that doesn’t require any previous experience in Canada.

This system uses the CRS scoring system to rank candidates against one another, only accepting the most competitive to immigrate to Canada. Candidates are ranked based on their age, education, language proficiency, and employment experience. If you are a young skilled worker with a high level of education and advanced proficiency in English or French then Express Entry’s Federal Skilled Worker program is a great option!

Ontario Immigrant Nomination program

The Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) is a Provincial Nominee Program (PNP) that enables Ontario to nominate foreign nationals for Canadian permanent resident status. OINP entails several different streams, each with its unique eligibility criteria and application procedure. 

OINP has two streams that are ideal for those living outside of Canada: Ontario Human Capital Priorities (HCP) and Ontario French-Speaking Skilled Worker (FSSW). Both of these streams require candidates to have an active Express Entry profile to be considered. For HCP, Ontario automatically selects individuals from the Express Entry pool who have a CRS score of 400 points or higher. For FSSW, Ontario automatically selects individuals from the pool who have indicated intermediate proficiency in French.

If you can meet the requirements for one of these two OINP streams, it is worthwhile to submit your Express Entry profile and Ontario could select you for the provincial nomination!

Study in Toronto

Another excellent way to improve your options for immigration to Toronto is to complete pot secondary studies in Canada as an international student. You can get an extra edge as many PNP streams look at graduates of Canadian colleges and universities, and Canadian education and might also give toy extra points for Express Entry.

International students who graduate from a Canadian post-secondary program are also eligible to apply for Post-Graduate Work Permit (PGWP) allowing them to stay in Canada and work for up to three years. Toronto also has some of Canada’s most renowned universities. as the University of Toronto along with  York University and Ryerson University are reputable in Canada. The city also has a few smaller institutions with specialized programs, including the technical programs offered at Humber College and the creative programs offered at the Ontario College of Art and Design. So if you want to continue with your education and along with it want to increase your Canadian immigration chances then studying in Toronto is a brilliant option.

Work in Toronto

If you want to increase your possibility for permanent immigration then gaining work experience in Canada is a great way. Although obtaining a Canadian work permit can be difficult at times, but there are a few options for those who want to work in Canada.

You can acquire a job offer from an Ontario employer for a highly specialized position that can enable you to apply for a work permit. To fulfill the criteria, the employer must first receive a positive Labour Market Impact Assessment (LMIA), indicating that they could not find a Canadian to fill the position.

Another option is, if you work for an international corporation that has offices in Canada, you can talk to your employer about transferring to a Canadian office. Generally, intra-company transfers are exempt from requiring an LMIA, which makes it easier to gain a Canadian work permit.

Benefits of being a Permanent Resident in Canada

The beautiful country of Canada invites people from all around the world every year. You can just come to visit the country or get a study or work permit to build your career here. Usually, after living in Canada for some time you’ll feel the desire to settle here as a permanent resident. To attain the status of Permanent residency in Canada. You will have to go through an immigration program. The most sought-after immigration pathway for permanent residents is economic immigration, which entails the Express Entry system. To know more about the PR status and pathways contact us at Vashist Immigration, our team of authorized consultants will guide you through the procedures and also inform you about sponsorship by their spouse or parent who already has status in Canada.

There are several benefits you can enjoy if you become a permanent resident of Canada like:

Healthcare

Canada is well known for its excellent health care structure that benefits its citizens and Permanent Residents. You can get universal access to publicly funded health services. Most medical expenses in Canada are covered through the Canadian universal health care program. These expenses include visits to your family doctors, specialist, emergency room, immunizations, yearly exams, and others.

Education

Canada is famous for its world-class educational system. Canadian Residents have access to free schooling. All children who are under 18 are entitled to free education in the Canadian public school system, and the Canadian government offers highly subsidized university education.  

French and English are Canada’s official languages. Schools in Canada also teach French as a second language. Children of Permanent Residents will have the chance to learn English and French, besides their parents’ language. As for Post-Secondary studies, you will be able to apply for scholarships and funding as any Canadian student. Also, tuition for Canadian students is much lower compared to international students

Employment

If you become a Permanent Resident, you are allowed to work from the first day you arrive, it is always better to get prepared before you arrive in Canada. It will take time for you to adapt to You will be adapting to the new kind of job. Although the work environment is extremely warm and people are helpful. 

If you want to start a business it becomes easy if you are a Permanent Resident, you can get financial assistance through the financing programs for small businesses that the government has in place. Employment Insurance (EI) provides regular benefits to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own (for example, due to a shortage of work, seasonal or mass lay-offs) and are available for and able to work, but can’t find a job. With the help of Employment Insurance, you could receive financial assistance of up to 55% of your earnings, to a maximum of $573 a week. These benefits will help you take time away from work to provide care or support to a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care

Social Benefits

For families who belong to the low-income group and have children under the age of 18 who are, the Canadian government provides monthly tax-free payments to help cover expenses. In emergencies, the Government of Canada provides financial support to its citizens and Permanent Residents. 

Maternity and Paternity

In Canada, working parents are given time off when a new baby is born or adopted. Women can take up to 12 months of maternity leave and receive 50 to 65% of their normal income. Partially paid parental leave is also available for up to 35 weeks. If by any circumstances, a Canadian citizen or a Permanent Resident goes unemployed, the social security benefit supports them.

Tax

You must pay taxes at federal, provincial, and municipal levels. Income tax is imposed based on residency rather than citizenship. After becoming a Permanent Resident an individual would be required to pay Canadian taxes on worldwide income. The assets of a newly arriving immigrant are not taxed under Canadian law.

Low crime rate

Since the year 2007, Canada has been regarded as one of the world’s safest places. Canada has very stringent gun laws. As per the survey, one-third of the population has the license to carry firearms.