Canadian Citizenship Vs Permanent Residency- Which Is Best For Immigrants?

Canadian Citizenship Vs Permanent Residency- Which Is Best For Immigrants?

Many prospective immigrants who wish to move to Canada are interested in getting Canadian citizenship. But before you can become a Canadian citizen, you must first have to be a Canadian permanent resident.

As a matter of fact, the outcome of every Canadian immigration program (including provincial pathways like PNPs or Quebec Immigration) is Canadian permanent residence.

The moment you become a permanent resident, you are automatically issued a permanent residence (PR) card.

Nonetheless, not many of the Canada immigration prospects know that it is as good as citizenship. Here are the key benefits of Canada Permanent Residency.

Benefits of Canada Permanent Residency

Let’s go through the key benefits of Canada PR:

• The Canada Permanent Residence status let you live, study or work anywhere in Canada.
• You are eligible to apply for Canadian citizenship after spending a minimum of 2 years in Canada as PR.
• The Canadian PR allows you to move around or travel freely in Canada.
• You enjoy the rights and privileges under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Canadian laws.
• You enjoy all the benefits accessible to all Canadian permanent residents and citizens.
• You are eligible to sponsor any family members to immigrate to Canada.

Moreover, as a permanent resident, you can keep your home country citizenship and still be in Canada as a permanent resident as long as you want.

It also means you are not forced to apply for citizenship at some point in time. It’s going to be an advantage for those, who wish to travel back to their homeland in the future.

Canada also allows immigrants to retain dual citizenship. Thus, if your home country allows the same, you can always keep the citizenship of both countries at the same time.

When You Miss Canadian Citizenship

Canada citizenship clearly provides you with some benefits over the permanent residents as you can actively be more involved in Canadian life as a citizen. For example, you can vote in the elections or run a political office, unlike those permanent residents.

You have a Canadian passport as a citizen, based on this, you can travel to many other countries and get the advantage as well as a traveler from Canada. You can also apply for a job in some specialized government departments, i.e. defense, army, etc.

Differences Between Canadian Citizenship and Permanent Residence

Permanent residence refers to a person who has immigrated to Canada and who have obtained permanent residency status of Canada. But the permanent resident is not a yet a Canadian citizen, but of another country.

There are several differences between permanent residence and Canadian citizenship. The major difference is that before someone can become a Canadian citizen, they must first become a permanent resident of Canada.

Permanent residents can apply for Canadian citizenship once they have fulfilled certain residency requirements. As a naturalized citizen of Canada, they are eligible to get a Canadian passport and can as well participate in Canadian politics. There are absolutely no differences between citizens born in Canada and naturalized citizens.

Other than the ability to take part in Canadian politics, the main difference between permanent residence and citizenship is that permanent residence must be maintained or renewed. Once you are a Canadian citizen, you do not need to do anything to maintain your citizenship. You can only lose your Canadian citizenship if you choose to renounce it.

Although, Canadian citizenship rules are seemingly changing by the day. With all these changes naturally come rumors about what is possible or and what isn’t possible. As of 2017, there is still only one way a Canadian citizen can lose their citizenship without voluntarily renouncing it and this is applicable to only naturalized citizens. If you were born in Canada since February 15, 1977, you can never lose your citizenship, you can only renounce it.

When You Can Apply For Canadian Citizenship?

You are required to be physically present in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 2 years within the five years immediately before applying for citizenship.

Thus, even if your plan or aim is to become a Canadian citizen, the primary step remains to obtain permanent residency through the relevant immigration program.