People often get confused between permanent residency and citizenship. According to Canadian rules, there is a fine line between citizenship and permanent residency in Canada. A permanent resident of Canada is, however, different from a temporary resident, who is someone who has immigrated to the country for a short span of time, maybe for a specific task (job, studies).
The permanent residents of Canada exercise pretty much all the mainstream rights as that of a Canadian citizen, except they can’t run for elections, of course. Moreover, they don’t allow permanent residents to apply for some specific posts in the country due to security reasons, which only Canadian citizens have access to.
Additional Rules due to Covid
As we all are aware, due to recent developments in Covid19 impact all over the world, you must follow some rules by the Canadian government when you reach there. These rules include a 14-day-quarantine, health assessment, and social distancing. You are good to go once you follow all these rules.
How to apply for permanent residency?
If you know your nearest consulate or Canadian embassy, you can start from there. So, there are a few things that you need to produce for the immigration representatives for your permanent residency application. They are:
- Details of your medical history/Medical certificate
- Details of criminal records against you (If any)
- Availability to attend interviews for your immigration.
You can thus pay your application fee and start the process.
Factors Affecting Your Eligibility
Well, even though Canada has one of the most liberal policies to grant residency, you still have to meet the criteria that they ask for. Usually, while granting the permanent resident status, what immigration officers look for are age, education, language proficiency, your work experience in Canada, and few other details related to you.
Moreover, if you don’t have a job offer handy with you or already into a job, you would need to prove that you have enough money to support your livelihood while living there. This might be important for working professionals who land in Canada looking for jobs or for people shifting there for the long term.