Permanent Resident Card Renewal
PR card renewal is straightforward when the 730-day residency obligation is comfortably met, and it is the moment that obligation gets examined when it is not. Everything below is the rule IRCC publishes, not a rule of thumb.
Send us your permanent residence date and your travel history. We calculate your position against the 730 days at no charge and tell you whether this is a routine renewal or a residency case, before you file anything or book a flight.
The obligation, stated plainly
To keep permanent resident status you must have been physically in Canada for at least 730 days during the previous five years. IRCC states that those days do not need to be continuous.
- The count is 730 days in a five-year period, assessed against the five years immediately before the moment you are examined. That is why the obligation can be met one year and not the next without you doing anything differently.
- Some time outside Canada can count towards the 730 days. The main categories are accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or parent; being employed full time outside Canada by a Canadian business or in the public service; and accompanying a permanent resident spouse, partner or parent who is themselves meeting the obligation.
- Each of those categories has conditions and has to be documented rather than declared. Employment by a Canadian business in particular is assessed on the structure of the employment and the nature of the assignment, not on the employer’s mailing address.
- An expired card does not end permanent residence. IRCC’s own wording is that you do not lose permanent resident status when your PR card expires. What the expiry ends is your ability to board a commercial flight to Canada as a permanent resident.
- Falling short does not automatically end status either. IRCC states that you remain a permanent resident until an official decision is made on your status.
IRCC’s statement of the obligation and of what happens if it is not met is at understand permanent resident status. Which time abroad counts is set out in a separate IRCC resource, and the categories are narrower in practice than they read.
Which PR card renewal situation are you in?
Three situations look similar from the outside and are completely different applications.
| Your situation | What it actually is |
|---|---|
| You have met the 730 days comfortably | A routine renewal, applied for from inside Canada. The application is about documenting presence, and the main risk is delay rather than refusal. |
| You are close to the line, or below it | The renewal becomes an examination of your residency. What you file, and what you say about the days outside Canada, is what the decision turns on. A decision that you have not met the obligation is a decision about your status, not just about a card. |
| You are outside Canada with an expired card | A different document entirely: a permanent resident travel document, applied for through the visa office responsible for where you are. The card itself cannot be renewed from outside Canada, and the travel document application is also where your residency obligation gets assessed. |
If you have not met the obligation
Falling short is not automatically the end of permanent residence. It moves the case from an administrative renewal into one where the reasons for the absence, and the ties you kept, become the substance.
- Humanitarian and compassionate considerations can be raised, and they are assessed on the whole circumstances rather than on sympathy. They have to be argued with evidence, in the application, at the time, not raised later on appeal as an afterthought.
- The best interests of any child affected are a factor that has to be raised properly to be weighed.
- A determination made abroad, or at a port of entry, can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division, and the appeal is a separate process with its own deadline that runs from the day the decision is served.
- How you enter Canada while short of the obligation can affect what happens next, which is why advice before travel is worth more than advice after it.
- Renouncing permanent residence voluntarily is also an option IRCC offers, and it is occasionally the right one, for example where the person has no intention of returning and wants to travel to Canada as a visitor without an examination at every entry.
If you are in this situation, timing matters more than anything else on this page. Send the assessment form before booking travel, not after.
Citizenship instead of another renewal
If you meet the citizenship presence requirement, a grant of citizenship removes the residency obligation question permanently. The two counts are different and it is worth testing both in the same assessment.
| PR residency obligation | Citizenship physical presence | |
|---|---|---|
| Days required | 730 | 1,095, of which at least 730 as a permanent resident |
| Period assessed | The five years immediately before you are examined, a moving window | The five years before the date you sign the application |
| Time abroad | Can count in defined categories, such as accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse or working abroad for a Canadian business | Does not count, except for Crown servants abroad |
| Time before permanent residence | Not relevant | Counts at half a day per day, to a maximum credit of 365 days |
See Canadian citizenship applications for the full requirement. Someone who has been abroad on qualifying employment may meet the residency obligation and still be nowhere near the citizenship threshold. The two are not versions of the same test.
What a PR card renewal costs in government fees
These are IRCC’s own fees. They are modest, which is why the cost of getting this wrong is measured in time and status rather than in money.
| IRCC fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Permanent resident card, new, renewed or replaced | CAD 50 |
| Permanent resident travel document, applied for from outside Canada | CAD 50 |
Taken from the IRCC fee list on 5 September 2026.
What we charge
These are our professional fees, on top of the government fees above. A routine renewal and a residency case are different amounts of work and are quoted separately after the free assessment.
| Service | What it covers | Professional fee |
|---|---|---|
| Assessment of your case | You send your permanent residence date and travel history. We calculate your position against the 730 days and tell you which of the three situations you are in. | Free |
| PR card renewal or travel document, representation | The presence calculation, the supporting evidence, the application and follow-up. Where time abroad has to be counted, the evidence for each category it is claimed under. | Quoted after the free assessment |
| Paid consultation | 20, 40 or 60 minutes with a senior RCIC. The right first step if you are short of the obligation and thinking about travelling. | from CAD 120 |
Fees are professional fees only. They do not include IRCC or ESDC government fees, biometrics, medical examinations, translations, or applicable taxes.
Your journey with Canada Shaws
The same seven steps apply to every matter we take, whichever programme it is. The first two cost nothing, and the third is optional.
- Free preliminary assessment. You complete our client intake form with your background, your goals and your current circumstances. An RCIC reviews what you have provided and carries out a preliminary assessment to identify the immigration programmes or pathways that may be relevant to your situation on the information available at this stage.
- Assessment follow-up and information review. Our client representative contacts you to introduce the pathways the RCIC identified, explain our service process and professional fees, and understand your circumstances better. They may also review what you submitted, clarify anything incomplete or unclear, and confirm whether more information is needed. You can ask questions and see the available next steps.
- Optional paid RCIC consultation. After the assessment and follow-up, you decide whether you want to speak directly with an RCIC before proceeding. If your questions are complex, or you want a detailed professional discussion of the options identified, you may book a paid consultation. It is optional. You can also proceed straight to signing up if you are ready.
- Sign up with your RCIC. If you decide to proceed, you enter into a formal service agreement directly with the RCIC who will be professionally responsible for your matter. Once it is in place, the file moves into formal case preparation.
- Detailed information and document preparation. Our team collects and reviews the detailed information and supporting documents your matter requires, and guides you through preparing them.
- Application preparation and RCIC final review. The case team prepares your application package under the supervision of your RCIC: forms, supporting documents, submission letters and any other required materials. Your RCIC carries out the final professional review before submission.
- Submission, updates and next steps. After submission we keep you informed of material developments. If immigration authorities request further information or issue a decision, our team guides you through the response, the result, and what happens next.
Who will handle your file
Every file is prepared under a named licensed consultant, and you can verify either of us on the CICC public register before you pay anything.
Frederick Li
RCIC-IRB · Level 3 · College ID R506683
Authorised to represent clients before the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada. Immigration Law Professor in the Immigration Law Program at Queen’s University (Faculty of Law) and instructor for CPD programs at Ashton College.
Jin (Cellia) Xiao
RCIC · Level 2 · College ID R512398
Founder and President of Canada Shaws since 2015, leading the team that prepares applications across the practice.
Both consultants are listed as Entitled to Practise on the CICC public register. Verify any Canadian immigration consultant at register.college-ic.ca.
Questions people ask before they apply
How many days do I need?
At least 730 days physically in Canada during the previous five years. They do not need to be continuous, and certain time abroad can count towards the total, including time accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or parent, and full-time employment outside Canada by a Canadian business.
My card expired while I was abroad. Can I fly back?
Not on the expired card. You would apply for a permanent resident travel document through the visa office responsible for where you are, and that application is also where your residency obligation gets assessed. Do not book the flight first.
Have I lost my status if I am below 730 days?
No. IRCC’s position is that you remain a permanent resident until an official decision is made on your status. What changes is that the next examination becomes the moment that decision may be made, whether that is a card renewal, a travel document application, or an entry to Canada.
How do I renew the card itself?
From inside Canada, with proof of presence over the relevant period. IRCC charges CAD 50. Our step-by-step guide to renewing a PR card covers the documents and the sequence.
Does time outside Canada with my Canadian spouse count?
Accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner or parent outside Canada can count towards the 730 days. The evidence has to establish the accompaniment, meaning that you were ordinarily residing together, not just the relationship.
Should I apply for citizenship instead?
If you meet the 1,095-day presence requirement for citizenship, that removes the residency obligation question permanently. The two counts are different, so it is worth testing both in the same assessment. See Canadian citizenship applications.
Can PR card renewal be refused?
A PR card renewal is refused where the 730 days cannot be established, and that refusal is a finding about your status rather than about the card. That is why we calculate your position from your actual travel history before anything is filed, rather than after a refusal.
Have your 730 days calculated before you file
Send us your permanent residence date and your travel history. There is no charge for the assessment: you will get back your position against the 730 days, whether any of your time abroad counts, whether this is a renewal or a residency case, and what to do before you next travel.
Requirements described on this page are taken from the published criteria of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (and, where a page says so, Employment and Social Development Canada or the relevant province) and were checked on the date below. Immigration rules change, and the official criteria govern, so confirm the current requirement before you act on anything here.
No representative can guarantee an immigration outcome, and we do not promise one. What we commit to is a complete, correctly prepared application and a named licensed consultant responsible for it. Canada Shaws Consulting Inc. provides immigration consulting services as Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultants; we are not a law firm and do not provide legal services.
Page last verified: 5 September 2026.
