Unable to finish 2 years during the allotted 5years due to covid?

[kitstop]

Hi,

This is my first post on the forum,so if something similar already exists.

I am permanent resident of Canada but have been living in India for the last 3.5 years,initialy for work and then i could not return due to covid lockdowns and all
personal and travel problems it bought.

My PR expires in 2023 January and i can only afford to return once vaccinated by the end of the year, having stayed for only 5 months i will not be able stay for 2 years complete,my question is can i still get my pr status extended?

 

[Riley Haas]

Your status doesn't expire in January 2023, only your PR Card. As long as you return to Canada before January 2023, you will not lose your status. (Do you mean January 2022? Because if you return in December of this year, you'll have a year in Canada between then and January 2023.)

You have two choices at that point: wait to renew your PR Card once you qualify for the residence requirement or apply for PR with proof that you could not return to Canada during the pandemic. This https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio.../coronavirus-covid19/permanent-residents.html doesn't really answer your question, as far as I can see. I think what will likely happen is that IRCC will have some standards of proof that you need to meet in order to show you really couldn't return to Canada. I have no idea how strict they will be. However, I'd guess that, if you have been living in Canada for a little while before you renew your card, they may be lenient. (I say this because I can imagine a political scandal if all the PRs trapped abroad by the pandemic lost their status. But I am just guessing.)

 

[kitstop]

ok thank you very much for the answer.
It is Jan 2023 and I'm planning to go back once my vaccination is done in a month or so.

 

[Riley Haas]

So get back as soon as you can and then wait as long as you can before renewing your PR Card. Make sure you have documentation about why you were stuck overseas during the pandemic (proof of travel restrictions, for example).