Permanent Resident vs Canadian Citizen

A permanent resident and a Canadian citizen can both live, work and study in Canada. Only a citizen can vote and hold a Canadian passport. A permanent resident must spend at least 730 days in Canada in every five-year period and can lose status in serious cases. A citizen has no residency obligation.

Count your days toward citizenship

Last verified: November 2026

730 days
A PR’s minimum in Canada in every five-year period
1,095 days
Physical presence needed to apply for citizenship
365 days
The most credit for days in Canada before PR

How do permanent residence and citizenship compare?

Permanent resident and citizen, side by side
Right or duty	Permanent resident	Canadian citizen
Live, work and study in Canada	Yes	Yes
Vote or run for political office	No	Yes
Hold a Canadian passport	No	Yes
Residency obligation	730 days in every five-year period	None
Removal from Canada	Possible for serious inadmissibility	Not possible (Charter s.6(1))
Other nationality	Kept	Kept, from Canada’s side

A permanent resident (PR) is someone who has been given permanent resident status by immigrating to Canada but is not a Canadian citizen. Most permanent residents become eligible to apply for citizenship after being physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) during the five years before they apply. An IRCC officer decides each application.

What are a permanent resident’s rights and limits?

A PR can live, work, and study almost anywhere in Canada, and can usually access most social benefits that Canadian citizens receive, including coverage under provincial or territorial public healthcare. Permanent residents are protected under Canadian law and under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

You can change jobs, move between provinces, start a business, or enrol in school largely the same way a citizen can. You generally do not need a separate work or study permit. Your status does not expire just because your PR card does. The card is a status document you need for commercial travel, not the status itself.

A permanent resident can sponsor family members too, if at least 18, living in Canada and filing a sponsorship application (IRPR s.130(1)). Other conditions apply. Only a citizen living abroad may sponsor a spouse, partner or dependent child from outside Canada, and must live in Canada when the person becomes a permanent resident (s.130(2)).

There are real limits, though:

A PR cannot vote or run for political office.
A PR cannot hold a Canadian passport. You continue to travel on your other country’s passport, usually with a valid PR card or a Permanent Resident Travel Document to board a flight back to Canada.
A PR cannot hold some jobs that need a high-level security clearance.
A PR can, in serious cases, lose status or be removed from Canada for serious inadmissibility, such as serious criminality.

What must a permanent resident do to keep status?

Permanent residence is permanent in name, but it comes with a residency obligation. To keep PR status, you must generally be physically present in Canada for at least 730 days (about two years) within every rolling five-year period. The 730 days do not have to be continuous.

Some time outside Canada can still count toward the 730 days in defined cases. Days you spend abroad accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse, common-law partner, or parent may count. So may days working full-time abroad for a Canadian business or the federal or a provincial public service.

Falling short of 730 days can put your status at risk, typically when you apply to renew a PR card or seek a travel document to return. Citizens, by contrast, have no residency obligation at all. The PR Residency Obligation guide explains the 730-day rule.

What does Canadian citizenship add?

Canadian citizens can vote and run for political office, and can apply for a Canadian passport. Citizens are not subject to the PR residency obligation, so they can live outside Canada for as long as they wish without losing their status.

Citizenship is also far more secure. A citizen cannot be removed: every citizen has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada (Charter s.6(1)). Citizenship can still be revoked for fraud.

Citizenship can also be passed to children, though the rules for children born or adopted outside Canada changed recently. Amendments to the Citizenship Act under Bill C-3 came into effect on December 15, 2025, and changed the first-generation limit on citizenship by descent. For a birth abroad on or after that date to a parent who is a citizen by descent and was born abroad, s.3(3) asks for 1,095 days in Canada before the birth.

How do you go from PR to citizen?

To apply for a grant of citizenship as an adult, you must first be a permanent resident. Your PR status must be valid, and you should not be subject to certain conditions, an active review of your status, or a removal order.

You also need:

Physical presence in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) during the five years immediately before the day you sign your application.
Each day you were physically in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person during that five-year window counts as half a day (0.5), up to a maximum of 365 days credited toward the 1,095.
Income tax returns filed for 3 tax years within the 5 years before applying, if the Income Tax Act required you to.
If you are between 18 and 54 years old when you sign your application, adequate knowledge of English or French and a passed citizenship test on the rights, responsibilities, and knowledge of Canada.

You do not give up permanent residence to apply. You submit a citizenship application once you are eligible, and you keep your PR status until citizenship is granted. Confirm current requirements and fees on canada.ca, as they are updated periodically.

The rule

You must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days (three years) during the five years immediately before the day you sign your application.

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What do people ask?

Is PR the same as citizenship in Canada?

No. Permanent residence is a status for people who immigrated to Canada but are not citizens. You keep your other nationality and travel on its passport. Citizenship is a separate grant you apply for later, generally after 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you apply. A PR can lose status. A citizen's status is far more secure. The How to Become a Canadian Citizen guide covers the switch.

What benefits does a Canadian citizen have over a permanent resident?

A citizen can vote and run for political office, hold a Canadian passport, and live abroad for any length of time without losing status. A citizen cannot be removed: every citizen has the right to enter, remain in and leave Canada (Charter s.6(1)). Both can live, work and study in Canada and use public healthcare. The PR Residency Obligation guide explains the 730-day rule that citizens escape.

Do Canadian citizens need a permanent resident card?

No. You stop being a permanent resident once citizenship is granted, and a citizen travels on a Canadian passport. The PR card proves PR status and is needed for commercial travel. It is usually valid for five years. For a PR, an expired card does not end the status itself; the status carries the 730-day residency obligation, and it ends only in the ways IRPA s.46 lists. The PR Card Renewal guide covers the card.

How do I go from PR to Canadian citizen?

You apply for citizenship while you are still a PR. You never give up PR status to apply. You need 1,095 days of physical presence in the five years before you sign, tax returns for 3 tax years within those five years, if the Income Tax Act required you to, and, between ages 18 and 54, proof of English or French and a passed citizenship test. An officer decides. The How to Become a Canadian Citizen guide walks through each step.

How many days do I need to be in Canada to apply for citizenship?

At least 1,095 days (three years) of physical presence in the five years immediately before you sign your application. Days in Canada before you became a PR, as a temporary resident or protected person, count as half days, up to 365 days of credit. Days as a PR still do most of the work. The Physical Presence tool counts your days, and Citizenship Act s.5 sets the rule.

Can I keep my original citizenship if I become Canadian?

From Canada's side, yes. Canada allows dual and multiple citizenship, so becoming Canadian does not require you to give up another nationality. Your other country may not allow it, so check its rules before you apply. This is one reason some people choose to stay permanent residents. An officer decides each citizenship application. The How to Become a Canadian Citizen guide covers the application.

Part of:Already a permanent resident

Official sources

This page is based on law and policy published by the Government of Canada.