PR Residency Obligation: The 730-Day Rule

The PR residency obligation requires a permanent resident to count at least 730 days in every five-year period, under IRPA section 28. Days in Canada count, and so do some days abroad, such as accompanying a Canadian-citizen spouse or working full time for a Canadian business. Falling short does not end status automatically: an officer decides.

Read IRPA section 28

Last verified: November 2026

730 days
The minimum in every five-year period
Five years
How long a PR card is generally valid
IRPA s.46
Lists every way PR status is lost

What does the residency obligation require?

Under IRPA section 28, a permanent resident must comply with a residency obligation for every five-year period. You comply if, on a total of at least 730 days in that five-year period, you meet one of the qualifying conditions below.

730 days is the equivalent of two full years. Over any five-year window you can generally spend up to about three years outside Canada and still meet the obligation, provided the remaining days qualify.

The five-year period is rolling, not fixed to your landing date. When you are examined, an officer generally looks back at the five years immediately before that day. If you have been a PR for less than five years, it is enough to show that you will be able to meet the obligation within your first five years.

The rule

To keep permanent resident status you generally need at least 730 days in every rolling five-year period.

IRPA section 28Verify on justice.gc.ca

Which days count toward the 730?

The most common way to comply is being physically present in Canada. Each day you are in Canada counts as one day. Short trips out and back do not reset anything. Only the days you are actually outside Canada are subtracted from your presence total.

Certain days outside Canada also count:

Time spent accompanying a Canadian-citizen spouse or common-law partner (or, for a child, a Canadian-citizen parent).
Time working full-time abroad for a Canadian business or for the federal public administration or the public service of a province.
Time accompanying a permanent-resident spouse, partner, or parent who is working full-time abroad for a Canadian business or public service.

Regulations can provide other limited ways to comply, so it is worth confirming the precise definitions on canada.ca before relying on a category.

What proof should you keep?

Keeping clear records of your time in and out of Canada (entry and exit dates, travel history, passport stamps, and proof of any qualifying days abroad) makes it much easier to show you meet the obligation when asked.

The categories for days abroad are specific. Keep evidence such as a marriage or common-law record, your spouse’s proof of Canadian citizenship, employment letters, and assignment documents.

When is the obligation checked?

If an officer finds you have not met the 730-day obligation, you can be reported and may lose permanent resident status. This can happen when you apply to renew a PR card, when you seek a PR Travel Document abroad, or at a port of entry on arrival in Canada.

A PR card is proof of status used to board flights and travel to Canada. It is generally valid for five years (sometimes one year, depending on the case). If your PR card expires while you are outside Canada, or you do not have one, you may need a Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) to return by commercial carrier such as an airline, train, bus, or boat.

When you apply for a PRTD, IRCC assesses whether you meet the residency obligation. A PRTD is normally valid for a single entry, and IRCC can issue a multiple-entry PRTD if you meet the residency obligation and ask for one.

What happens if you fall short?

A shortfall does not erase your status the instant it happens. You stay a permanent resident until an official decision is made (IRCC), and in many cases an appeal is still available.

IRPA section 28 allows an officer to consider humanitarian and compassionate factors, including the best interests of any child directly affected, which can justify keeping your status despite a shortfall. There is also a right of appeal to the Immigration Appeal Division in many cases.

IRPA s.46 lists every way PR status is lost.

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What do people ask?

What is the PR residency obligation?

It is the rule that a permanent resident must count at least 730 days, about two years, in every five-year period (IRPA s.28). The period is rolling: an officer generally looks back at the five years before the examination. Only days as a permanent resident count. If you have been a PR for under five years, you show you can meet it within your first five. IRPA s.28 on our IRPA pages has the full text.

Are there exemptions to the PR residency obligation?

The rule applies to every permanent resident, but some days abroad count as if you were in Canada. They include days accompanying a Canadian-citizen spouse, common-law partner or parent, days working full time abroad for a Canadian business or public service, and days accompanying a PR spouse or parent in that kind of work. The regulations define these categories closely. Our PR Card Renewal guide explains how officers review them.

What proof do I need for the PR residency obligation?

Records that show your days in Canada and any qualifying days abroad. Keep entry and exit dates, travel history and passport stamps. For days abroad, keep a marriage or common-law record and your spouse's proof of Canadian citizenship, or employment letters and assignment documents from a Canadian business. A travel log kept up to date makes the count easy to show. Our PR Card Renewal guide covers the renewal application.

Is there a PR residency obligation calculator?

You can count it yourself. Add up your days physically present in Canada over the most recent five years, or your time as a PR if shorter, then add any qualifying days abroad. If the total reaches 730, the obligation is generally met, and an officer makes the final call. Our physical presence calculator counts the separate citizenship rule, which needs 1,095 days in five years.

What happens if I do not meet the PR residency obligation?

You do not lose status automatically. An officer can report the shortfall when you renew a PR card, apply for a PR Travel Document or arrive at the border, and you stay a permanent resident until an official decision is made. IRPA s.28 lets the officer weigh humanitarian and compassionate factors, including a child's best interests, and many decisions can be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division. IRPA s.46 lists every way PR status is lost.

What is a PR Travel Document?

A Permanent Resident Travel Document (PRTD) lets a permanent resident without a valid PR card return to Canada by airline, train, bus or boat. IRCC checks the residency obligation when you apply, so a PRTD application is one of the points where the 730-day rule is reviewed. It is normally valid for a single entry. Our PR Card Renewal guide explains what to do with an expired card abroad.

Does a PR card renewal check the residency obligation?

It can. Applying to renew a PR card is one of the points where an officer can review whether you meet the 730-day rule, along with a PR Travel Document application and arrival at a port of entry. The officer generally looks back at the five years before the review. Keep your travel log and proof of any qualifying days abroad ready. Our PR Card Renewal guide walks through the application.

How long is PR valid in Canada?

PR status has no expiry date. The PR card generally lasts five years, sometimes one, and an expired card does not end your status. You keep PR until you lose it in one of the ways IRPA s.46 lists, such as becoming a citizen, a final decision made outside Canada that you did not meet the residency obligation, a removal order coming into force or an approved renunciation. Our PR vs Citizenship guide compares the two statuses.

Part of:Already a permanent resident

Official sources

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