canadien LPR card vs US LPR card

[Lona.C. 16]

ok as most of you know I am german citizen , but came to canada 1990 lived there as a legal permanent resident ( with permanent resident card )

now I have a question , my canadien card is valid till 2010 , I know I would have to aply for a new one if I was still resident there ,

wich I,m not since I,m in process of US AOS as we talk ,

will I loose my residence in canada once I have the US greencard ,

or will the card be valide till 2010 , and will I be able to cross the both borders as LPR in eather country ?

I read on canada gov site that the lpr card is valide even if the card holder is out of state for 2 out of the 5 year validation period of the card ,

so can i use the canadien card to visit my kids when time comes , or do I forget about it and aply for visiter waver as I did coming to the US before we got married ??

, if anyone knows I apriciate the answer

[Kathryn41 3,205]

You should be able to use the card until its validity ends, however, since you won't meet the ongoing residency requirements, I don't know if you would be able to renew it. You can check the Canadian Immigration website and they might have the information: http://www.cic.gc.ca

Edited January 10, 2008 by Kathryn41

[Krikit 1,164]

Hmmm. I would think it would still be valid because what if you decide to move back? I worked with a girl in Canada who had her US greencard and, even though she had obviously moved back to Canada for a year, she ended up hating it and moving back to the States with no problem. Come to think of it.... she was German too.

[Lona.C. 16]

Hmmm. I would think it would still be valid because what if you decide to move back? I worked with a girl in Canada who had her US greencard and, even though she had obviously moved back to Canada for a year, she ended up hating it and moving back to the States with no problem. Come to think of it.... she was German too.

OH perfect thank you so much ,

not that I,m thinking on moving back ,

but I do want to visit my kids who stayed in canada ,

and was just wondering if I could use my LPR card to enter or if it will be invalide cause the marriage and I would have to use a I 94 visiter waver ,

like i did coming from canada to the states when i visted my babe before the marriage

being able to use my canadien LPR card when i visit the kids , whithout any problems of also being a US greencard holder will be so much easier then aplying for the waver every 3 month

[neiks 19]

I would have to use a I 94 visiter waver ,

A I 94 is only for entry into the US. I don't have an answer for whether you can maintain your Canadian LPR card or if you must adbandon it. (I head to my CIC training next week... so I will have more solid knowledge of Canadian immigration questions in a few weeks)

Even if you can not keep your Canadian LPR you will be fine to travel to Canada to visit your kids. First of all, citizens of Germany do not require a visa to enter Canada nor does Canada issue I95 (visa waivers) such as the US. Secondly, you will have a US "greencard" that will allow you to visit Canada. So, don't worry, you should be fine to visit your children as you wish.

[trailmix 77]

Technically you must live in Canada at least 2 years out of every 5 to maintain permanent residency:

Your permanent resident status allows you to live in Canada, but there is also a time limit on how long you can live outside the country. To keep your status as a permanent resident, you must live in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. link

Later on the same page it says: A permanent resident who does not meet their residency obligations could lose permanent resident status.

Don't know why they say 'could', since the guideline seems pretty clear. Unless they are referring to this - which states that you can still count days of residency if you are working for the Canadian government in another country etc - link

Anyway, it looks like after 2 years your PR status will no longer be valid.

[Lona.C. 16]

Technically you must live in Canada at least 2 years out of every 5 to maintain permanent residency:

Your permanent resident status allows you to live in Canada, but there is also a time limit on how long you can live outside the country. To keep your status as a permanent resident, you must live in Canada for at least two years within a five-year period. link

Later on the same page it says: A permanent resident who does not meet their residency obligations could lose permanent resident status.

Don't know why they say 'could', since the guideline seems pretty clear. Unless they are referring to this - which states that you can still count days of residency if you are working for the Canadian government in another country etc - link

Anyway, it looks like after 2 years your PR status will no longer be valid.

yup I know about the 2 years in canada resident rule , but in my case I had to renew my LPR card 3 years ago, then spend almost egal amount of time here in the states as I was in canada ,

( I always calculated the amount of time to make sure i never overstayed my visiter visa , and was always about a week more in canada then here in the states ) , so since that time is concidert out of country and me now living here ,I know I wont be elagable to aply for a renewal , ( wich I dont care since my life is with my babe ,as long as I can still visit my kids it will be great ) you guys helped tremendous , I thank you all

[trailmix 77]

yup I know about the 2 years in canada resident rule , but in my case I had to renew my LPR card 3 years ago, then spend almost egal amount of time here in the states as I was in canada ,

( I always calculated the amount of time to make sure i never overstayed my visiter visa , and was always about a week more in canada then here in the states ) , so since that time is concidert out of country and me now living here ,I know I wont be elagable to aply for a renewal , ( wich I dont care since my life is with my babe ,as long as I can still visit my kids it will be great ) you guys helped tremendous , I thank you all

You know I never realized until afterwards that you said 2010 - which is only 2 years away!

[Lona.C. 16]

yup I know about the 2 years in canada resident rule , but in my case I had to renew my LPR card 3 years ago, then spend almost egal amount of time here in the states as I was in canada ,

( I always calculated the amount of time to make sure i never overstayed my visiter visa , and was always about a week more in canada then here in the states ) , so since that time is concidert out of country and me now living here ,I know I wont be elagable to aply for a renewal , ( wich I dont care since my life is with my babe ,as long as I can still visit my kids it will be great ) you guys helped tremendous , I thank you all

You know I never realized until afterwards that you said 2010 - which is only 2 years away!

LOL yup only 2 years away , sounds like such a big number in such a short time huh , lol