Applying for permanent resident status while residing in Canada

author avatar
CIC News
Published: May 1, 2004

Q. My wife and I would like to emigrate to Canada as skilled workers. Can we live in Canada while the paperwork for residency is being processed?

Answer: It is possible to reside in Canada while you are in the process of applying for permanent resident status. However, you would be required to obtain the necessary status in Canada as a temporary resident (visitor), foreign student, or foreign worker.

A permanent resident application is not, in itself, grounds for such temporary admission, or for extension of temporary status while within Canada.

Share this article
Share your voice
Did you find this article helpful?
Thank you for your feedback.
Subscribe to our newsletter
Did you find this article helpful?
Please provide a response
Thank you for your helpful feedback
Please contact us if you would like to share additional feedback, have a question, or would like Canadian immigration assistance.
  • Do you need Canadian immigration assistance? Contact the Contact Cohen Immigration Law firm by completing our form
  • Send us your feedback or your non-legal assistance questions by emailing us at media@canadavisa.com
Top Stories
Out-of-status workers and students gain additional options under new rules
One in seven Rhode Islanders now eligible for Canadian passports
Everything we know about the high-wage occupation factor in Canada’s proposed Express Entry overhaul
Join our free newsletter. Get Canada's top immigration stories delivered to your inbox.
Subscribe
More in Express Entry
Everything we know about the high-wage occupation factor in Canada’s proposed Express Entry overhaul
A businessman holding a briefcase climbs up a flight of stairs
4000 ITAs issued in third Express Entry draw of the week
A woman walks up a flight of stairs in downtown Vancouver
Canadian Experience Class candidates receive invitations to apply in last Express Entry draw week of April
A view of the CN tower on a clear summer day.
Provincial nominees selected in latest Express Entry invitation round
A waterfall at Jasper National Park.
Link copied to clipboard