Renouncing your Permanent Resident Status in Canada

Reasons to Renounce your Status

Renouncing your permanent resident status in Canada can be a very difficult decision to make as it took you great lengths to obtain status in Canada. However sometimes individuals get tired of living in Canada due to the short summer breaks, excruciating long winters and now looking to relocate somewhere warmer. Or perhaps you are looking to relocate because you are tired of getting assessed by the immigration officer at the port of entry whether you meet your residency obligation or not due to family or work commitments outside of Canada. Sometimes, individuals have no choice to renounce their permanent resident status as they have accepted an official position with a foreign country that does not allow dual citizenship.

In any case, if you are looking to renounce your permanent resident status in Canada for another country due family obligations, weather, work or another reasons you would need to go through specific steps and understanding the consequences prior to opting out.

Eligibility to Renounce Permanent Resident Status in Canada

To be eligible to apply for renouncing your permanent resident status in Canada you must:

• Be a permanent resident in Canada
• Be over or at the age of 18 years (if you are under the age of 18 then you must be represented by a legal guardian. In these cases all legal guardian of the individual who is 18 must consent in writing to the client renouncing their permanent resident status)
• Have citizenship or valid legal permanent resident status in another country

Once we see that you qualify to renounce your permanent resident status than it is important to understand the process of the application.

Applying for Renouncing your Permanent Resident Status

If you have ultimately decided that you will be renouncing your permanent resident status it is important to have all the necessary documents to complete your application. Some documents required are:

• valid passport or proof of citizenship or permanent resident status other than Canada
• your current permanent resident card, and other required documentation
• 2 photographs
• if you are under the age of 18 you require birth certificate that has both parents names unless one parent has sole custody with proof of documentation to show this, adoption/legal guardian documents if adopted
• required forms

It is very important that all forms are filled out truthfully and complete, to avoid this application being returned to you and wasting time.

Luckily there is no processing fee for voluntarily renouncing your permanent resident status unless you are applying for a temporary resident visa or another type of application that does require a processing fee; you are obligated to make the payment for your application to get processed.

Once everything is complete and your application is submitted. An immigration officer will review your file and make a decision. If he sees you meet the requirements to renounce your Canadian permanent resident status, then a letter will be sent confirming you have been approved and no longer have a permanent resident status in Canada.

Consequences of Renouncing your Permanent Resident Status

It is important to discuss the consequences of renouncing your permanent resident status in Canada. If your application gets approved than you will no longer have the status of a permanent resident in Canada. You will automatically are considered a temporary resident and are allowed to stay 6 months as visitor. You are no longer allowed to work or study without proper authorization from citizenship and immigration Canada.

Once this application is approved this ultimately signifies that you will no longer be able to apply for Canadian citizenship.

If for any reason you change your mind and decided that you want your permanent resident status back, you do not have the choice of appealing their decision.

If you have application that is in process as a permanent resident but you renounced your permanent resident status then those application will be refused. You give up the right to be a sponsor for application such as family class sponsorship for parental or spousal. If you have any type of sponsorship application in process than it will come refused. Once you renounce your permanent resident status then you render the right to sponsorship. This can be a waste of time and money, especially if you have already paid the government fees and have spent time gathering documentation.

Another consideration that most people do not realize is that they will lose all social and health benefits obtained as a permanent resident in Canada.

One more important thing to keep in mind is that you will be considered a foreigner and if you wish to ever travel or stay in Canada again you will have to go through the process of immigration as a foreigner. Ultimately, the decision is up to you, whether you want to proceed with renouncing your permanent resident status or not.

Contact Akrami and Associates

Renouncing your permanent resident status is a big decision that should not be taken lightly. It is important to speak with a legal representative with expertise in this particular area of immigration. They can discuss with you the process of this application, what are the requirements you need to meet as well as discuss further consequences that might happen once you renounce your permanent resident status.

Here at Akrami and Associates we specialize in all areas of immigration and can provide instructive and revealing information on what is of your best interest. Our legal experts handle every case with the upmost respect and professionalism that it deserves. They will make every effort in obtaining a success application that best benefits our clients. If you have any further question or inquiries feel free to give us a call at 416-477-2545 to book a proper consultation or you can email us your inquiries at info@thevisa.ca.

With Akrami and Associates, there is always a way!