Filipiniana News – October 2018 By Maria Deanna P. Santos After having gone through hoops to obtain their much-coveted status in Canada, many immigrants sadly remain ill-informed on some important issues relating to their status, including the issuance or renewal of permanent resident (PR) cards. When PR cards were created under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (IRPA), many erroneously thought that as long as they possess valid PR cards, their status as permanent residents will be safe. Conversely, some are surprised to learn that the lack of a valid PR card will not automatically negate one’s PR status. The present law requires permanent residents to meet the residency obligation of two years (or 730 days) within every five-year period to maintain their PR status. The two-year within every five-year period residency requirement to maintain PR status is a rolling requirement, i.e. the five-year period refers to ...