Perhaps I am just confused - I am reading instruction booklet IMM-3999 for spousal visas (I will be applying under the Common-Law route).

It says that a PR visa is valid until the expiry date of the passport. Now, my UK passport expires in October 2012.

Does this mean that if we land and settle in Canada say a year from now, when my passport expires I'll need to return to the UK to get my new passport, and stay here whilst I re-apply for my Canadian PR? Or, is the visa carried over onto my new UK passport?

Obviously I'd love to apply for dual citizenship 5 years after my arrival, but what happens until then?

Just a tad confused.

Renewal of your UK Passport can be done from within Canada and your PR status will be carried to the new passport.

The important distinction is between you PR visa and your status as a PR. Once granted a PR visa in your passport, for a spousal sponsorship, you will have 12 months from the date of your medical to 'land' and activate your PR status. Once you have PR status and have applied for, and obtained, a PR card, then that card is proof of your PR status, not the visa in your passport. You can happily renew your passport in Canada (actually via an external processing service in the US) or at home and it does not affect your PR status.

Just to clarify the above (if it needs it), the visa is a single trip travel document that allows you entry into Canada.

Once you have entered using that visa, and landed, you are then a "landed immigrant" and will be issued with a permanent resident (PR) card, indicating that you have PR status.

If not used before your medicals expiry date (ie within one year of your medicals), or before your passport expires (whichever is the longer), then the visa is no longer valid. So if your passports are good until October 2012 you should be fine.

PR visa in your passport is a single entry visa, not a residency visa. It allows you to enter to activate your Permanent Residency. The second you land, and they authorise it and complete your paperwork, the visa is no longer needed or valid.

The PR visa is valid until the passport expires or after one year of your medicals, whatevers happens first. So as they mentioned before, you need to land in Canada before that date, and then get a PR card. Once you have the PR card, you can forget about your passport visa.

You can apply for citizenship after 3 years.