pennyhp

We have been in Canada since May 2007.
My son works for a canadian company in Toronto.
They want to send him back to England for 6 months in January and after that there may be on and off asignments in England for differing lengths of time.

How will this impact his oportunity to qualify for citizenship in the future?

Andrew Miller

Yes, it will. Days abroad working for Canadian employer don't count towards days in Canada required for citizenship application eligibility.

happy hatter

Do days spent on holiday outside of Canada count against you?

Andrew Miller

Every single day outside Canada is an absence from Canada when counting days of residence towards eligibility for citizenship application.

The only exception is here:

http://www.canlii.org/ca/sta/c-29/sec5.html

(1.1) Any day during which an applicant for citizenship resided with the applicant’s spouse who at the time was a Canadian citizen and was employed outside of Canada in or with the Canadian armed forces or the federal public administration or the public service of a province, otherwise than as a locally engaged person, shall be treated as equivalent to one day of residence in Canada for the purposes of paragraph (1)(c) and subsection 11(1).

pennyhp

I have another question.

What about his permenant residence status?
If say they transfered him for 4 years, would he loose PR?

Thanks

Andrew Miller

PR status rules have nothing to do with citizenship matters which are governed by different law (Citizenship Act).

Days abroad while working for Canadian employer will count as days in Canada for the purpose of meeting residency obligation to keep PR status:

(2) The following provisions govern the residency obligation under subsection (1):

(a) a permanent resident complies with the residency obligation with respect to a five-year period if, on each of a total of at least 730 days in that five-year period, they are

(i) physically present in Canada,

(ii) outside Canada accompanying a Canadian citizen who is their spouse or common-law partner or, in the case of a child, their parent,

(iii) outside Canada employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the federal public administration or the public service of a province,

(iv) outside Canada accompanying a permanent resident who is their spouse or common-law partner or, in the case of a child, their parent and who is employed on a full-time basis by a Canadian business or in the federal public administration or the public service of a province,

pennyhp

Thank you so much Andrew for that clarification.
Its really helpful.