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The validity period of the maple leaf card is 5 years. If you have lived in Canada for 3 years within 5 years, you can apply to become a Canadian citizen. Many people often confuse the validity period of the maple leaf card and count the two years of living in Canada for 5 years. Some people began to calculate the departure time when they received the maple leaf card, but it has not been more than 3 years, but have actually lost their identity. Therefore, it is important to clarify that the validity period of the maple leaf card is separated from the calculation of 5 years of living in Canada.

However, there are exceptions. If a permanent resident status is lost due to failure to fulfill a foreign residence obligation, the applicant can apply for a one-year maple leaf card. The application of the maple leaf card must be performed in this area. The applicant must provide a guarantor who resides in Canada. The guarantor must be a Canadian citizen and have known the applicant for more than two years. The guarantor's occupation can be (1) a professional accountant; (2) a chiropractor; (3) a sworn officer; (4) a dentist; (5) a doctor; (6) a ritual expert; (7) peace or justice for judges; (8) a lawyer; (9) a manager of a financial institution; (10) a member of the provincial council; (11) a member of the MP; (12) a secretary of a municipal government; (13) a notary; (14) an official of a federal or provincial government department; (15) an officer of an embassy, ​​consulate or a senior committee; (16) a pastor; (17) a pharmacist; (18) a police officer; (19) a postal director; (20) a professional engineer; (21) a social worker; (22) a teacher in primary and secondary schools or universities; (23) a veterinarian.

Since the holders of the maple leaf card also have to pay the old card to the immigration department when applying for replacement of the maple leaf card, many people are unable to leave the country while waiting for a new card, which can cause considerable inconvenience, especially those who have to travel back and forth in Canada and other countries.

Therefore, Canadian permanent residents should promptly check the validity period of the maple leaf card and apply for a new card in time. Especially before planning an international trip, please reserve time to change the new card in advance if necessary. When permanent residents reenter Canada using commercial vehicles such as planes, trains, boats and cars after international travel, they will be asked to present a maple leaf card.

From the date of issuance, if your identity is not cancelled, you can use the card for 5 years and will be replaced with a new card, just like a driver's license or passport. However, based on actual entry and exit records, whether permanent residents who have lived in or not for two years within 5 years and have no necessary relationship with whether the maple leaf card expires.

For example, a person who has immigrated for more than 5 years may have been registered for two years when applying for a maple leaf card, but rarely lives in Canada. When he applies for a maple leaf card, the immigration bureau will still send him a message. Since the prescribed five-year period is three years, the applicant can assume that he will reside in Canada for the next three years. Therefore, the applicant obtained a 5-year maple leaf card. But in reality, upon receiving the card, the applicant mistakenly believes that it will last only two years during the validity period of the card. He decided to leave the country for three years and return to life for the next two years. So he continued to leave Canada and waited to enter the country again after two years. As the Immigration Bureau has been moving forward for 5 years from the day he was inspected, the applicant has been away from Canada for nearly 4 years, and the rest of the days no longer meet the requirements for two years of living for five years.

From this example we can see that for those who only get a maple leaf card after immigration, if they spend five years on any day and live in Canada for two years, they have to satisfy themselves. This is indeed safe. Do not check the validity period of the maple leaf card. For new immigrants, they will provide them with maple leaf cards when registering. The validity period of the maple leaf card may be the same as the 5 years of residence calculated.