Maple Leaf Cards will be mailed to new immigrants who first arrive in Canada. Upon entering customs, Canadian officials will verify your personal data, including a photo, and will send you a Maple Leaf Card within the next three weeks. What are the conditions for studying in Canada to obtain a Maple Leaf Card? Let’s take a look below.

What are the requirements for studying in Canada and getting a Maple Leaf Card?

To apply for a Maple Leaf Card, you must be in the country. The applicant must have a guarantor living in Canada. The guarantor must be a Canadian citizen and have known the applicant for more than two years.

Regardless of whether you are applying for a Maple Leaf Card for the first time or for the second time, you must pass the residence test after the expiration of the next five years. Anyone holding permanent residence status in Canada must fulfill their residency obligations for more than 730 days in any five-year period. However, if any five-year period has not expired within 730 days after landing, it will also be deemed to have fulfilled the residence obligations under the following five circumstances:

1. Accompanying Canadian citizens abroad:

Family members who remain outside Canada hold Canadian citizenship;

To count the daily accompanying of a foreign citizen in Canada, this citizen must be your spouse, or this citizen must be your common-law partner, or this citizen must be your parent, provided that you are a child under 22 years old.

2. Overseas employment:

Full-time employees posted overseas by Canadian companies or full-time Canadian civil servants posted overseas.

Canada's overseas workers, Canada's daily overseas work can be included in the calculation. You must be a full-time employee contracted by a Canadian company and posted overseas, or a full-time official posted overseas by the Canadian government, and meet the following conditions:

(1) Canadian overseas positions;

(2) Canadian overseas affiliated enterprises;

(3) Canadian companies or official overseas customers.

3. Accompany permanent residents outside Canada

Foreign permanent residents can accompany Canada every day. The permanent resident must be your spouse, common-law partner or parent (if you are a child under 22 years old). The permanent resident spouse meets the requirements for working abroad mentioned in the above two items, that is, a Canadian company is dispatched to Canada as a full-time employee or official public servant and stays abroad with family members.

4. Hold a valid return card

Valid holders of the discount card can count abroad every day.

5. Humanitarian reasons

Even if there are any personal force majeure factors, if the living requirements cannot be met, whether the permanent resident status can be maintained will still be considered, and the immigration department will inform whether additional review is required.