The Maple Leaf Card is the common term for the Canadian Permanent Resident Card. Since 2002, Canada has issued Maple Leaf Cards to successful immigrants, replacing the previous permanent resident certificates. Furthermore, the Maple Leaf Card must be renewed every 5 years. Canada imposes a "residency obligation" on permanent residents. Section 28 of the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of Canada stipulates that a permanent resident must reside in Canada for at least 2 years within any 5-year period to renew their Maple Leaf Card and maintain their Canadian permanent resident status.
According to the law, only the following 3 ways can satisfy the requirements of Canada's residency obligation:
1. Physically residing in Canada;
2. Accompanying a spouse who is a Canadian citizen while residing abroad;
3. Working abroad for a Canadian company or a Canadian government agency.
If a permanent resident is unable to reside in Canada for 2 years, they may still be considered to have met the 2-year residency requirement if they have been accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse abroad or have been sent abroad by a Canadian company for 2 years. Otherwise, they will lose their Maple Leaf Card.
The 5-year period for Canada's residency obligation is not calculated from the date of landing as an immigrant, nor from the date the Maple Leaf Card was issued. The law stipulates that the 5-year period is calculated by counting backward from the date you intend to enter Canada. For example, if someone landed as an immigrant in 1997 and received their Maple Leaf Card in October 2003, and this person returns to Canada in July 2004, the immigration officer will ask whether they have resided in Canada for at least 2 years within the 5-year period counting backward from July 2004.
