For immigration applicants, one of the most concerning issues after successful immigration is the "residency requirement." Traditionally, the residency requirement refers to the obligation to remain in the country of investment immigration (with some short-term exceptions) as if one were in a "prison," because if one stays away for too long, they may not be able to apply for citizenship or may lose their immigration status. So, what are the different residency requirements in various countries? In this regard, Linda, an expert from WorldWay Immigration Company, was interviewed by the media.
[Canada]
Must reside in Canada for 2 years within 5 years
Since 2002, Canada has issued Permanent Resident Cards (PR Cards) to approved immigrants, replacing the previous Permanent Resident Certificates. Moreover, the PR Card must be renewed every 5 years. Canada imposes a "residency requirement" on permanent residents, as stipulated in Section 28 of the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act: a permanent resident must reside in Canada for at least 2 years within any 5-year period. According to the law, only the following three conditions can satisfy this requirement: actual residence in Canada; accompanying a spouse with Canadian citizenship living abroad (in this case, the time spent living abroad is considered as time spent in Canada, note that accompanying children with Canadian citizenship abroad does not count); working for a Canadian company or government agency abroad (in this case, the time spent living abroad is also considered as time spent in Canada).
Calculating the start and end dates of the 5-year period is also a hot topic of concern for immigrants. It does not start from the time of reporting immigration, nor from the time of obtaining the PR Card. The law states that the 5-year period can only be calculated from the day you enter Canada, counting back five years. As long as you can prove that during this five-year period, you have met the 2-year residency requirement through one of the three methods mentioned above, there will be no problem.
[Australia]
Australia requires a 4-year residency requirement for citizenship
Linda stated that to obtain Australian citizenship, one must fulfill a "residency requirement" of four years, and in the year prior to applying for citizenship, one cannot leave the country for more than three months. This means that before becoming a permanent resident, one must spend a significant amount of time as a temporary resident in Australia, and this temporary residency time also counts towards the future citizenship application. Out of the four years of "residency requirement," at least one year must be as a permanent resident. Additionally, all new immigrants cannot leave the country for more than three months in the year prior to applying for citizenship.
[Singapore]
Singapore has no residency requirement
In terms of procedures, investment immigration in Singapore is relatively simpler compared to countries like the United States and Canada. As long as the necessary documents are prepared and submitted for review by the Singapore Immigration and Checkpoints Authority, those who pass the review will be invited for an interview in Singapore. Furthermore, this is an important reason why many Chinese investors choose the high-cost investment immigration in Singapore: there is no residency requirement, and after successful immigration, the residency obligations are very lenient, with no need to meet a specified number of years of residence.
