How to Get Permanent Residence in Canada: Routes, Costs and Timelines (2026)

To get permanent residence in Canada, you have to be selected through one of the main immigration routes: Express Entry for skilled workers, a Provincial Nominee Program, sponsorship by a family member, a regional or sector pilot program, or refugee protection. What many people call a "permanent visa" is actually a status, permanent residence, embodied in a Confirmation of Permanent Residence and then a PR card; the permanent resident visa is only the entry document issued to people from visa-required countries. Here are the main routes in 2026, what they require, what they cost, how long they take, and how permanent residence then leads to citizenship.

What permanent residence gives you, and what it requires

A permanent resident lives, works and studies anywhere in Canada, has access to provincial health coverage and most social benefits, is protected by the Charter, and can sponsor certain relatives. They do not vote, have no Canadian passport and must meet a residency obligation: 730 days of presence in Canada in every five-year period, failing which the status can be lost. It is a lasting status, but not a final one; only citizenship is. Our article landed immigrant, permanent resident, first generation untangles the vocabulary, and the one on going from permanent resident to citizen compares the two statuses.

Route 1: Express Entry, the door for skilled workers

Express Entry manages three federal programs: the Federal Skilled Worker Program, the Canadian Experience Class for those with at least one year of skilled experience in Canada, and the Federal Skilled Trades Program. You create an online profile, receive a score under the Comprehensive Ranking System (age, education, language, experience, additional points such as a provincial nomination or French proficiency), then wait for an invitation to apply in the draws. Since 2025, category-based draws dominate: French speakers, health occupations, trades, education, and since 2026 physicians, researchers and senior managers who have worked in Canada, with sometimes very low score cut-offs for those categories.

After the invitation, you have 60 days to file the complete application: recognized language tests, assessment of foreign credentials, medical exam, police certificates from every country where you lived six months, proof of funds for the federal programs other than the Canadian Experience Class (a little over $15,000 for a single person in 2026), and payment of the fees. IRCC aims for six months of processing from that filing. The 2026-2028 Levels Plan provides for 380,000 new permanent residents a year, most of them through economic programs, with a marked preference for people already in Canada.

Route 2: the Provincial Nominee Programs

Each province and territory, except Quebec which has its own system, selects candidates according to its needs: in-demand occupations, local graduates, workers already employed, entrepreneurs. A provincial nomination is worth 600 extra points in Express Entry, which practically guarantees an invitation, or opens a separate, slower paper application. With 91,500 places planned for 2026, it is the fastest-growing route, and often the best option for profiles short on federal points. Quebec selects through the Regular Skilled Worker Program and the Quebec Experience Program, with a selection certificate before the federal application.

Route 3: family sponsorship

A citizen or permanent resident can sponsor their spouse or common-law partner, their dependent children, and in some cases their parents and grandparents, a program that is not accepting new applications in 2026, however. Sponsoring a spouse generally takes around a year and, if the spouse is already in Canada, allows an open work permit during the wait. The sponsor undertakes to support the sponsored person for three years for a spouse, longer for a child or a parent.

Routes 4 and 5: pilot programs and refugee protection

The Atlantic Immigration Program, the rural and francophone community immigration pilots, the caregiver programs and the agri-food pilots target specific regions or sectors, with a job offer from a designated employer. They are less known and less competitive than Express Entry. Finally, resettled refugees and protected persons recognized by the Immigration and Refugee Board obtain permanent residence through a separate application, with reduced fees.

How much it costs, how long it takes

• IRCC fees since April 30, 2026: $990 processing and a $600 right of permanent residence fee per adult, or $1,590; $270 per dependent child; $85 in biometrics per person ($170 per family). The right of permanent residence fee is refunded if the application is refused or withdrawn.
• Side costs: language tests (about $300 to $400), credential assessment (about $200 to $300), medical exam ($100 to $300), police certificates, translations.
• Proof of funds: required for federal skilled workers without a job offer, about $15,300 for a single person in 2026, more per family member.
• Timelines: six months targeted for Express Entry after the invitation; often a year or more for a paper provincial program or a sponsorship; IRCC's processing times tool gives the current value.

The day you become a permanent resident

Once the application is approved, you receive a Confirmation of Permanent Residence, and a permanent resident visa in your passport if your nationality requires it. If you are abroad, you "land" by entering Canada before those documents expire; if you are already in Canada, the confirmation is done online through the IRCC portal. The PR card then arrives by mail, within weeks or months. It serves to return to Canada and to prove your status; our article on the PR card and the citizenship application explains its role all the way to citizenship. From that day, note your UCI number, which will follow all your files.

From permanent residence to citizenship

Permanent residence is the second-to-last step. To apply for citizenship, you must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years before applying, counting as half, up to 365 days, the days spent in the country before permanent residence as a student or worker. You must also have filed your tax returns, prove your language level and pass the test if you are 18 to 54. A permanent resident who arrived in 2026 with no prior stay can therefore apply for citizenship in 2029, then take the oath around 2030. The calculation is explained in our article on the physical presence requirement, and the whole journey in our guide on how to become a Canadian citizen.

Two special cases have their own article: temporary workers who want to turn their permit into permanent residence, with our guide on work permits in Canada, and Americans, who have a CUSMA permit available at the border, with our article on how to move from the US to Canada.

Key takeaways

• There is no "permanent visa": permanent residence is a status, obtained through Express Entry, a provincial program, sponsorship, a pilot program or refugee protection.
• 2026 fees: $1,590 per adult, $270 per child, $85 in biometrics; proof of funds of about $15,300 for a single person without a job offer.
• Timelines: six months targeted after the Express Entry invitation, often a year or more for the other routes.
• After permanent residence: 730 days of presence per five years to keep it, 1,095 days to apply for citizenship.

The citizenship test comes last, but nothing stops you from preparing early: our chapter quizzes follow the official Discover Canada guide, and our practice exams reproduce the 20-question format.