A PR holder who could only enter Canada in year 4 of the 5-year validity, and whose job with a Canadian remote-work company required frequent US travel, asked how to prove days in Canada and whether US work trips could count toward the 730-day residency obligation.
What members clarified:
- Proof of presence = passport stamps. For PR card renewal, the dates and stamps recording your entries and exits are the primary evidence of days in Canada.
- Routine US work travel does not count as days in Canada. The blunt answer: if you're physically in the USA, you're out of Canada. There is a narrow exception for certain work-related absences (e.g., being assigned abroad by a Canadian employer), but it has specific restrictions — research them before relying on it; ordinary business trips don't qualify just because the employer is Canadian.
- PR status is not lost automatically. An important correction in the thread: you remain a PR until an officer formally determines you've lost status. The PR card expiring is not the same as losing PR.
- You can delay the card renewal. If you can stay in Canada, wait to renew the card until you've accumulated 730 days within the most recent 5-year window — the obligation is rolling, so time spent in Canada now repairs the shortfall.
- Blunt but real options if the job blocks residency: negotiate with the employer to remain in Canada, or change to a job that allows you to stay. Members also suggested consulting a registered (licensed) immigration consultant for borderline cases.