Moving Back to Canada? (to live in, dual citizenship, office)

[Tee76]

Here's a question im having trouble trying to get answers to:

I was born in Michigan and at age 7 moved to Canada because my mother married a Canadian.I had landed immigrant/permanent resident status in Canada.I lived in Ontario from age 7 up until age 29. I moved back to Michigan at 29 and have been here since (I'm 32) so 3 years. Recently i've been thinking about moving back to Canada, can i freely move back seeing as i lived there for so long or do i have to start over from scratch so to speak? Do i still have status in Canada or am i just considered 100% American Citizen again? I still have my Canadian ID and SIN # etc.

Just wondering what i would have to do to move back. Been told different things from different people, the main thing i'm hearing is i can move back hassle free seeing as i was a permanent resident and because i lived in Canada already for over 20 years. I had no problems coming back to the US (didn't even get my U-haul pulled in at Customs or asked for paperwork etc.) After being gone for so long so I'm wondering if it would be the same trying to move back to Canada

Any help would be greatly appreciated thanks.

[kettal]

Being a permanent resident means it's permanent. You can go back with no hassle unless you got yourself deported.

But you will have to live in country a few months before your health cover returns. Just don't get injured and you'll be fine

[Tee76]

Thanks alot, i really appreciate it. One more thing, I'm hearing to keep your PR status you have to live in Canada for 3 out of every 5 years or something along those lines, is that mistaken or does that pertain to something else?

[nuala]

Two years within 5 years:

About Being a Permanent Resident of Canada

[Tee76]

Originally Posted by nuala

Two years within 5 years:

About Being a Permanent Resident of Canada

When did that go into effect? I don't even have a PR card or anything of that sort,never have.Only ever had the old Landed Immigrant papers from the early 1980's.Which have no expiration date unlike these PR cards they have nowadays.

It might be easier for me to just file for dual citizenship instead of keeping my PR status.What if i haven't been gone for 5 years yet? Does the 2 year thing still pertain to me or no? Sorry for asking so many questions guys, just trying to get some clarity on the subject.I've tried calling Customs and Immigrations but I'm left on hold for hours at a time.

[Tee76]

No possibility of it being easier for me to get it back or move there since i already spent more than 20 years in Canada, from what my mother said it was a pain in the butt the first time filing for it when she did it for us.

[minibrings]

Have you called CIC? For questions on immigration it is best to go to the source.

[White Chocolate]

Originally Posted by minibrings

Have you called CIC? For questions on immigration it is best to go to the source.

Yes, but watch out. I got information from them and then told it was wrong at the border (actually, the border guard insinuated that I was lying about my conversation). So my advice when you call: get a name or officer number and record the time of your call. However, do not ask for a name when you're actually at the border, or you might be threatened, as I was.