What happens to my residency obligation clock if I was approved as a PR but never actually landed in Canada?

The residency obligation and its rolling five-year assessment period apply regardless of whether the person has actually come to Canada and begun living here after becoming a permanent resident. Someone who was approved as a PR but never travelled to Canada at all will generally not meet the physical presence requirement for that period, since there is simply no time in Canada to count, and none of the recognized exceptions apply to a person who has never been anywhere near Canada in the first place.

This can come as a surprise to people who think of permanent residence as a status that, once granted, remains secure indefinitely without further action. In reality, the residency obligation is an ongoing requirement, not a one-time condition satisfied at the moment of approval, and a PR who never lands and never establishes any qualifying presence risks losing status entirely when it is eventually assessed, for example at a port of entry or when applying for a PR card or travel document.

Anyone in this situation should get their specific circumstances reviewed as soon as possible, since the options available shrink considerably the longer the situation continues unaddressed.