You can voluntarily give up permanent resident status by applying to IRCC on form IMM 5782. There is no government fee. It is approved by an officer, it is not appealable, and in practice it is irreversible — so the decision deserves more thought than the paperwork does.
Our charges include applicable taxes. Disbursements are extra and billed at cost — itemized upfront, in writing, never hidden.
From $3,388.87 taxes included
To apply, you must be a permanent resident of Canada and you must hold citizenship or valid permanent resident status in another country. Canada will not leave you stateless. For a minor, every legal guardian has to consent in writing.
The application is Guide 5781 and form IMM 5782. IRCC charges nothing for it. If you are also applying for something else at the same time — a temporary resident visa, for example — those applications carry their own fees.
Under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act, you lose permanent resident status on the day an officer approves your application, not on the day you send it. If you are in Canada when that happens, the Act makes you a temporary resident for six months, which gives you a window to wind up your affairs.
The usual reason is that the residency obligation has become impossible and the person would rather leave on their own terms than accumulate a refusal. If you have been living abroad for years with no intention of returning, renouncing avoids a formal determination that you failed the 730-day obligation and the removal order that can follow.
The second reason is travel. A permanent resident who is short on days risks a difficult examination every time they approach the Canadian border. A former permanent resident who holds a passport from a visa-exempt country can generally visit on an electronic travel authorization instead, and the visit is assessed on its own terms.
The third is administrative: cleaning up status before a family application, an estate matter, or a move that requires you to declare your residence somewhere else. Immigration status and tax residence are different questions decided by different authorities, and giving up one does not settle the other. Talk to an accountant about the tax side.
After approval you can no longer work or study in Canada without authorization. You lose access to services and benefits tied to permanent residence, including provincial health coverage eligibility in most cases. Any citizenship application you have in progress will be refused.
To visit Canada afterwards you will need a visitor visa or an electronic travel authorization, depending on your nationality, and admission is at an officer's discretion each time.
Renunciation decisions cannot be appealed to the Immigration Appeal Division. And there is no simple route back — to become a permanent resident again you would have to qualify and apply from the beginning, under whatever programs exist at the time. That is the part people underestimate. If there is any realistic chance you will want to live in Canada again, look hard at whether you can save the status you already have before you sign it away.
Often, but not always. Doing nothing means the question stays open, and it gets asked at the worst moment — at a border, or when you apply for a travel document, and possibly in front of an officer who writes a report. Renouncing settles it on a date you choose, with no fee and no removal order on your record. The case against is simple: if you might want to return, the status you still hold is worth more than the tidiness.
Applications can be made at a port of entry as well as through the normal process, and the Act contemplates that. The consequences differ — the six-month temporary resident period that follows approval in Canada does not apply the same way if you apply at a port of entry or are already outside Canada. This is not a decision to make at a counter under time pressure. Sort it out before you travel.
It removes one obstacle: as a permanent resident you cannot be issued a visitor visa, so a person who is realistically never returning to live in Canada can be stuck between statuses. After renunciation you can apply as a visitor like anyone else. But a visa is not guaranteed. An officer still assesses ties to your home country and whether you will leave at the end of your stay.
$3,388.87, taxes included. That covers a proper assessment of whether renouncing is actually the right call in your situation, including whether your residency obligation can still be met or defended, then preparing and filing the renunciation application and any related visitor application strategy. IRCC charges no fee for the renunciation itself. Fees for any other application you file at the same time are separate.
Open your file tonight — a licensed Ontario lawyer will confirm everything with you by tomorrow.