Canadian permanent residents have all the benefits and obligations outlined below.
Where You Can Live
A permanent resident and their accompanying dependants can live, work and study in any one of the ten provinces or three territories within Canada.
Education
Permanent residents have the right to free education up to the age of 18 in the Canadian public school system.
When it comes to university, tuition fees are dramatically reduced for permanent residents when compared to international student rates. For example, the McGill University tuition fees for 2019-2020 are $2,544 for a Quebec resident, $7,940 for other Canadians and $18,110-$48,747 for international students, depending on the program of study.
Health Care
Permanent residents qualify for provincial universal health care coverage.
While Medicare is governed by federal legislation, each province and territory administers its own public health plan, and some impose a Medicare waiting period on new residents. Where a waiting period applies the new resident is responsible for paying the entire cost of medical services, including hospital fees, even in an emergency.
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The provinces that require a waiting period and those that do not are subject to change.
Currently, there are six provinces that offer “immediate” Medicare coverage for newly landed permanent residents. Moving from West to East, those include Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador. In those jurisdictions, after registering for a health card with the qualifying documentation, the effective date of coverage is made retroactive to the date the new resident arrived to establish residence in the province or territory.
That leaves four provinces (British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Quebec) and all territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut) where a Medicare waiting period is imposed on newly arrived residents. In these jurisdictions even, new residents who are Canadian citizens face the waiting period.
The waiting period can be up to three months from the date one physically arrives in the province or territory with the requisite immigration status (with the permanent resident document).
Read more: Canada Immigration and Healthcare: All You Need to Know
Tax
You must pay taxes at the federal, provincial and municipal levels. Income tax is imposed on the basis of residency rather than citizenship. After becoming a permanent resident an individual would be required to pay Canadian taxes on worldwide income. The assets of a newly arriving immigrant are not taxed under Canadian law.
Federal Tax Rates
- 15% on the first $53,359 of taxable income, and
- 20.5% on the portion of taxable income over $53,359 up to $106,717 and
- 26% on the portion of taxable income over $106,717 up to $165,430 and
- 29% on the portion of taxable income over $165,430 up to $235,675 and
- 33% of taxable income over $235,675.
Provincial Tax Rates
| Alberta 10% on the first $142,292 | British Columbia 5.06% on the first $45,654 of taxable income |
| Manitoba 10.8% on the first $36,842 of taxable income | New Brunswick 9.4% on first $47,715 |
| Newfoundland and Labrador 8.7% on the first $41,457 of taxable income | Nova Scotia 8.79% on the first $29,590 of taxable income |
| Northwest Territories 5.9% on the first $43,137 of taxable income | Nunavut 4% on the first $45,414 of taxable income |
| Ontario 5.05% on the first $46,226 of taxable income | Prince Edward Island 9.8% on the first $31,984 of taxable income |
| Quebec first $49,275 14.00% | Saskatchewan 10.5% on the first $46,773 of taxable income, |
Becoming a Canadian Citizen
Under current law, to qualify for citizenship through naturalization, candidates must have three years of qualifying permanent resident status during the preceding five years.
Applicants must also:
- Meet the Citizenship Language Requirement, if between the ages of 18 and 54;
- Not be under a removal order;
- Not have a criminal prohibition;
- Pay processing fees.
Read More: Who Qualifies for Canadian Citizenship?
