What is a soft landing?
The term “soft landing” applies to Canada immigrants who have just obtained their permanent residency. Upon landing in Canada, these immigrants have to apply for their PR card. This application process takes around two months, and once you have your card, you can then permanently stay in Canada.
But if for some reason you are not able to stay permanently in Canada and you want to go back to your home country, this is called a soft landing. For example, you might arrive in Canada, stay just two weeks, and then fly back home.
What is the advantage of doing a soft landing?
A soft landing is useful when you have a situation that’s postponing your permanent landing. For example, you might have apprehensions about whether you can find a job in Canada straight away. Or you might have some pressing family issues, such as old parents you have to take care of. In these cases, a soft landing is useful because it means you can apply for your PR card and then go back to your home country.
How do I do a soft landing?
After landing in Canada, you will have lots of tasks to do. You will need to apply for your PR card, apply for your SIN card, open a bank account, look for a job, check whether you need certification, and find accommodation.
Some of these tasks can be done quickly. Getting a SIN card can be done straight away and opening a bank account does not take much time either. However, it can take one to two months to get a PR card.
While you wait for your PR card to be ready, you can leave the Canada. This is called a soft landing. One problem however is that you will need to give a Canadian address where your PR can be sent to. A solution is to give a friend’s address; then, your friend can then forward your PR card to you. In fact, many people do this.
Another thing to keep in mind when doing a soft landing is residency requirements. For every five year period, you must be in Canada for every two years to keep your permanent residency status. So make sure to stay in Canada for two out of every five years to you will keep your residency status active.