2. Check that you meet the requirements

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) can refuse your application for a new (PR) card if you do not meet the residency requirement.

All permanent residents of Canada must meet the residency requirement. For most people, this means you must spend 2 years physically present in Canada out of every 5 years. This is 730 days. There are different rules if you're:

travelling outside Canada with your Canadian , , or parent,
working abroad for a Canadian business or government, or
travelling outside Canada with your permanent resident spouse, common-law partner, or parent and they're working abroad for a Canadian business or government.

It's a good idea to keep a list of your travel dates outside Canada including day trips to the United States. You need this information to apply for a new PR card, a PR travel document, or citizenship.

If you do not meet the residency requirement

If you apply for a PR card and you do not meet the residency requirement, IRCC could try to take away your PR status.

And if you travel outside Canada, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) could also check to see if you have met the residency requirement when you try to get back.

Get legal advice about your options right away. For example, you might be able to wait to renew your PR card after you have spent the required 2 years out of the last 5 years physically present in Canada (730 days).

Refugees in Canada

If you came to Canada as a refugee, you can lose your permanent resident status and refugee protection if you:

travel to the country you claimed refugee protection against, even for a short time,
apply for a passport from the country you claimed refugee protection against, even if you never use it to travel,
travel to any country using a passport from the country you claimed refugee protection against,
return to live in your home country, buy a home, or start a business there, or
become a citizen of a country other than Canada.

If you have concerns, get legal advice.