Permanent residency

Permanent residency refers to a person's status such that the person is allowed to reside indefinitely within the country despite not having citizenship. A person with such status is known as a permanent resident.

Countries with permanent residency systems

Not every country has a facility for someone to be a 'permanent resident'. Those that do include:

Argentina
Australia
Canada (permanent residents were known as landed immigrants before 28 June 2002)
Chile
China (Program started from 2004)
Denmark
Hong Kong (either through Right to land or Right of Abode)
Israel (The term toshàv-kéva may refer to a permanent resident without citizenship, or to a citizen with registered abode)
Japan
Malaysia
New Zealand
Singapore
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland (called a C permit)
United Kingdom (either through Indefinite Leave to Remain or Right of Abode)
United States of America

Rights of permanent residents

Depending on the country, permanent residents usually have the same rights as citizens except for:

the right to vote or stand for public office
the right to apply for public sector employment (uncommon)
the right to apply for employment involving national security
the right to hold the passport of that country
the right to access the country's consular protection (some countries allow this)

Some countries have compulsory military service for Permanent Residents and Citizens. For example, Singapore requires all males who are citizens and permanent residents to complete a compulsory 2 years of service in the army known as National Service (NS) upon attaining 18 years of age. Subsequently, they are required attend annual in-camp training and can be called on for operationally ready service until the age of 40. Failure to register for or complete National Service can result in heavy penalties.

Obligations of permanent residents

Permanent residents may be required to fulfill specific residence obligations to retain their status. In some cases, permanent residency may be conditional on a certain type of employment or maintenance of a business. For example, permanent residents may be subject to military service obligations. In the United States, permanent resident males are obliged to register with Selective Service on the same basis as citizens.

Loss of status

Permanent residents may lose their status if:

they fail to comply with residence or other obligations imposed on them
if they commit crimes they may be subject to deportation or removal from the country

Access to citizenship

Usually permanent residents may apply for citizenship by naturalisation after a period of residence in the country concerned. In many nations an application for naturalisation can be denied on character grounds sometimes resulting in individuals that are not in danger of being deported but may not proceed to citizenship.

Automatic entitlement

Full permanent residence rights are granted automatically between:

the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom
the states of the Nordic Council

Rights conferred under the European Union Treaties do not extend to full permanent residence, but in practise there is little difference.

Australian and New Zealand citizens have significant rights of residence in each other's nations under the Trans-Tasman Travel Arrangement.

Proof of permanent residency

People who are granted permanent residency in a country are usually issued some sort of documentary evidence as legal proof of this status. In the past, many countries would merely stamp the person's passport indicating that the holder was admitted as a permanent resident or that he was exempt from immigration control and permitted to work without restriction. Other countries would issue a photo ID card (known in the United States as a "green card") or would issue a visa sticker in the person's passport or present them with letter to indicate their permanent resident status.

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