Term: Temporary Resident

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Glossary Definition

Last Updated: 2026-07-14

Definition:

A foreign national has temporary resident status in Canada when they have been found to meet the requirements of the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and Regulations to enter or remain in Canada. Visitors, students, workers and temporary resident permit holders may also have temporary resident status. Only foreign nationals physically in Canada hold temporary resident status. ( Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) website - What is a temporary resident? - https://www.canada.ca/en/immigration-refugees-citizenship/corporate/publications-manuals/operational-bulletins-manuals/temporary-residents.html - accessed November 21, 2022).

Typically, entry under a temporary permit is granted for a 6-month period, unless the applicant holds a super visa which authorizes a stay of 5 years on entry. Upon re-entry into Canada on a non-expired permit, admission may be granted for an additional 6-month period, or it may be limited to the initial period granted.

Temporary residents can be identified by their presence in the Immigrant, Refugees and Citizenship Canada Temporary Resident Permit data (IRCC-TRP). If an individual has a permit record in the MP, SP, or WP datasets, the SIGN_DT indicates the date they entered Canada as a temporary resident. Because temporary permits are for a limited period, it is common for an individual to enter the country many times with a new permit record documenting each entry.

Related concepts 

• Determining immigrant status in Manitoba Population Repository
• Immigration / Migration Overview - Links to Immigration / Migration Data and Related Concepts and Glossary Terms
• Immigration trajectories

Related terms 

• Immigrant family status
• IRCC Unique Client Identifier (UCI/UCID)
• Migrant / Migration
• Permanent Resident
• Permit Type
• Recent Immigrant
• Serial Migration
• Sign Date

Links 

• Temporary resident visa: validity (expiry dates) - Canada.ca
• Temporary residents: Determining duration of visits - Canada.ca
• Temporary residents: Super visa - Canada.ca
• Temporary residents: Visitors - Canada.ca