How the 1,095-day rule actually counts

The requirement is 1,095 days of physical presence — three full years — inside a rolling five-year window that ends on the day you sign your application. Three details decide most borderline cases:

• Only days inside Canada count. There is no credit for time abroad as a PR, no matter the reason. Arrival and departure days both count as full days in Canada.
• Pre-PR time counts at half, capped at 365. Days spent in Canada as a temporary resident (study permit, work permit, protected person) within the window earn 0.5 days each, to a maximum credit of 365 days. That cap is reached at exactly 730 actual days — extra temporary-resident time beyond that adds nothing.
• The window moves with your signing date. Days older than five years fall out of the calculation. Waiting to apply can sometimes reduce your total if heavy-travel years roll into the window.

Worked example: you studied in Canada for 730 days on a study permit, became a PR, and then spent 800 days in Canada as a PR. Your total is 730 ÷ 2 = 365 credit (exactly the cap) plus 800 PR days = 1,165 qualifying days — eligible, with a 70-day margin. Most applicants deliberately keep a buffer above 1,095, because a single miscounted vacation can otherwise sink an application.

Physical presence is one requirement among several: you also need to have filed taxes for at least three years within the window if required to, pass the citizenship knowledge test, and demonstrate language ability if you are 18–54. If you are still building your days, the newcomer money guide covers the settlement steps that run in parallel, and the PGWP calculator helps students plan the permit stage that usually precedes PR.