Bank statements as proof of residence

[liherb]

I've been accumulating bank statements every month from my bank, which bear my address in Canada. I heard that this can serve as proof of continuous residence in Canada. Is this true? Can any expert friend here advise me? I really hate this as I am a paperless person. Keeping a lot of paper based documents sometimes makes me feel frustrated
Any other better ways? Thanks.

[Leon]

Could you leave Canada and they would still send you statements?  If the answer is yes, then it is no proof.

[toby]

Leon is right, and when I asked this of CRA, the person on the pone said the same thing.

ATM slips showing transactions in Canada would be better.

[Baloo]

I've been accumulating bank statements every month from my bank, which bear my address in Canada. I heard that this can serve as proof of continuous residence in Canada. Is this true? Can any expert friend here advise me? I really hate this as I am a paperless person. Keeping a lot of paper based documents sometimes makes me feel frustrated
Any other better ways? Thanks.

Many people bank online, so getting a bank statement anywhere in the world is easy. IMO not proof of residence.
Dated receipts from Canadian businesses are useful, you can always scan them to get rid of the pile of paper.
You could also take digital pictures of yourself in Canada - no paper storage required.

[Alabaman]

Any other better ways?

The truth is that if you are really living in Canada, there are tons of paper trail that will follow you. Do you work? Do you spend? Do you file taxes? Do you go on vacations? Do you drive? Do you go to the hospital? Do you volunteer? Do you rent? Do you bank? Do you fly (even if its within Canada)? Do you gym? etc etc.

Give them whatever you have.

[liherb]

So the conclusion is I can throw those bank statements away? Are they really useless?
In addition, I would think that electronic evidence is still not admissible when dealing with the government, isn't it?

[toby]

So the conclusion is I can throw those bank statements away? Are they really useless?
In addition, I would think that electronic evidence is still not admissible when dealing with the government, isn't it?

No, evidence in electronic form is not admissible, but scanning and later printing a receipt showing place and date would be acceptable.

Regarding a photos taken with a digital camera to prove your time in Canada, I doubt that they would be convincing to a skeptical CIC officer, since the dates showing on the digital photos can be altered by changing settings in the camera. So, one could take 12 photos on the same day, in different settings, and alter the date for each photo to make it look as if the person was in Canada over 12 months. 

However, what if one took each month's photo to a  photo shop to print them -- and asked the ohoto shop to add their date to the photo?  Would  the photo shop's date not corroborate the digital dates?  It woudl mea a monthly trip to the photo shop, but that's the price of being "Canadian", eh?



.

[Baloo]

Regarding a photos taken with a digital camera to prove your time in Canada, I doubt that they would be convincing to a skeptical CIC officer, since the dates showing on the digital photos can be altered by changing settings in the camera. So, one could take 12 photos on the same day, in different settings, and alter the date for each photo to make it look as if the person was in Canada over 12 months. 

I agree that the EXIF data can be modified, but so can images - I should have described the idea further.

Pictures at something like a Canada day event, at a known landmark are proof of being in Canada.
Buying a newspaper and photographing yourself reading it in Canada would also be good proof.

BTW as you stated Toby, scanning and printing is acceptable, I did this for my permanent resident app' documents, cards, receipts etc - no issues at all.
Obviously, where originals were required, CIC got them.

The dated pictures from a photo print shop can also be disputed, I have a good friend who runs a shop, all someone would need is a rubber stamp

I think Alabaman has the concept sorted. Providing evidence of real life is the way to go, but it does require extra effort.

You could rely on your passport.
If you enter another country, get a stamp.
When you return to Canada there will be a record of entry which you can access by using a FOIA request.
You could scan all the pages in your passport, when you need evidence.


Overall, Canadian immigration are not stupid, they must have seen nearly everything by now
If people want to fake this stuff they can, but if it looks too perfect,... anything could happen.

[liherb]

Thanks all my friends! So now I think I can safely discard those bank statements!
It must be some rumors that I overheard that bank statements are recommended to be preserved for residence record purpose. Now I think this issue is clear.

[toby]

I agree that the EXIF data can be modified, but so can images - I should have described the idea further.

Pictures at something like a Canada day event, at a known landmark are proof of being in Canada.
Buying a newspaper and photographing yourself reading it in Canada would also be good proof.

BTW as you stated Toby, scanning and printing is acceptable, I did this for my permanent resident app' documents, cards, receipts etc - no issues at all.
Obviously, where originals were required, CIC got them.

The dated pictures from a photo print shop can also be disputed, I have a good friend who runs a shop, all someone would need is a rubber stamp

I think Alabaman has the concept sorted. Providing evidence of real life is the way to go, but it does require extra effort.

You could rely on your passport.
If you enter another country, get a stamp.
When you return to Canada there will be a record of entry which you can access by using a FOIA request.
You could scan all the pages in your passport, when you need evidence.


Overall, Canadian immigration are not stupid, they must have seen nearly everything by now
If people want to fake this stuff they can, but if it looks too perfect,... anything could happen.

Baloo:  What is an FOIA request, please?

[Baloo]

Sorry, my mistake, I used a non Canadian term... FOIA = Freedom of information Act

In Canada:  Access to Information Act

[Alabaman]

Thanks all my friends! So now I think I can safely discard those bank statements!
It must be some rumors that I overheard that bank statements are recommended to be preserved for residence record purpose. Now I think this issue is clear.

What's it with discarding bank statements?? Why not just put them in a box and forget them in some closet? Why scan and reprint again? Common save a tree today

[AllisonVSC]

Thanks all my friends! So now I think I can safely discard those bank statements!
It must be some rumors that I overheard that bank statements are recommended to be preserved for residence record purpose. Now I think this issue is clear.

If these statements only show balances, deposits, and transfers, I agree toss them. But if those bank statements show a record of transactions within Canada, weekly gas and grocery purchases, pay deposits, monthly rent and utility payments, I would think they are useful and should be saved as PR renewal evidence. I am saving mine, and my credit card statements, for just that purpose since I lack employment records.

[toby]

What's it with discarding bank statements?? Why not just put them in a box and forget them in some closet? Why scan and reprint again? Common save a tree today

If saving trees is a priority  ( a laudable one, I'd say), then don't get paper bank statements at all. Get them sent to you by email, and save them, then print a few to show time spent in Canada. That is, of course, of the bank statements show time and place of the transactions.

[toby]

If these statements only show balances, deposits, and transfers, I agree toss them. But if those bank statements show a record of transactions within Canada, weekly gas and grocery purchases, pay deposits, monthly rent and utility payments, I would think they are useful and should be saved as PR renewal evidence. I am saving mine, and my credit card statements, for just that purpose since I lack employment records.

Allison, do your bank statements show time and place of transactions?  Mine show merely the amount and date of the transaction, nothing more.  As such, these statements don't prove time was spent in Canada, unless the vendor is mentioned, and the vendor is only in Canada, nowhere else.