Moved UK > CA as a visitor then flag-polled to US to activate PR. Am I exempt from needing a UK Police Certificate?

[matthewctrl]

I'm putting together my citizenship application package and came across the police certificate requirement. I was Scotland for 183+ days prior to arriving in Canada within the last 4 years. I moved to Canada in July 2019 as a visitor while my PR application was completed. I then activated my PR in October 2019 by flag-polling / walking across the US border into Point Roberts.

Would this count as "you were in your country of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada"? I'm thinking the US would be considered the country of origin once I did the flagpole meaning I would not be exempt.

 

[iceman55]

I'm putting together my citizenship application package and came across the police certificate requirement. I was Scotland for 183+ days prior to arriving in Canada within the last 4 years. I moved to Canada in July 2019 as a visitor while my PR application was completed. I then activated my PR in October 2019 by flag-polling / walking across the US border into Point Roberts.

Would this count as "you were in your country of origin immediately prior to becoming a permanent resident and landing in Canada"? I'm thinking the US would be considered the country of origin once I did the flagpole meaning I would not be exempt.

There's some confusion on what exactly "country of origin" means. But that's a confusion between if they mean it like "where you are originally from" (like the birth country or being a national or a citizen) or where you were living just before landing.

In either case I don't think the US will be your country of origin (assuming you never really lived in the US) but my guess is as good as anyone else's.

Especially if you add a note to that regard and send it along with your application, I don't think IRCC will have problems with that.

Also curious are you going to add that as a trip from Canada to US under your travel history as well?

 

[wink]

"and landing in Canada" is the confusing part... Though it might mean US in your case, I don't think it means you need to get PCC from there for few minutes you spent there... But yes, an explaination letter would be a good idea.

 

[matthewctrl]

There's some confusion on what exactly "country of origin" means. But that's a confusion between if they mean it like "where you are originally from" (like the birth country or being a national or a citizen) or where you were living just before landing.

In either case I don't think the US will be your country of origin (assuming you never really lived in the US) but my guess is as good as anyone else's.

Especially if you add a note to that regard and send it along with your application, I don't think IRCC will have problems with that.

Also curious are you going to add that as a trip from Canada to US under your travel history as well?

Even if Scotland is still considered by country of origin here, I came as a visitor from Scotland > Canada then a PR from US > Canada. I'm wondering if my flagpole is a technical issue here since that meant I didn't go straight from Scotland to Canada as a PR.

I am adding the flagpole trip in my travel history since I did leave and re-enter Canada.

"and landing in Canada" is the confusing part... Though it might mean US in your case, I don't think it means you need to get PCC from there for few minutes you spent there... But yes, an explaination letter would be a good idea.

I won't need a US PCC but wondering if I still need to provide a UK PCC with my scenario. I want to be exempt since I moved from Scotland to Canada and switched from being a visitor to PR within a few month, but since I technically left Canada to go to the US for the flag pole, I wonder if they consider Scotland my country of origin.

The wording is certainly confusing!

 

[shiremag]

Even if Scotland is still considered by country of origin here, I came as a visitor from Scotland > Canada then a PR from US > Canada. I'm wondering if my flagpole is a technical issue here since that meant I didn't go straight from Scotland to Canada as a PR.

I am adding the flagpole trip in my travel history since I did leave and re-enter Canada.




I won't need a US PCC but wondering if I still need to provide a UK PCC with my scenario. I want to be exempt since I moved from Scotland to Canada and switched from being a visitor to PR within a few month, but since I technically left Canada to go to the US for the flag pole, I wonder if they consider Scotland my country of origin.

The wording is certainly confusing!

Look at your COPR it should show your country of origin. In the top right it should be listed as "COR"

 

[matthewctrl]

Look at your COPR it should show your country of origin. In the top right it should be listed as "COR"

COB = Scotland and COR = Canada on my COPR

 

[shiremag]

COB = Scotland and COR = Canada on my COPR

So officially your country of origin is Canada. You must have submitted a UK PCC with your PR application and you were in Canada since. The time between your old UK PCC and the time you landed in Canada is a visitor is the duration that might be in question.

My situation was not clear cut either as I had multiple trips after I landed and I am going to submit an FBI PCC just to be safe. Or, you can chance it and if they require one, they may ask for it later

 

[wink]

Look at your COPR it should show your country of origin. In the top right it should be listed as "COR"

Thanks. I did not know or forgot this details is there in COPR.

 

[matthewctrl]

So officially your country of origin is Canada. You must have submitted a UK PCC with your PR application and you were in Canada since. The time between your old UK PCC and the time you landed in Canada is a visitor is the duration that might be in question.

My situation was not clear cut either as I had multiple trips after I landed and I am going to submit an FBI PCC just to be safe. Or, you can chance it and if they require one, they may ask for it later

Looking back at my records, I requested a UK PCC back in July 2018 when I was putting together my supporting documents for PR application. So that was around 12 months before arriving into Canada but again I’m unsure if the exemption applies here.

 

[wink]

Looking back at my records, I requested a UK PCC back in July 2018 when I was putting together my supporting documents for PR application. So that was around 12 months before arriving into Canada but again I’m unsure if the exemption applies here.

If you have submitted PCC during PR application and after arriving in Canada if you have not left the country for 180+ days at a stretch, then I would say you don't need to submit again...

For peace of mind, if it is not a big hassle to get a new PCC from UK you could do that... but I don't think you need to.