My poor record, before applying for citizenship am I a hopless case?

[adame]

Hi Everyone,
Very usefull forum, I have been following you all guys for weeks now
hope you can help me with this

I am due to apply for citizenship (1100 days now) however, i never had a job in Canada, staying in a small flat that includes the bills within the rent ( no utility bills) and my wife and son live in the United Kingdom and to make it even worse, I do most of my spendings in cash so poor bank statements transaction

So, I am not convincing case to any officer, However, I did not leave canada for almost 3 years except for 2 weeks

I have my passports ( old and new)

am I a hopeless case?

please advise.

A

 

[mikeramma]

As long as there is nothing on your passport which indicates that u left the country then you should be fine. Just apply and the worst case scenario is interview with a judge. In such case, you can explain your situation. The most important thing now is to apply because if you don't then the people in CIC will think that you weren't in the country and problem will start to pop up.
Good luck,

 

[Leon]

What do you do all day? There must be people you see and places you go that can verify you have been in Canada if needed. Do you go to the doctor sometimes? Dentist? Do you go to a gym? Have you been taking any courses?

 

[adame]

Thank you
but does this mean
- an RQ
- 2 more years to the time line
and still a possibility of failing to convince the judge?

its very difficult to have a job here and I wanted to try back home after I apply, I understand that this is also something they hate, right?

I am a bloody banker who is obviously not a favorite job now

A

 

[adame]

Thank you Leon
I used to go to the GYM and still go sometimes but not as often as before.
because I dont have income I am super careful with spending, but I go to Starbucks very often
do I have to be more active of some sort?
but this costs monsy, and I dont have income and after all the last three years is pretty flat and I am considering returiing back to my country and continue to apply jobs from there to save the living costs.
I do want to have Canada as my home country but its almost impossible with no jobs. and I was refused the welfare because I have savings more than $1000. ( i did apply for welfare but refused twice for that reason)
what do you think my chances are if I return back to my country after applying. I dont want to complicate my citizenship application process but I dont have a strong application and I know it
the only thing I can proof is that I did not leave the country for 3 years but was flying pretty much below the radar
the fact that my wife and son are not here is also not helping

what do you think I should do

Sorry for the silly question but I am clueless

A

 

[Leon]

If you had a gym membership, you could ask the gym for a printout of all your visits in the last few years. Since most gyms make sure that nobody else is using your card, it would help prove that you were in Canada during that time. You shouldn't go to Starbucks often if you are short of money. It may not seem like much but it adds up.

I don't know if you will get an RQ. It is possible. If you do, it will cause delays in your application. If you are unable to prove you were living in Canada, you might even be refused, especially if you have at that point moved back to your homeland.

One thing I don't understand. You were in Canada for 3 years. You never succeeded in getting a job, not even a survival job to stretch your savings. Why do you still want to make Canada your country?

 

[adame]

Thank you Leon for your reply and the question

I know I will not be able to have a job also back home but the difference is that it costs less to survive back home.

the reason I want canada to be my home is the life style, if I cant find a job in both countries then I rather live in Canada for the life style if I can afford it and I always have a hope that the banking industry will bounce back and I will be able to find a job although 3 years out of the market is painful and does not help

its the hope of things getting better somehow and getting a job sometime.

but what interests me in your reply is that you mentioned I may not be able to prove I was living here, isnt the stamps in my passports is an enough prove? this is an important question because its all what I got

A

 

[Leon]

but what interests me in your reply is that you mentioned I may not be able to prove I was living here, isnt the stamps in my passports is an enough prove? this is an important question because its all what I got

If you only have one stamp that you entered Canada and no other stamps but you are still in Canada, they might be forced to believe that you stayed in Canada the whole time. If you have gone to the UK to visit, you would have two stamps for entering Canada and because they do not do exit checks, they might not know when you left. Your passport would not have been stamped when you entered your own country.

 

[adame]

Thanks Leon, useful feedback
It is a one stamp in and nothing since
and I will do my best to stay as long as I can after applying may be I will get lucky
your reply gave me some hope, thanks again
A

 

[professional 1]

It is a one stamp in and nothing since
and I will do my best to stay as long as I can after applying may be I will get lucky
your reply gave me some hope, thanks again
A

I would just add one important point that you should expect to face once you apply for citizenship:


Expect to be asked the following question by the immigration officers or even a citizenship judge:


How did you survive living in Canada for 3 years or more with no job "source of income" ?

If you answer "I had my own savings from back home", you will be asked to show a proof of those savings such as; the date they were transferred to your bank account in Canada, the amount of the money to be big enough to support you all of those days, and finally the bank records which show the account movement "debit and credit".

You mentioned that you have poor bank records because you have not used any debit card and have been buying all of your stuff in cash payment.

Even in this situation your bank account records should show reasonable cash withdrawals regularly from the account to pay your daily/weekly/monthly living expenses....etc.

If the bank account records cannot show those movements, you will face a very hard time to prove your residence in Canada.


Regarding the rent and billings issue, it is not unusual in Canada to rent an apartment or so with a full paid benefits such as the hydro, water, electricity...etc. Even in such a situation you should be able to get a copy of your lease contract stating that the bills are paid already.

You should not be renting without a contract that proves your rights and shows your obligations to protect you and the landlord. "Expect to be asked about that point as well".

 

[adame]

Thanks professional 1

In regards to the lease, I do have a lease and it does state that the rent is inclusive of all the bills. however, its just a paper that could be bought from any stationary and if the immigration officer or judge wants to be suspicious, he wont have any difficulties.

in regards to the cash payments, I do have a good record of cash in and then out enough to justify a living

I am still worry, because if they are suspicious by nature they will enjoy my case a lot

A

 

[professional 1]

Thanks professional 1

In regards to the lease, I do have a lease and it does state that the rent is inclusive of all the bills. however, its just a paper that could be bought from any stationary and if the immigration officer or judge wants to be suspicious, he wont have any difficulties.

in regards to the cash payments, I do have a good record of cash in and then out enough to justify a living

I am still worry, because if they are suspicious by nature they will enjoy my case a lot

A

Well, If you already have the above documents regarding the lease, the bank savings records, cash payment records you should not be worried. The lease contract is valid for use in court in case of any dispute happens between the renter and the landlord as it has the terms and conditions and the signature of both of you.

Moreover, each month that you have paid must have a receipt issued and given to you, which you are going to provide with your application in case they have any doubts about it. At the other end, each monthly lease payment "in cash" should show the same amount exactly withdrawn from your bank account to be paid on time.


One more point will apply to you "if you live in Ontario" is the Tax assessment notice issued by Canada revenue agency. I assume that you have been filing for your tax regularly since you came to Canada even if you have not done any kind of job in Canada. Therefore, your notice of assessment issued by Canada revenue agency must show the rent expenses that you have claimed "proved by the receipts you received from the landlord" and the refunds you have got for them.


If you have all of the above documents and any more ones that can support your case, you should not be worried at all. Even if it takes them longer than usual, they will eventually end up granting you citizenship after they verify your case.


Good luck.

 

[adame]

Thanks again

fingers crossed, not a straight forward and I wish I knew that earlier.

The cash out is like $5,000 a time and that was it for 4-5 months then another withdrawal of $5,000 4-5 months later

I do file for the taxes but I am in QC so I have both the federal and the QC tax assessment

wish me luck, I imagine the look of doubt in the eyes of my immigration officer or the judge and I already hate it so much !!

A

 

[professional 1]

Thanks again

fingers crossed, not a straight forward and I wish I knew that earlier.

The cash out is like $5,000 a time and that was it for 4-5 months then another withdrawal of $5,000 4-5 months later

I do file for the taxes but I am in QC so I have both the federal and the QC tax assessment

wish me luck, I imagine the look of doubt in the eyes of my immigration officer or the judge and I already hate it so much !!

A

Wish you the best of luck.


By the way, have a look at the following link regarding your case to get an idea of how they may deal with your citizenship application

(From page number 16 to page 21):

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/manuals/cp/cp05-eng.pdf

 

[scylla]

I always have a hope that the banking industry will bounce back and I will be able to find a job

The banking industry hasn't really been in a downturn in Canada (i.e. Canadian banks have been hiring pretty much as normal over the last few years). As you may or may not be aware, banking in Canada stayed relatively healthy and strong through the global economic turmoil due to more conservative banking practices and more conservative government policies. I'm in banking and all of the departments I have worked for over the last few years have increased their staffing levels. (Note that we are expecting a bit of a slowdown over the next year or more. So while hiring has been happening at a regular pace over the last few years - there may in fact be a bit of a slowdown this year.)

Banking can be quite competitive because there are many good jobs found in this industry. Maybe you haven't positioned yourself as well as possible to get a foothold in the industry in Canada? (It's not easy since there's so much competition.) The first challenge you face is that you're not located in Toronto. Toronto is the job/career hub for banking careers in Canada. Having said that, there are certainly numerous financial institutions with headquarters in QC and still plenty of banking jobs there.

How's your French? If it's not strong and close to perfect - that's an area I would very strongly recommend you improve first if you want to enter banking in that province.

Have you taken any Canadian certifications since arriving that line-up with your area of specialization in banking? (e.g. CSC, PMP, CFA, CA, etc.)? What was your area of specialization before you left for Canada? If you let me know - I can certainly try to recommend which certification(s) I would take if I was in your position to make your resume more appealing to a hiring manager.

Good luck!