Points to remember when applying for Citizenship

[dear_pnp]

My guess I guess

Man 25 months is a very long wait...I wish I can sleep straight for 25 months and wake up only to find myself at the Oath ceremony.

That way I won't notice or go through this incredibly long wait time. :'( :'( :'( :'(

 

[OKK]

My guess I guess

Man 25 months is a very long wait...I wish I can sleep straight for 25 months and wake up only to find myself at the Oath ceremony.

That way I won't notice or go through this incredibly long wait time. :'( :'( :'( :'(

LMAO or you can just send your application to a embassy and then see the magic

 

[asbereth]

Lately, with the ever-increasing number of RQ issuances, I've been thinking a bit of a sure-fire way to prove residency, especially for those with not too many absences from Canada.

Since the CBSA records every entry, if I'm currently in Canada, and the my last entry to Canada was, say, 100 days ago, then wouldn't it mean I have resided in Canada continuously during this period of 100 days? If I had left between now and 100 days ago, and I am currently in Canada, then there must be at least another entry that was recorded in between these 100 days. If there had been on such entry, then it must mean I have resided continuously in these 100 days.

So let's say I swiped my health card today, or did any activities that would definitely require my presence (such as renewing my driver's license or health card, applying for mortgage, defending your PhD thesis, etc), then wouldn't it definitely prove my continuous residence in Canada up to the point of my last entry?

Can somebody challenge this logic?

Well, maybe if you somehow acquire a visa-exempt passport, and then change your name, you may be able to enter Canada as a visitor using your new passport (and your new name) without disclosing the fact that you have changed your name, but let's say your country of citizenship does not even acknowledge dual citizenships (very realistic, since a lot of countries in Asia do not accept dual citizenships).

 

[Msafiri]

Lately, with the ever-increasing number of RQ issuances, I've been thinking a bit of a sure-fire way to prove residency, especially for those with not too many absences from Canada.

Since the CBSA records every entry, if I'm currently in Canada, and the my last entry to Canada was, say, 100 days ago, then wouldn't it mean I have resided in Canada continuously during this period of 100 days? If I had left between now and 100 days ago, and I am currently in Canada, then there must be at least another entry that was recorded in between these 100 days. If there had been on such entry, then it must mean I have resided continuously in these 100 days.

So let's say I swiped my health card today, or did any activities that would definitely require my presence (such as renewing my driver's license or health card, applying for mortgage, defending your PhD thesis, etc), then wouldn't it definitely prove my continuous residence in Canada up to the point of my last entry?

Can somebody challenge this logic?

Well, maybe if you somehow acquire a visa-exempt passport, and then change your name, you may be able to enter Canada as a visitor using your new passport (and your new name) without disclosing the fact that you have changed your name, but let's say your country of citizenship does not even acknowledge dual citizenships (very realistic, since a lot of countries in Asia do not accept dual citizenships).

Lets take an approximate 100 day window with the following scenario:

1. On January 1, 2013 you entered Canada.

2. On February 10, 2013 you left Canada and the country you travelled to never stamped your entry or future dated your entry - it happens in many countries.

3. You return to Canada on April 10, 2013 and at the airport tell the CBSA agent you left Canada on April 2, 2013 for a 1 week vacation. CBSA agent takes this at face value/ doesn't follow up based on a lack of an entry stamp or a false dated entry stamp and the date you have in your customs declaration.

I will let you do the math and tell me the (a) actual number of days (b) the apparent actual number of days in Canada. With respect this will explain the loophole in your logic and why CIC needs more than just a CBSA traveller history to verify you were actually in Canada.

As for the other activities you mention these are one off events so again you need proof of presence post their issuance/ completion. The Federal Court case law is replete with appeal refusals for people whose only proof of residence are health cards and DLs. In fact there is a case this month where the applicant had zero income filed for 'all' the tax years in the 4 year qualifying period although she never presented one year data setting off a red flag. One of the best proof of residence is full time employment in a type of job requiring your physical attendance/presence in Canada.

 

[asbereth]

Hi Msafiri,

I understand that CBSa entries alone won't be enough, but even one-off activities should be enough to prove continuous residence, provided that CBSA had not recorded any entry in-between (as I mentioned).

Let's say the last time I entered Canada was on January 1, and I had a doctor visit on April 3. Since there had been no recorded entry between January 1 and April 3, it must mean that I was never absent between January 1 and April 3, right? In this particular case, the CIC would see that your last entry was January 1, and your last health claim was April 3, it should be proof enough of continuous residence between these two dates.

As I said though, if you have second visa-exempt nationality with a different name, then it's a different story, but let's say your country of citizenship only accepts one citizenship.

 

[EasyRider]

Hi Msafiri,

I understand that CBSa entries alone won't be enough, but even one-off activities should be enough to prove continuous residence, provided that CBSA had not recorded any entry in-between (as I mentioned).

Let's say the last time I entered Canada was on January 1, and I had a doctor visit on April 3. Since there had been no recorded entry between January 1 and April 3, it must mean that I was never absent between January 1 and April 3, right? In this particular case, the CIC would see that your last entry was January 1, and your last health claim was April 3, it should be proof enough of continuous residence between these two dates.

As I said though, if you have second visa-exempt nationality with a different name, then it's a different story, but let's say your country of citizenship only accepts one citizenship.

The issue is that CBSA entries report may be incomplete. I follow these forums for a while and there have been a number of reports with CBSA missing entry records here and there.

CIC is aware CBSA may be incomplete and is not going to rely on a type of assumptions you make.

That's why only travel documents and CBSA will never be enough for an RQ response. They want to see evidence suggesting physical presence during the days claimed to have spent in Canada such as the studies or a full time job binding to location, rent receipts from landlord, credit card bills with purchases etc.

Then the documentation is assessed as a whole in a context of your story and conclusion is drawn on "balance of probabilities". Unfortunately, that's the only way.

 

[kaps]

So as a new applicant apart from the documents required by CIC "what other IMPORTANT documents' we should send in advance so that it will leave no room for RQ.

 

[OKK]

So as a new applicant apart from the documents required by CIC "what other IMPORTANT documents' we should send in advance so that it will leave no room for RQ.

You only send what is required to be sent with the application. Nothing extra

 

[EasyRider]

So as a new applicant apart from the documents required by CIC "what other IMPORTANT documents' we should send in advance so that it will leave no room for RQ.

You cannot "leave no room for RQ", though you may send additional documents that clearly support your statements.

For example, if you have a passport covering relevant 4 years, all stamps are there, they are clear and they match your declarations, you can send color copy of your all passport pages, with stamp translations where required, of course. You can also include a table referencing stamps, pages in passport and travel dates. If you have CBSA and it matches declaration, you can send it as well.

You can also include letters from employers and CRA notices of assessments, these are strong documents.

The thing here is that procedure of issuing a pre-test RQ in Sydney is based merely on indicators in application form itself (triggers based on your declarations in a form), so unlikely additional documents will make any positive difference while your file is at a pre-screening in a Sydney office. Though the procedures and the rules may change any time and you can hope it will make a difference.

In any way, all your submitted additional documents will be scanned and kept on file, and at a later stage at a local office an officer will have to review all submissions for a 1st time to prepare for test/interview and to ask you additional questions, if they arise, and then for the 2nd time after test/interview to prepare memo with recommendation on your case to a citizenship judge.

The whole point of submitting anything beyond of what's required in application is to attempt to clear up any doubts in advance and steer an officer from issuing an RQ, so do not submit any documents that may only raise more questions. It's an officer's responsibility to make correct conclusions based on submissions and if there are any new doubts introduced with additional documents, officer will have to follow up, possibly with an RQ.

 

[eileenf]

So as a new applicant apart from the documents required by CIC "what other IMPORTANT documents' we should send in advance so that it will leave no room for RQ.

I'm with OKK on this one.

I'm pretty sure I've seen this addressed in a CIC document (or court case?), but, for the life of me, I can't remember where.
I believe that the CIC does not take additional documents sent with original application into account when deciding whether to send a pre-test RQ.

Edited to Add: The question was asked on page 22 of Akella's Delayland ATIP release (pdf) in reference to a particular case where an applicant filed an RQ and 900 pages of supporting documents along with their initial application. Any general answer or policy was not included in the ATIP, but the supervisor notes that Sydney issued a second RQ and the lawyer was advised to send any additional documents not previously included.

Additionally, it's unlikely that you would be able to send every single thing that the RQ asks for. It asks for a lot. And much of it is a pain to get, as well as being very private information that's just not advisable to send out into the world unless necessary.

Sending a subset of the RQ docs might even raise suspicions about what you are leaving out.

I understand the logic of what you're trying to do, but we shouldn't try to borrow tomorrow's problems, as they say. Put together the best application that you can, hope for the best, and if tomorrow's problems do come around, you're already light years ahead of where most of us RQ-recipients were when we opened that dreaded letter.

Good luck.

 

[EasyRider]

I'm pretty sure I've seen this addressed in a CIC document (or court case?), but, for the life of me, I can't remember where.
I believe that the CIC does not take additional documents sent with original application into account when deciding whether to send a pre-test RQ.

Additionally, it's unlikely that you would be able to send every single thing that the RQ asks for. It asks for a lot. And much of it is a pain to get, as well as being very private information that's just not advisable to send out into the world unless necessary.

Sending a subset of the RQ docs might even raise suspicions about what you are leaving out.

I believe, they don't for a pre-test RQ (unless, maybe, it's something really contradicting your own declaration), but in a local office officer will have to have on file and review everything submitted with an application. Also, procedure of reviewing case in Sydney may be updated in the future.

There are still RQ's being issued after files leave Sydney, i.e. later by an officer from a local office before an interview or after an interview, based on officer's discretion as opposed to just automatic triggers.

That discretion is not set in stone, and the idea of additional documentation is to try to make case stronger and positively affect discretion.

I remember there was a point expressed in one of CIC internal communications that if some additional documents were requested with applications in advance, a lot of RQ's could have been avoided.

And that seems understandable, because if your case wasn't singled out by automatic triggers, than an officer may have concerns. But a lot (but not all, of course) of these concerns may be around trivial issues like travel or job, which can be proved easily with travel docs/job documents package. Alas, application form doesn't ask to submit that.

I believe, there's no harm in submitting more documents in advance, but one needs to be very accurate and make sure they don't raise more questions, only clearly support declarations.

 

[OKK]

sending more than what they had asked for means one is trying to out smart them....which will raise doubts and then there surely will be a RQ its a very simple philosophy which will take you a long way "speak when you are spoken to, provide what is asked, answer to the question don't write the whole book ".

 

[eileenf]

Can UPS Mailbox street address be used as a residential address and mailing address for people who live on cash rent and doesn't have the rent receipts to prove it and use the UPS Mailbox so that their mail is not lost on landlord's address.

UPS Mailbox street address is constant on all the credit card / bank statements, CRA Notice of Assessments, T4, ROE, Health Card, Doctors office, Employer records etc.?

1. I do not believe that a PO box can be listed as your home address.
2. If you pay cash rent, please please please go to your landlord and get rental receipts covering your residency in that apartment ASAP.
3. Start collecting any documentation you can which ties you to your home address, such as Hydro bills.

 

[OKK]

1. I do not believe that a PO box can be listed as your home address.
2. If you pay cash rent, please please please go to your landlord and get rental receipts covering your residency in that apartment ASAP.
3. Start collecting any documentation you can which ties you to your home address, such as Hydro bills.

I agree with eileenf....P.O.BOX can be used as a mailing address NOT as home address....Home address have to be provided along with all the supporting documents

 

[OKK]

So as a new applicant apart from the documents required by CIC "what other IMPORTANT documents' we should send in advance so that it will leave no room for RQ.

LOL that was a real silly move man never post your address online specially on a forum like this....I am glad you realized it and deleted it...however if you Google that address you will know....its NOT a residential building it shows several embassies in there....You require a residential address...don't you reside in Canada? Whats wrong with ur address???