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Quesiton 4A place of birth: Russia or USSR

OrangeCup

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Feb 13, 2014
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Guys, those who applied for citizenship with russian passport - what do you write in the question 4A: USSR or Russia? My passport says USSR, but the country doesn't exist anymore, what should I write as a place of birth? Russian Federation?

Thank you
 

Donvalley

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If you keep changing it to match as the fools change it everywhere, you will end up having half a dozen birthplaces in your life time. So, my suggestion is just play it straight and copy down the information that is on the birth certificate/old passport: “USSR" or whatever.
 

asa1973

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OrangeCup said:
Guys, those who applied for citizenship with russian passport - what do you write in the question 4A: USSR or Russia? My passport says USSR, but the country doesn't exist anymore, what should I write as a place of birth? Russian Federation?

Thank you
Current administrative names used for applications (at least all visas used Russia, Canadian PR as well)

I used "Russia"
 

aed

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OrangeCup said:
Guys, those who applied for citizenship with russian passport - what do you write in the question 4A: USSR or Russia? My passport says USSR, but the country doesn't exist anymore, what should I write as a place of birth? Russian Federation?

Thank you
Put Russia. USSR will give CIC a headache. :)
 

screech339

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Putting in USSR in the application may make the agent reminisce about the 1972 Canada / CCCP hockey game. LOL.

Screech339
 

screech339

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I think since it's the city / town that places the birth of the OP, I would go with Russia. For example. If the OP was born in Moscow, then it's Moscow, Russia as that is where the city of birth is located today.

USSR is not really an country as it comprise of all the soviet countries under one "USSR" including Russia.

Screech339
 

Kubik

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Dec 1, 2008
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My wife was born in Azerbaijan, one of the former Soviet republics, and was born during the Soviet era, hence she was born in USSR just like OrangeCup. We put Azerbaijan as her country of birth and her citizenship application was accepted and getting closer to finalizing nowadays. So, I also believe that OrangeCup might better put Russia for the country of birth. Otherwise it would be something like a German writing European Union instead of Germany for the country of birth. Well, it's not exactly the same thing, I know, it's just an analogy. But still, Russia was still a standalone country under USSR along with all other republics.
 

Donvalley

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As I said earlier; the correct/legal way is to copy letter by letter on your previous/first documents. CIC may not find any issue with it now but many places do object if your documents don't match each other.
 

aed

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screech339 said:
I think since it's the city / town that places the birth of the OP, I would go with Russia. For example. If the OP was born in Moscow, then it's Moscow, Russia as that is where the city of birth is located today.

USSR is not really an country as it comprise of all the soviet countries under one "USSR" including Russia.

Screech339
I second that. :)
 

aed

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Donvalley said:
As I said earlier; the correct/legal way is to copy letter by letter on your previous/first documents. CIC may not find any issue with it now but many places do object if your documents don't match each other.
Hmm I'm wondering, even when you go online and check your ecas, you have to select your birth place to log in. No USSR. So, my advice, stay current. :)
 

bambino

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I had the exact same idea and went to the ECAS login page. It does list "Union of Soviet Socialist Republics" as an option. It appears to me that if CIC decided to include it (Czechoslovakia is also there, by the way) on a website that was created years after the country ceased to exist, they expect you to select that. Your nationality/citizenship is Russian, but your place of birth was the USSR.
 

Goldline

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OrangeCup said:
Guys, those who applied for citizenship with russian passport - what do you write in the question 4A: USSR or Russia? My passport says USSR, but the country doesn't exist anymore, what should I write as a place of birth? Russian Federation?

Thank you
I would answer like this: Russia (Ex USSR) or (Previously called USSR)
 

Donvalley

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Friends,
Let me make it a bit easy for you guys, the question is like this:
If Superman, who was born on planet Krypton -- a planet that blew up shortly after he escaped -- is being asked where he was born, should he truthfully state Krypton or make a false statement such as Kitchener or Kampala?

You were born where you were born, put the name of the country as it was when you were born i.e. as in BC/PP etc. It would be wrong to change, as the concept of many new nations didn't exist at that time.

If you keep changing Leningrad will be St. Petersburg too. As I said earlier, to finally end up having many mismatching documents to face unintended consequences. You can put it as Leningrad, USSR while your kids can say St. Petersburg, Russia. Nothing wrong in it.

If you were a sports lover and watch a lot of matches, you will know this in a flash second. When you look up a player, listed is the country they were born in, not what it is today.

Here is an example
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1851

Same player, another site
http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/358/jochen-hecht

Another one
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/3233

One more example (different country) Now Kazakhstan
http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/players/1884