Working in the US -- should go in front of a judge??

[Verweg]

Hey,
I'm currently a permanent resident and will get my 1,095 days on Jan 22 2011. But I work as a consultant and as such, have been working in the US for a big chunk of that time (175 days). So I calculated that to get my actual days present in Canada correct, I can't apply until July 17 2011. And of course, that date will be pushed back if I spend more days abroad, which is very likely.

So my question is: if I do decide to apply on Jan 22, it tells me I would have to go in front of a Judge. How much time does that add to the procedure and will it be difficult for me to pursuade the judge of my situation? I should have no problem convincing a judge, as I do have my social life here (including bank account, friends and even owning a cottage in Canada!).

Would it make sense for me to try and get in front of a judge ASAP? If that can happen before, say, Oct 2011, and the judge denies me, I could still put in the regular request right away. It seems to me that I can just take that shot and hopefully take some time off the waiting period.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Verweg

[PMM]

Hi

Hey,
I'm currently a permanent resident and will get my 1,095 days on Jan 22 2011. But I work as a consultant and as such, have been working in the US for a big chunk of that time (175 days). So I calculated that to get my actual days present in Canada correct, I can't apply until July 17 2011. And of course, that date will be pushed back if I spend more days abroad, which is very likely.

So my question is: if I do decide to apply on Jan 22, it tells me I would have to go in front of a Judge. How much time does that add to the procedure and will it be difficult for me to pursuade the judge of my situation? I should have no problem convincing a judge, as I do have my social life here (including bank account, friends and even owning a cottage in Canada!).

Would it make sense for me to try and get in front of a judge ASAP? If that can happen before, say, Oct 2011, and the judge denies me, I could still put in the regular request right away. It seems to me that I can just take that shot and hopefully take some time off the waiting period.

Any responses would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
Verweg

Adds about 9-12+ to the processing time.  Since the processing time is 15-19 months for citizenship, add the time to see the citizenship judge.  If the application is refused you start over from the beginning.

[Verweg]

Thanks for the quick response, PMM!
Sounds like that judge would be a bad idea overall and waiting an extra 9(?) months would be the way to go.