Visitor Visa never used- Directly landed on PR

[Maruchan]

Hello, my wife is applying for Canada citizenship. She had applied for Canada Visitor visa in 2020 which got approved for 5+ years but she never visited Canada due to Covid. In the meantime her PR got approved and she directly landed in Canada on PR in 2021.

In citizenship application, there is a question stating- During your 5-year eligibility period, did you have a valid temporary resident status before becoming a permanent resident? If I say yes, it asks me to add the temporary address. But she never visited Canada on the visitor visa.

Should I select Yes or No in this question?

 

[Seym]

No will do. That question is for the the physical presence requirement, and she has no physical presence to ask for.
If you feel like no isn't representative of the "true situation", put it there anyway as that allows to complete filing that part of the application, and add a short explanation letter.

 

[armoured]

No will do. That question is for the the physical presence requirement, and she has no physical presence to ask for.
If you feel like no isn't representative of the "true situation", put it there anyway as that allows to complete filing that part of the application, and add a short explanation letter.

I agree but would underline: having a TRV issued/inserted into one's passport does NOT mean one has valid temporary resident status - not until one is actually admitted into Canada. (Add all the complicated English language tenses like having had a TRV / having been issued a TRV etc). Neither does having an ETA number mean one is or ever has been a temporary resident.

Amongst other reasons, CBSA can refuse entry to someone with a TRV (although rare, it does happen). That person (clearly) did not hold valid temp resident status as a result.

So in my view it is unambiguously true, @Maruchan, that if your spouse never used the TRV to enter Canada, they never had 'valid temporary resident status' (adjust for tenses/five year period etc). No is the correct answer.

Is it worth explaining that they had a TRV issued but never used it? In my opinion no, but up to you.