xx
I applied for citizenship in March 2025 and got my AOR in April 2025. By June 2025, my background check was cleared. Since then, I haven’t had a test invite, even though people who applied around the same time as me are already at the oath stage.
I ordered my GCMS notes to see what was happening. At the end, they say:
Physical presence: Yes: NPR not verifiable in GCMS
Notes: Does not appear to meet the physical presence requirement. Client previously advised of this, but application resubmitted, and client wishes to proceed. File being referred to PS for review/decision.
Basically, IRCC couldn’t automatically confirm my physical presence days, especially the time I spent in Canada before becoming a PR. My first application was returned for that reason, and when I reapplied, I sent a detailed letter with proof showing I was in Canada as a temporary resident and then I got my AOR.
I applied with 1,103 days. I’m confident I meet the physical presence requirement; my passport has every entry/exit stamp, I have CBSA travel records, and I’ve never done day trips to the U.S. or anything undocumented.
Right now, IRCC hasn’t sent me a Procedural Fairness Letter (PFL), and my file hasn’t been touched since June 2025.
What should I be doing at this point? Should I just wait, or is there something proactive I can do?
@Seym states the gist of it.
Except to say the outcome could be uncertain; you could wait and submit whatever is requested, attend hearings, and in a year or two, perhaps even longer, have the application rejected. The risk of rejection depends on the extent to which the record of temporary resident status can be verified.
Leaving Canada soon after applying (which I understand is your situation based on other posts) complicates things.
For example, if you continued to live in Canada, so that days since applying could count toward meeting the physical presence requirement if you withdrew this application and submitted a new one, that would be the fastest route to taking the oath. That would involve waiting to re-apply when you meet the physical presence requirement without counting pre-PR days that are not documented by a formal visa or permit; that is, not counting any implied status days, for example, or days in Canada as a visitor that were not documented by a visa or visitor's record. (Re-applying without relying on "
questionable" days as
@Seym frames it.)
The Longer Read:
Otherwise . . . assuming your calculation of days is absolutely accurate . . . verifying your physical presence is not just about verifying days present in Canada but verifying status as well. So, there are two big questions for you now:
-- can you prove you had temporary resident status during all the days you were here prior to becoming a PR?
-- assuming you can prove status (not just presence, but prove what status you had), how long will it take?
Reminder: the burden of proof is on the applicant. Even though applicants generally do not need to submit proof of status beyond declaring the dates (IRCC verifies status in GCMS), applicants can be required to provide proof of status for periods that GCMS records do not verify. This can be a period of implied status, for example, or visitor status not documented by a visa or visitor's record.
If you cannot prove you had temporary resident status for enough days pre-PR to meet the physical presence requirement your options are limited: withdraw or wait until the application is rejected. Then re-apply again when you meet the physical presence requirement without counting days you cannot prove you had temporary resident status.
Even if you can prove you had temporary resident status for enough days pre-PR to meet the physical presence requirement, getting to the oath can take a very long time. Being outside Canada in the meantime could be a factor contributing to a longer processing time (even more so in this situation than it might otherwise). If the case were to go to a Citizenship Judge (which you can more or less insist on if IRCC does not approve the application based on what you submit), that could take a year or two years, or longer. (What amounts to litigation tends to take a long time, whether in Canada or anywhere else.)
Since you are accompanying a spouse who is a Canadian citizen, you should have no concerns about continuing to comply with the PR Residency Obligation. So how long it takes does not pose the risk of inadmissibility (and loss of PR status in addition to not becoming a citizen) that other applicants in a similar situation might have (if it takes so long they end up staying outside Canada more than 1095 days within a five year time period).
Further Observations About Proof of Status:
Most applicants do not need to present evidence proving status since IRCC readily verifies status in the client's GCMS records. Even in regards to pre-PR physical presence, generally no proof of status is needed beyond declaring the date the particular temporary resident status began and the date it ended, based on the terms in the grant of status, since again the applicant's GCMS records will usually verify the dates of the status they had.
As I referenced above (and have discussed at some length over the years in several other topics here), GCMS records might not verify some periods of implied status or a period of time here as a visitor. It is not clear to what extent IRCC can or will assess the applicant's case and conclude the applicant had temporary resident status which is not directly shown in visas or permits (thus not overtly documented in GCMS). Because of this it is best for prospective applicants relying on pre-PR credit to wait to apply when they meet the physical presence requirement based on counting only those pre-PR days that are documented by a formal grant of status.
(If the prospective applicant is certain they had implied status, for example, best to wait to apply when they do not need those days to count. But they should still report that time in the physical presence calculation; they can consider these days to be part of their buffer of days, added to the month or so a buffer most applicants should have before applying . . . which is too late for you now unfortunately).
If GCMS does not verify temporary resident status, it is the applicant's burden to prove they had status beyond a balance of probabilities. How difficult that will be depends on the particular details and, of course, the applicant's records in conjunction with what their GCMS records show.
Obviously periods in Canada with implied status (for example) are not explicitly documented in GCMS. In some scenarios IRCC might readily infer implied status based on what is in the records. Even though this makes processing more complex and will take longer than routinely processed applications, for many in your situation they can handle the additional wait.
An important unknown is whether there is sufficient information in your records for IRCC to verify status that is not documented in GCMS, and if not what is required to prove status, and in some cases whether it is possible to prove status. Moreover, many believe they had implied status for a period they did not have implied status, and even though those days did not cause any problems they will not count toward meeting the physical presence requirement.
Otherwise, if IRCC contests your physical presence, you will be relying on proof (beyond a balance of probabilities) of BOTH the days you were present pre-PR AND that you had temporary residency status during all those days.
