Application for Canadian Citizenship - A Comprehensive Guide

[Tubiti]

Hello everyone,

I have a question regarding the Canadian citizenship application form.
If someone entered Canada on a visitor visa in November 2021, and later became a Permanent Resident(spousal immigration category) in January 2022.
In the citizenship application, there’s a question that asks:

The available options are YES or NO.
Could someone please confirm what the correct answer should be in this situation?

of course the answer is yes. between nov 2021 and jan 2022 s/he was a temporary resident. and what a lucky person s/he is!! in 2 months became a PR!!! no hassle, no blood and tears and coming to a settled home, no need to start from 0! look for a job etc. i envy that person!

 

[iamawac99]

Guys what is checked in Background step? And how is it different from Prohibitions?

 

[Seym]

Guys what is checked in Background step? And how is it different from Prohibitions?

No need to post this in many threads. People read most of them you know.

That being said, yeah, IRCC is hella confusing wen clicking Background Check and Prohibitions sections in the tracker lead to the same link : https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...gibility/situtations-prevent-citizenship.html

But in practice, and I wouldn't be able to be very specific to be honest, background check is a combination of both a criminality check, conducted by RCMP and focusing on criminal activity in Canada, and a security check, done by CSIS and CBSA, and focusing on background outside Canada, which may take years due to challenges getting information from some countries. Prohibitions, as the name suggests, would just be anything that prohibits an applicant from becoming a citizen, and that means any citizenship requirement not being met. In addition to the above link, which pretty much means "failing the background check", it could be having an issue with physical presence, not demonstrating the language requirement, failing the citizenship test... It usually gets cleared quickly once all other checks are, or for many applicants at the same time as the latest between Language, Physical presence (both come often together) or background check.

 

[bond7890]

Hi! I am about to apply for my citizenship application. I took photo at Shopper's Drug Mart and realized that there is a shadow on my t-shirt, but not anywhere else. Do you think this photo will get rejected?

 

[bbayaka]

I am planning to apply in 2 months and i have a question regarding police certificate. I have been living in Canada since 2022 and before that i was in my home country. However, i have lived in the UK between 2013-2015. So, does that mean i need police certificate from UK?

 

[armoured]

I am planning to apply in 2 months and i have a question regarding police certificate. I have been living in Canada since 2022 and before that i was in my home country. However, i have lived in the UK between 2013-2015. So, does that mean i need police certificate from UK?

As far as I'm aware, you shouldn't need the UK one.

 

[neha_415]

I have a question. I received my Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) in July 2022 and landed in Canada on September 20, 2022. I will submit my application on 23/12/2025. Prior to that, I was in India until September 20. I had been working in Abu Dhabi but resigned and returned to India in May 2021. After that, I stayed in India until I landed in Canada. In this situation, do I need to submit a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), or should I simply mention that I will not be submitting a PCC since I was in my country of origin before establishing permanent residency in Canada?

 

[Seym]

I have a question. I received my Confirmation of Permanent Residence (COPR) in July 2022 and landed in Canada on September 20, 2022. I will submit my application on 23/12/2025. Prior to that, I was in India until September 20. I had been working in Abu Dhabi but resigned and returned to India in May 2021. After that, I stayed in India until I landed in Canada. In this situation, do I need to submit a Police Clearance Certificate (PCC), or should I simply mention that I will not be submitting a PCC since I was in my country of origin before establishing permanent residency in Canada?

You should be good to go without a PCC, at least to have a complete application for IRCC, but please note that IRCC can ask for one anyway.
Country of origin isn't necessarily the country of citizenship, but the country where you lived when you applied for PR and waited for its processing. In your case, if you applied from UAE and lived part of the processing there and part of it in India, it is unclear how it will go. We don't know when you applied, whether your case was moved to an Indian processing office, and IRCC examples for PCC requirements don't necessarily cover your specific case. So, go with "no PCC because I lived in my country of origin", and if a request comes down the line, have a look at it if it happens (which is applicable to everyone, including people who didn't live in 2 countries in the few years before PR).

 

[neha_415]

Thanks so much for the detailed information. I will submit my application without a PCC, and if they ask, I can arrange one and submit it. But I hope this will not cancel my application.

 

[neha_415]

When completing the address history, do I need to list my temporary address while I was on vacation?


For example, I have been living in Canada since December 1, 2023. However, I travelled to India for one month, from October 18, 2024, to November 18, 2024.


Should I enter my address in India for that specific period, or should I continue to list my Canadian home address for the entire time?

 

[neha_415]

When completing the employment history, should the dates reflect only the last five years from the application date, or the actual start and end dates of each job?

For example, I worked in the UAE from May 2018 to May 2021. My application date is December 20, 2025.

Should I list my employment in Abu Dhabi using only the portion that falls within the five-year period (e.g., December 2020 to May 2021), or should I enter the full, actual employment period from May 2018 to May 2021?
In other words, when a job started before the five-year window but ended within it, should the entry reflect the true employment tenure or only the dates within the required five-year timeframe?

11/2022

present

Employed –

06/2021

11/2022

Unemployed – not working or studying

12/2020

05/2021

Employed –

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

OR FOR ABU DHABI, SHOULD I ENTER FROM 5/2018 TO 05/2021? (MY ACTUAL WORK TENURE

 

[Seym]

When completing the address history, do I need to list my temporary address while I was on vacation?


For example, I have been living in Canada since December 1, 2023. However, I travelled to India for one month, from October 18, 2024, to November 18, 2024.


Should I enter my address in India for that specific period, or should I continue to list my Canadian home address for the entire time?

No. The same way you don't need to list that one time you slept in the couch of a friend or a weekend chalet.

 

[Seym]

When completing the employment history, should the dates reflect only the last five years from the application date, or the actual start and end dates of each job?

Doesn't matter, pick one and move on. If there's a bug with the one you picked (let's say you enter a date before the 5 years and the system complains) pick the other.