Status just updated with the following:
- We sent you a notice on July 21, 2017 to appear for an interview with a citizenship judge on August 25, 2017 at 10:00 AM. The notice you will receive by mail will be your official confirmation of your appointment. If you have not received this notice prior to the date of your scheduled appointment, please contact us.
How should I prepare for this meeting?
You should immediately review this with your lawyer. If you do not have a lawyer yet, scramble to get one.
Too late to obtain information through ATIP that will help much for purposes of the CJ hearing ("interview"). It is probably worth obtaining this information anyway. At the least it would help you decide whether to appeal a negative CJ ruling, if the decision is negative.
In this regard, again if the CJ determines you were actually, physically present in Canada just 1459 or fewer days, the outcome will almost certainly be negative as there is no discretion to approve or grant citizenship if the applicant falls short of 1460 days actual presence. (Again, reason for absences is NOT relevant.)
I'd suggest making a
customized ATIP request specifically requesting a copy of the File Preparation Template referred to the CJ. Odds are close to none that you will actually be given that, but what you are given in response may be very informative. Also specifically ask for a copy of any and all documents and information submitted to the Citizenship Judge, and any and all information and documents considered by the Citizenship Officer in your case. (Doing this and reporting here about what you are given would be a great contribution to the forum. Too late to help you much but it would be very useful information to help others in a situation like yours in the future.)
Otherwise, as I offered before, if you can truthfully state and have evidence that you were actually, physically present in Canada for at least 1460 days, be prepared to document that as best you can. Be prepared to go through the calendar for all the relevant time and positively affirm the
specific dates you were in Canada . . . the CJ might not offer an opportunity to do this, but if you believe you were present at least 1460 days, then you should prepare to do this and
politely press for a chance to fully go through and give the CJ an account for all the days you can say you were actually, physically in Canada. And back that up with as much evidence as you can showing you were in Canada as many of those days as you possibly can.
If you realize you fell short of 1460 days presence, even if by just a little, go to the hearing prepared to withdraw your application with an explanation for why you applied and declared what you declared in the presence calculation. That could make a difference, and perhaps a big difference, in how you are assessed in a subsequent citizenship application, particularly after the new 3/5 rule takes effect which rule will allow more leeway for those who have to spend time abroad.
Please let us know how this goes. Your reporting already has helped and your further reporting could be important for helping others in the future.
Be sure to be entirely truthful. And good luck.
