Certificate of Citizenship

[h.anne]

Hi all,

My boyfriend is an American born citizen and his mother is a Canadian born citizen, so we are applying for a Canadian Certificate of Citizenship as soon as we have all of the documentation. My question is, once he submits the application and it is received by immigration for processing, will my boyfriend be granted temporary residency and be able to work in Canada, or will he need to continue staying as a visitor or apply for a work permit to be able to work? Any information is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

 

[dnyfyn]

If he gets the certificate of citizenship, then apply for the Canadian Passport and let the CBSA and CIC know that you were on a visitor visa and now you have obtained the certificate of citizenship; so that they can change the record accordingly.

 

[h.anne]

Okay, so he would have to wait until he is actually granted the certificate of citizenship? Because it says the processing time at the moment is 5 months. If this is the case, he would need to go back to the US to work or apply for a work permit to be able to stay longer.

So I guess my question is, once they receive his application, can he start working in Canada?

 

[h.anne]

Okay, so he would have to wait until he is actually granted the certificate of citizenship? Because it says the processing time at the moment is 5 months. If this is the case, he would need to go back to the US to work or apply for a work permit to be able to stay longer.

So I guess my question is, once they receive his application, can he start working in Canada?

I realize I'm answering my own posting but I just found this information on the website about applying for a temporary work permit within Canada:

You can only apply for a work permit from inside Canada if you:

>have a temporary resident permit that is valid for six months or more,
>or are in Canada because you have already applied for permanent residence from inside Canada (you will have to pass certain stages in the main application process to be eligible for a work permit).

So another question I have is if the application for the Certificate of Citizenship is considered the same as a PR application and if so, which stage of the application process needs to be passed before the applicant is able to apply for work?

Thank you to anyone who has information about this or may have gone through the same process. Any information is VERY much appreciated!

 

[links18]

If your boyfriend is a Canadian citizen, he doesn't need a work permit. Applying for one could be interpreted as inconsistent with a claim of citizenship. Can he get a SIN with his birth certificate and his mom's birth certificate? If the facts are as you say, he is already a citizen--the certificate just serves as definitive proof. He needs a SIN to work though. I'd contact Service Canada and see what they recommend.

 

[alphazip]

Hi all,

My boyfriend is an American born citizen and his mother is a Canadian born citizen, so we are applying for a Canadian Certificate of Citizenship as soon as we have all of the documentation. My question is, once he submits the application and it is received by immigration for processing, will my boyfriend be granted temporary residency and be able to work in Canada, or will he need to continue staying as a visitor or apply for a work permit to be able to work? Any information is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance!

I don't think you'll be able to do anything until he gets his citizenship certificate. You should apply for urgent processing as explained here, giving the reason that he needs the certificate ASAP in order to work:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/urgent-proof.asp

 

[h.anne]

I don't think you'll be able to do anything until he gets his citizenship certificate. You should apply for urgent processing as explained here, giving the reason that he needs the certificate ASAP in order to work:

Thank you so much, this was very useful information. Do you have any suggestions as to what kind of information to include in the letter of explanation that could help speed up the process?

Also, I was taking a look at the Service Canada website about how to obtain a SIN as a temporary resident and it says that you can show a 'Visitor record issued by CIC, indicating you are authorized to work in Canada'. I'm just wondering if this is something that can be requested in the letter of urgency in order for him to be able to start working asap? I am basing my experience from applying for a work permit/temporary residency in Australia as they issue a work permit after you send an application (called a bridging visa). It seems like it's not the same in Canada, but I'm hopeful he will be able to work soon after applying. We almost have all the documentation and application complete.

Thanks again for your help and any other tips or information you can share!

 

[h.anne]

If your boyfriend is a Canadian citizen, he doesn't need a work permit. Applying for one could be interpreted as inconsistent with a claim of citizenship. Can he get a SIN with his birth certificate and his mom's birth certificate? If the facts are as you say, he is already a citizen--the certificate just serves as definitive proof. He needs a SIN to work though. I'd contact Service Canada and see what they recommend.

Thank you, I will call and check but I'm pretty sure he needs to apply for the proof (the citizenship certificate) before he can start the process of applying for a SIN, passport, MSP, etc.. it's all a bit frustrating. But I'm going to call Service Canada to find out for sure. Thanks again!

 

[links18]

Thank you, I will call and check but I'm pretty sure he needs to apply for the proof (the citizenship certificate) before he can start the process of applying for a SIN, passport, MSP, etc.. it's all a bit frustrating. But I'm going to call Service Canada to find out for sure. Thanks again!

Yeah, looks like they are going to want the citizenship certificate to get the SIN. Expedited processing is probably his best bet. Its a little frustrating given he's already a citizen and just needs proof to start working, but it can take months to get it. It wont hurt asking Service Canada if there is a work around. Since he's a citizen, its not like he can work illegally, but it will be tough to find a decent job without proof.

 

[h.anne]

Yeah, looks like they are going to want the citizenship certificate to get the SIN. Expedited processing is probably his best bet. Its a little frustrating given he's already a citizen and just needs proof to start working, but it can take months to get it. It wont hurt asking Service Canada if there is a work around. Since he's a citizen, its not like he can work illegally, but it will be tough to find a decent job without proof.

It's definitely frustrating that he is not able to find work here without being able to apply for the SIN or have the certificate (it has been a challenge to get a few of the documents needed to apply). We have written a letter that addresses the urgent need for processing and will hopefully find a workplace that will write a letter of employment offer to show that he can start working as soon as he is able to. We also asked if they would be able to write a letter saying that he is able to obtain a temporary SIN while waiting for his application to process.

We plan to submit the application next week so fingers crossed that it's smooth sailing from there. Thanks for all your help!