Michelle00 said:
Hi Everyone,
For those of you who have taken the citizenship test, I'm wondering if the immigration officer asked to see the translation of your passport entry/exit stamps during the interview? I'm not sure if I need to get them translated.
Thank you
The short and simple answer is
follow the instructions, which means
YES, anything in any document presented to IRCC which is not in one of the official languages (French or English) should be translated.
The answer to this question is clearly stated in the Guide for Citizenship Applications:
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp#CIT0002E4
The particular requirements (as to who can do the translation, when certification is required, and so on) are listed under a heading "Translation of documents," near the end of Step 1. "Gather Documents" (easy way to get there is to go to Step 2. "Complete the Application" and scroll back a little).
Recent revisions to the Guide have added specific instructions regarding translations throughout the "Gather Documents" section.
Actual examination of documents oft times casual:
In practice, the requirement to provide translations as prescribed is not uniformly enforced. Many report no problem even though they did not provide proper translations during a documents-verification interview (typically contemporaneous with the test). Indeed, I did not bother to get or provide translations for a couple stamps in my passport, and I encountered no problem. But I recognized there was some risk, which I felt was an acceptable risk even though some terms in the stamps were not in English or French; I recognized some risk because I was not following instructions, which call for translations regardless of the fact that the import of the stamps, and the fact they were not relevant to my residency calculation, was readily apparent (though the latter is what made me feel comfortable taking the risk, trusting that CIC would not have a problem just because of a more or less technicality).
I disagree with the suggestion by
screech339, that it is OK to not provide translations for stamps dated outside the relevant time period, since the approach IRCC takes is that what is requested is, by definition, relevant, and it is for IRCC to decide to what extent it is probative and whether or not it is material. It is always a mistake to not provide information to IRCC based on the individual's own judgment that the information is not relevant: again, if IRCC asks for it, it is by definition relevant. It is for IRCC to determine to what extent it is relevant.
But, yes, of course, most of us will find it is OK to use some common sense and a reasonable exercise of discretion. IRCC is not out to reject qualified applicants based on technicalities (other than, of course, the minimal technical requirements to be qualified).
Scope of necessity to follow the instructions:
In another forum similarly about immigration and citizenship, my signature is:
"If in doubt, follow the instructions, otherwise, yep, follow the instructions."
Many perceive my repetitive admonition to follow the instructions to be condescending and overly cautious (some describe it as
anal), but the reality is that the most common reason qualified applicants run into problems in the processing of their application is, at least in part, due to not following the instructions.
But as I noted above, I myself did not entirely follow the instructions (and I had been using that signature long before I applied for citizenship). And, indeed, the above example is just one example among others. For another example, I submitted additional documents with my application. I also left some boxes in the application blank.
I also made some mistakes in my application.
And my timeline from application to oath was barely eight months, back when scores and scores of applicants were bogged down for years, when the CIC site stated the routine timeline (I forget the exact statement) was more than a year and a half.
So, yes, I acknowledge and use, myself, some common sense and a reasonable exercise of discretion, with due recognition of the risks, when it comes to following the instructions. When I drive on the 401, for example, I am rarely going less than 110k (except in slow traffic), let alone the speed limit of 100k. But, I know the risks. Indeed, I was recently stopped (on a different highway) driving 24k over the 90k limit, and I fully expected to be ticketed, but was just given a warning. In no way does this suggest it is OK to drive 15k, or even 10k over the limit.
As I say,
"If in doubt, follow the instructions, otherwise, yep, follow the instructions."
See the Guide: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp#CIT0002E4
and follow the instructions for providing translations.