DOING THE MATH - Fine Distinction ?? - Citizenship vs Visiting Days

[us2yow]

Leon or someone:

Could you please clarify how to interpret days spent in Canada coming in as visitor on PR to accumulate residency VERSUS actually moving here to reside full time including getting SIN, Div Licence, filing taxes etc and how former days factor into citizenship. To make it easier, let me make up a simple scenario:

Came up to Canada for visits say between Dec 2009 - Apr 2010 - 64 days accumulated in total before moving to live here full time;

ACTUALLY MOVED TO LIVE HERE FULL TIME -- AUG 1, 2010 onwards;

Put in 3 years living here full time till -------------------------------- AUG 2013;

To make it simple, let say after moving here one left Canada for a total of 64 days between Aug 2010 - Aug 2013; For citizenship purposes, the rule is looking back 4 years from the date of application for citizenship one has atleast 1095 days. Also Note: to make the math easy I have given the same numbers. We dont need to get into the fact that for PR both entry/exit days from trip count whereas for citizenship only one day counts. All that is factored in as we are not getting into that aspect.

NOW MY QUESTION: Between 2013 (date of citizenship application) and 2009 (going back 4 years), How do I interpret what I have accumulated: (a) Do I have 1095 days since the 64 days cancel each other out; OR (b) does the 64 days accumulated BEFORE moving to live here full time NOT count (except for PR) and therefore since I exited 64 days overall- I have to do atleast 64 more days after Aug 2013 before I hit 1095 days since , as noted earlier, the 64 days I accumulated in Canada before moving to live here full time dont count for citizenship ?

I have a feeling I may be off. It has to be either Option (a) or (b). Only (a) is more accomodating even of days one put in as a visitor before moving in but (b) is more strict that ALL days towards the 1095 for citizenship have to have been earned after moving to live here full time - which in this case was AUG 2010 ???? Confused...please clarify.....

 

[scylla]

The 64 days you accummulated before you became a PR only count as half days for citizenship pruposes. So you really have 32 days.

Otherwise option (a) is correct.

 

[us2yow]

I am still confused.

Just to clarify that in my example: the 64 days accumulated before moving here was as visitor with a PR card already in hand NOT as student residing here (I thought students get half time while being in Canada as student and before becoming PR).

So are you saying that for citizenship purposes I have 32 days accumulated from before moving to live here full time so going by my example if I left for a total of 64 days after moving here full time (AUG 2010) I am short on 32 days for atleast 1095 days and so should stay an extra 32 days after Aug 2013 to atleast hit 1095 days ?

I am surprised: It is just today I realized that time accumulated as PR before moving here to be established full time is considered only half-time. In Option (b) I proposed time spent prior to moving here was not counted AT ALL- which sounded a bit drastic. Leon or others....final comments ?

 

[scylla]

Read the requirements on the CIC site:

https://eservicesak.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do?&lang=en

When calculating your time in Canada:

- only the four (4) years preceding the date of your application are taken into account;
- each day you lived in Canada before you became a permanent resident counts as half a day;
- each day you lived in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as one day;

 

[scylla]

I'd also encourage you to use the residence calculator on the page I provided a link to above. It will tell you exactly when you qualify to apply for citizenship.

 

[us2yow]

Scylla: I think you may not have noticed that I said the following: the 64 days accumulated before moving here was as visitor with a PR card

I was a PR when I was visiting too before moving here full time. So, does my 64 days before moving to live here full time count at all or do I have to put in an extra 64 days after Aug 2013 (because I also left for 64 days between Aug 2010-2013 which was when I lived here full time).

LEON HELP ?

 

[amirchov]

Scylla: I think you may not have noticed that I said the following: the 64 days accumulated before moving here was as visitor with a PR card

I was a PR when I was visiting too before moving here full time. So, does my 64 days before moving to live here full time count at all or do I have to put in an extra 64 days after Aug 2013 (because I also left for 64 days between Aug 2010-2013 which was when I lived here full time).

LEON HELP ?

When you crossed the border to <b>immigrate</b> to Canada, you have actually become a Permanent Resident. It doesn’t matter when you physically moved here; the day that is written on the back of your PR card is the date that counts. From this point forward all absences out of, or days spent in Canada count. So yes, you can include the 64 days as days you spent in Canada since your were already a PR (and yes - if you left for 64 days, it cancels it out - but you must write it down...)

However, my advice to you based on cases I know personally, do not submit your application on the same day you have accumulated 1095 days. Give yourself some room to maneuver in case of an unintentional error. I would wait another month on top of that.

Full days in Canada that are considered as half days, are only related to people who were in Canada <b>before</b> having PR status.

This is a good link: https://eservicesak.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do?&lang=en

Hope this helps!

 

[Alabaman]

So yes, you can include the 64 days as days you spent in Canada since your were already a PR

amirchov is correct. You can count 64 days since you were already a PR. CIC worries about days of physical presence. I dont think syclla understood your question.

Technically and in the immigration world, you were not a visitor otherwise you would be on a visitor's visa. Immigration recognizes you as resident that is why it is called "Permanent Resident".