Hi all,
I'm currently preparing documents for the citizenship and while filling out Presence Calculator I've noticed that one stamp is wrong.
Should I supply the explanation letter with my citizenship application or explain everything to the officer when I get to the test?
Another problem . . . I don't know how to check the exact date.
SOME-WHAT SHORT ANSWER:
Declare ALL dates of exit and dates of entry as ACCURATELY and PRECISELY as possible. Regardless what any other source of information indicates.
If there are sources of information which conflict with what you believe to be is true, be prepared to acknowledge the conflict and, to the extent possible, to explain. There will be no need to explain a passport stamp until the interview UNLESS there is a specific request for a copy of all passport pages, in which event (if that happens, which it probably will not) it might be prudent to attach a supplemental page acknowledging the existence of conflicting or erroneous information, affirming what the true, correct information actually is, and to the extent possible explaining the situation. Be prepared to do the latter in the interview, to the extent necessary (that is, to the extent the exchange during the interview calls for explication).
As for how you should approach or respond relative to the particulars you describe, that is something you personally need to work out for yourself, based on your best understanding of the truth, your best understanding of the actual facts and circumstances.
In the meantime, there are various ways in which to evaluate the accuracy and completeness of one's own records, or to fill in gaps in one's records, ranging from what you have already done to also obtaining a copy of your Canadian CBSA travel history, revisiting your other records including email, credit card statements, travel related documents like tickets and itineraries, calendars, memories of family and friends, among other sources.
Whatever sources you consult, however, it is imperative to accurately and precisely report what YOU BELIEVE is true.
A LONGER EXPLANATION:
For some context: I make a concerted effort to NOT offer advice beyond what is basic, widely agreed upon or otherwise explicitly dictated. Thus, sure, I will state propositions which, in form, amount to advice, like: do not apply for citizenship unless and until you meet the actual physical presence requirement . . . PLUS a margin. Like: completely report your address history leaving no gaps. And so on.
Even then, however, I tend to be conservative in what I proffer in this vein. In contrast, I usually prefer to limit my advice to broad, general recommendations like:
-- If in doubt, follow the instructions; otherwise, follow the instructions.
-- Honest, accurate, and completely responsive answers work best; no games, no guile, emphasis on straight facts.
What I am in effect advising here is more or less an elaboration of the latter: advice to honestly, accurately, and completely provide the requested information.
Thus, as already suggested,
FIRST and FOREMOST: populate the respective fields in the Online Presence Calculator with ACCURATE, PRECISE, and COMPLETE INFORMATION.
As best you can. Preferably information for which you have kept a complete, contemporaneous record.
DO NOT provide any information which you do not believe to be true REGARDLESS the source of that information.
If there are formal or official sources of information which you believe to be incorrect, again do not populate your declarations with that information. Instead, be prepared to acknowledge and explain the conflict.
Beyond that, however, it is to critical to recognize just how important it is to make a concerted, diligent effort to get the travel date information right. This is so important it is downright foolish for PRs to fail keeping an ongoing, precise record of all international travel. Since the PR is the one person in the whole world who was there each and every time, the PR is the one best source of this information. Nothing is better than a complete and accurate record, and every PR is not only fully capable of keeping such a record, the PR is the one and only person in the whole world who for sure is ALWAYS in a position to keep such a record.
And of course IRCC knows this, and knows it well. And, thus, if and when a citizenship applicant fails to declare ALL travel dates accurately, and IRCC identifies some discrepancy, that will necessarily compromise the applicant's credibility. Of course IRCC is well aware that many if not most applicants make some mistakes, and minor errors, even some omissions, and thus IRCC allows some leeway for such deviations from the truth.
And indeed, we are all prone to making errors. Which makes it all the more important to avoid approaching this in ways likely to increase the risk of errors.
FOR THOSE WHO FAILED TO KEEP A CONTEMPORANEOUS RECORD; RECONSTRUCTING TRAVEL HISTORY DATES:
Thus, for example, NEVER rely on a passport stamp into another country for determining a date of exit from Canada or entry into Canada. There is NO WAY a date of entry into the U.S., for example, shows a date of entry into Canada. Such a stamp only shows the date of entry into the U.S. In conjunction with other information, including one's memory, it may be useful to consider this stamp in reconstructing a date one is otherwise not certain about, but the important thing is to focus on identifying and reporting the precise date of entry into Canada. In this regard, if it was one minute after midnight, the calendar date of the day after midnight is the date of entry . . . even if it seemed like Tuesday night, if it was one minute after midnight the day of entry into Canada is Wednesday.
Unfortunately, all too many PRs fail to keep a contemporaneous record and need to reconstruct their travel history. There are many sources of information a PR can access to help reconstruct travel history. You have identified some. CBSA travel history is a reliably accurate but not always complete source. Other personal records can help reconstruct travel history. The main thing is to make a concerted, diligent effort, to do the homework, and verify travel dates as best one can.
One of the more common errors made derives from applicants using entry dates abroad to report the date they exited Canada. Many flights do not arrive until the NEXT day after the date of exit, so the entry date is NOT the actual date of exit from Canada. Trans-Pacific flights can actually land TWO calendar days later than the date of exit. Sometimes the traveler will have a lay-over in a country that does NOT stamp his or her passport, and it can be two or three days AFTER the exit the traveler's passport is stamped for entry into a country.
Again, one or two small deviations of this sort should be NO big deal (assuming one applies with a margin which will comfortably accommodate the difference). But, again, all of us are prone to making mistakes, and the applicant who has more than one or three of these PLUS some additional mistakes, will be increasing the risk of non-routine processing and attendant difficulties as well as delays.
There are numerous sources of information an individual can use to reconstruct travel dates. It is foolish to rely on any one source except to the extent it is verified by one's own records or is otherwise corroborated in cross-checking multiple sources.
Applicants who have failed to keep a contemporaneous record of all travel dates really should elevate their game and approach the process of reconstructing travel history very seriously, conscientiously, and make a broad, concerted effort to check and cross-check as many sources of information as possible.
For example, an applicant who does not have a contemporaneous record but otherwise concludes he arrived at a Canadian PoE the 9th of January 2015, can compare this with sources of information like U.S. records and CBSA records, BUT can also look for things like credit card purchases in Canada on or soon after January 9, 2015, or payslips showing the PR to have been at work soon after January 9, 2015.
Similarly, if the PR discovers some source of information conflicting with such a date, one which the PR is otherwise confident about its accuracy, in addition to accessing U.S. or CBSA records (which should not be necessary unless there are multiple dates or significant periods of time in question), the prospective applicant likewise might research credit card purchases, doctor visits, and payslips (or business records), first to verify the date is accurate, and secondly to note and keep a record of in case IRCC raises a question about this date later in the process.
OVERALL: obviously, the PR who keeps a complete, accurate, and precise ongoing record of all international travel will have MINIMAL risk of questions let alone concerns about his or her travel history dates, and should easily be able to verify dates even if there is erroneous information otherwise (including a mistake in a passport stamp). When the PR has a complete and accurate record, it is simple. Otherwise, things can get complicated.
Some prospective applicants with frequent and difficult to reconstruct travel history may want to wait to apply,
at the least wait long enough to have a very comfortable margin well over any potential differences, or perhaps even wait long enough to have for-sure dates covering a period of time in which the PR was for sure physically present in Canada 1095+ days.
