ID for Interview

[berkcalg]

Hi everyone,

I would like to know if we need to have a Driver Licence with the current address during the interview if we would like to use it as an ID. Thanks.

 

[kaladhar]

Hi berkcalg,

It is an unspoken rule to have all the necessary documents and government issued IDs (PR card, Drivers license, etc) when you are meeting with the Immigration officers for your interview. Since you don't know what kinda of documents and ids they will ask from you, it's always safe to carry them all. If you have recently changed addresses then it is recommended to update the new address on your ids as well.

I hope that answers your question!
Good luck with your interview. Fingers crossed for you!

KB

 

[badar14]

Hi everyone,

I would like to know if we need to have a Driver Licence with the current address during the interview if we would like to use it as an ID. Thanks.

For sure you need it no question about it

 

[dpenabill]

Follow the instructions in the notice for the interview. They can vary.

Typically the instructions require the applicant to bring all possibly relevant Travel Documents, passports in particular, and the originals of all other documents submitted with the application. Thus, apart from what else the instructions might specify, the applicant typically is asked to bring the original ID documents of which copies were submitted with the application.

So, the applicant who submitted a copy of his or her Drivers License with the application needs to bring that original Drivers License to the interview.

Obviously, sometimes the applicant will need to renew the Drivers License after applying but before attending the interview. In that case, the applicant should bring the new Drivers License.

Overall, what the applicant needs to take the interview is the original of whatever documents were copied and included in the original application, plus any other documents which the instructions specify (if any).



What is required is one thing; impact in particular circumstances can be a different thing:

The primary purpose of the request for ID documents is, simply, to verify the applicant's identity. If for some reason the applicant does not have the very same ID a copy of which was submitted with the application, obviously the applicant needs to bring the original of some other form of ID meeting the specifications. See the Guide for making the citizenship application
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp
and the section on gathering documents in particular, to see what qualifies as ID.

This is an element, a necessary part of the application process.

Beyond that, however, the IRCC interviewer may examine and consider information in the ID in assessing the applicant and the applicant's case.

For example, no rocket science is required to be aware that if the applicant's residential address is different than the address on a form of identification, such as a Drivers License, that raises questions:
-- where does the applicant really reside?
-- why is there a difference?

If the applicant's actual address, where the applicant actually lives, is the same as what is listed for the applicant in the application, but the Drivers License has a different address, is the applicant violating provincial law in failing to update his or her current address?

If the applicant is actually living at the address listed on the Drivers License, and that is different from what was on the application, has the applicant changed address since applying and if so, why has the applicant failed to properly notify IRCC of the change in address. Remember, the applicant verifies (signature box in application form) he or she will notify IRCC of any change in the information in the application, and technically the failure to update a change in address could be misrepresentation by omission, although practically this would mostly be a reason for IRCC to elevate its scrutiny and make inquiries about the accuracy of the applicant's declarations as to address history and current address.

Obviously, if the applicant is not actually living at the address IRCC has (per what the application stated or per changes the applicant has notified IRCC of since applying), that is a material misrepresentation. This alone can be grounds for denying the application.

In the past, recently issued ID was also a specific risk indicator (since it suggests the possibility the applicant had been abroad and only recently returned to Canada, hence the need to recently obtain new Drivers License or Health Card or such) which could lead to the issuance of RQ (CIT 0171). We do not know to what extent this is still examined and considered. My guess is that it is no longer an absolute trigger for RQ but is still examined and may factor into whether or not further inquiries or requests for documents might be made. Some have expressed the view they think this criteria is no longer a factor. Reminder: criteria which constitutes what amounts to reasons-to-question-residency are now considered confidential and not shared with the public, and the most recent version of the actual criteria I have seen was in the 2012 version of the File Requirements Checklist . . . and in that checklist, at that time, a recently issued ID automatically triggered RQ, but it is well apparent since then that at the least this is no longer an absolute or automatic trigger for RQ.

There are other aspects of the ID which may be examined and considered. For example, the interviewer might compare the signature on the Drivers License to the applicant's signature on the application or physical presence calculation. In many respects it is akin to any other immigration related examination: the interviewer is looking at all the parts and cross-checking and comparing things, looking for any inconsistencies or incongruities.

 

[berkcalg]

Hi berkcalg,

It is an unspoken rule to have all the necessary documents and government issued IDs (PR card, Drivers license, etc) when you are meeting with the Immigration officers for your interview. Since you don't know what kinda of documents and ids they will ask from you, it's always safe to carry them all. If you have recently changed addresses then it is recommended to update the new address on your ids as well.

I hope that answers your question!
Good luck with your interview. Fingers crossed for you!

KB

Thank you so much Kaladhar.

 

[berkcalg]

For sure you need it no question about it

Thank you so much Badar14.

 

[berkcalg]

Follow the instructions in the notice for the interview. They can vary.

Typically the instructions require the applicant to bring all possibly relevant Travel Documents, passports in particular, and the originals of all other documents submitted with the application. Thus, apart from what else the instructions might specify, the applicant typically is asked to bring the original ID documents of which copies were submitted with the application.

So, the applicant who submitted a copy of his or her Drivers License with the application needs to bring that original Drivers License to the interview.

Obviously, sometimes the applicant will need to renew the Drivers License after applying but before attending the interview. In that case, the applicant should bring the new Drivers License.

Overall, what the applicant needs to take the interview is the original of whatever documents were copied and included in the original application, plus any other documents which the instructions specify (if any).



What is required is one thing; impact in particular circumstances can be a different thing:

The primary purpose of the request for ID documents is, simply, to verify the applicant's identity. If for some reason the applicant does not have the very same ID a copy of which was submitted with the application, obviously the applicant needs to bring the original of some other form of ID meeting the specifications. See the Guide for making the citizenship application
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/applications/guides/CIT0002ETOC.asp
and the section on gathering documents in particular, to see what qualifies as ID.

This is an element, a necessary part of the application process.

Beyond that, however, the IRCC interviewer may examine and consider information in the ID in assessing the applicant and the applicant's case.

For example, no rocket science is required to be aware that if the applicant's residential address is different than the address on a form of identification, such as a Drivers License, that raises questions:
-- where does the applicant really reside?
-- why is there a difference?

If the applicant's actual address, where the applicant actually lives, is the same as what is listed for the applicant in the application, but the Drivers License has a different address, is the applicant violating provincial law in failing to update his or her current address?

If the applicant is actually living at the address listed on the Drivers License, and that is different from what was on the application, has the applicant changed address since applying and if so, why has the applicant failed to properly notify IRCC of the change in address. Remember, the applicant verifies (signature box in application form) he or she will notify IRCC of any change in the information in the application, and technically the failure to update a change in address could be misrepresentation by omission, although practically this would mostly be a reason for IRCC to elevate its scrutiny and make inquiries about the accuracy of the applicant's declarations as to address history and current address.

Obviously, if the applicant is not actually living at the address IRCC has (per what the application stated or per changes the applicant has notified IRCC of since applying), that is a material misrepresentation. This alone can be grounds for denying the application.

In the past, recently issued ID was also a specific risk indicator (since it suggests the possibility the applicant had been abroad and only recently returned to Canada, hence the need to recently obtain new Drivers License or Health Card or such) which could lead to the issuance of RQ (CIT 0171). We do not know to what extent this is still examined and considered. My guess is that it is no longer an absolute trigger for RQ but is still examined and may factor into whether or not further inquiries or requests for documents might be made. Some have expressed the view they think this criteria is no longer a factor. Reminder: criteria which constitutes what amounts to reasons-to-question-residency are now considered confidential and not shared with the public, and the most recent version of the actual criteria I have seen was in the 2012 version of the File Requirements Checklist . . . and in that checklist, at that time, a recently issued ID automatically triggered RQ, but it is well apparent since then that at the least this is no longer an absolute or automatic trigger for RQ.

There are other aspects of the ID which may be examined and considered. For example, the interviewer might compare the signature on the Drivers License to the applicant's signature on the application or physical presence calculation. In many respects it is akin to any other immigration related examination: the interviewer is looking at all the parts and cross-checking and comparing things, looking for any inconsistencies or incongruities.

Thank you so much Dpenabill.