Is police clearance needed if I left Canada and stayed away for more than 183 days AFTER applying for citizenship & receiving AOR

[Rie11]

I wonder if anyone might help me with this.
I had sent in my citizenship application & supporting documentation and received AOR, and after receiving AOR, I went to my home country and stayed there for more than 183 days.
Do I need police clearance from my home country for the period of time spent away from Canada AFTER I had received AOR of my citizenship application?

Thank you!

 

[RJ2020]

I wonder if anyone might help me with this.
I had sent in my citizenship application & supporting documentation and received AOR, and after receiving AOR, I went to my home country and stayed there for more than 183 days.
Do I need police clearance from my home country for the period of time spent away from Canada AFTER I had received AOR of my citizenship application?

Thank you!

No. You don’t. Your application is already submitted. The eligibility period matters. However, they can request for a police certificate at any stage of processing your citizenship application.

 

[Rie11]

No. You don’t. Your application is already submitted. The eligibility period matters. However, they can request for a police certificate at any stage of processing your citizenship application.

Thank you! For all the time of my eligibility period I stayed in Canada and never left.
Do you mean that they can still request the police clearance certificate for the time I spent away from Canada after the eligibility period (that is the time after AOR)?

 

[RJ2020]

Thank you! For all the time of my eligibility period I stayed in Canada and never left.
Do you mean that they can still request the police clearance certificate for the time I spent away from Canada after the eligibility period (that is the time after AOR)?

Yes. Not particularly for the time you spent outside Canada after submitting your application though. As I said, when you submit your application, the eligibility period matters. Not before that, not after that.

Remember: You must maintain your PR status up to the day on which you would have your oath ceremony. The rule of 2 out of 5-year window always applies even after submitting your application before the oath ceremony.

Anyway, if you stay outside Canada for more than 183 days in a row after submitting the application, it does not necessarily trigger the request for a police certificate. However, IRCC says that it might ask you to provide a police certificate at any stage of processing regardless of the fact whether you needed a PCC at the time you applied for citizenship or not.

IRCC states:

We may request a police certificate at any point during processing, even if you submitted a valid certificate with your application.

 

[Rie11]

Yes. Not particularly for the time you spent outside Canada after submitting your application though. As I said, when you submit your application, the eligibility period matters. Not before that, not after that.

Remember: You must maintain your PR status up to the day on which you would have your oath ceremony. The rule of 2 out of 5-year window always applies even after submitting your application before the oath ceremony.

Anyway, if you stay outside Canada for more than 183 days in a row after submitting the application, it does not necessarily trigger the request for a police certificate. However, IRCC says that it might ask you to provide a police certificate at any stage of processing regardless of the fact whether you needed a PCC at the time you applied for citizenship or not.

IRCC states:

We may request a police certificate at any point during processing, even if you submitted a valid certificate with your application.

Thank you. It's very helpful.

 

[dpenabill]

I had sent in my citizenship application & supporting documentation and received AOR, and after receiving AOR, I went to my home country and stayed there for more than 183 days.
Do I need police clearance from my home country for the period of time spent away from Canada AFTER I had received AOR of my citizenship application?

You might IF IRCC asks for one. IRCC can ask for it.


Longer Explanation For Clarification:

Police clearances have nothing to do with evaluating the applicant's actual physical presence and are NOT connected to the "eligibility period" (which is the five years preceding the date the application is made), EVEN though the relevant time periods overlap.

Police clearances are about verifying the applicant has NO prohibitions based on criminal charges in other countries. The relevant time period during which there must be no criminal charges or convictions constituting a prohibition includes:

-- the FOUR years preceding the date the application is made (overlapping but not the same as the five year eligibility period), and​

-- while the citizenship application is pending, right up to day the oath is taken​

We do not see many applicants report getting a request for a police clearance apart from those applicants who need to submit a clearance WITH the application (based on checking the [Yes] box in response to the question about spending 183 or more days in a row in another country in "the past four (4) years," which is item 10.b) in the 10-2020 version of CIT 0002).

But as @RJ2020 noted, IRCC can ask for a clearance at any time during the processing of the citizenship application.

Since not a lot of applicants live abroad after applying for citizenship (despite a remarkable, somewhat surprising number who do, as reflected in questions posed in this forum), we do not have a sufficient sample to make inferences about the chances of getting a request for a police clearance due to living abroad after applying.

But to be clear, IRCC can request a police clearance and that can be about verifying no criminal charges abroad AFTER the date of applying . . . it is NOT limited to the eligibility period prior to applying.

For reference, see prohibition prescribed by Citizenship Act 22(3) here: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-29/page-7.html#docCont
Note that 22(3)(a) describes the prohibition based on offences outside Canada during "the four-year period immediately before" the application is made, and 22(3)(b) describes the prohibition based on offences outside Canada during "the period beginning on the date of the person’s application and ending on the date that he or she would otherwise be granted citizenship or take the oath of citizenship."

 

[Rie11]

You might IF IRCC asks for one. IRCC can ask for it.


Longer Explanation For Clarification:

Police clearances have nothing to do with evaluating the applicant's actual physical presence and are NOT connected to the "eligibility period" (which is the five years preceding the date the application is made), EVEN though the relevant time periods overlap.

Police clearances are about verifying the applicant has NO prohibitions based on criminal charges in other countries. The relevant time period during which there must be no criminal charges or convictions constituting a prohibition includes:

-- the FOUR years preceding the date the application is made (overlapping but not the same as the five year eligibility period), and​

-- while the citizenship application is pending, right up to day the oath is taken​

We do not see many applicants report getting a request for a police clearance apart from those applicants who need to submit a clearance WITH the application (based on checking the [Yes] box in response to the question about spending 183 or more days in a row in another country in "the past four (4) years," which is item 10.b) in the 10-2020 version of CIT 0002).

But as @RJ2020 noted, IRCC can ask for a clearance at any time during the processing of the citizenship application.

Since not a lot of applicants live abroad after applying for citizenship (despite a remarkable, somewhat surprising number who do, as reflected in questions posed in this forum), we do not have a sufficient sample to make inferences about the chances of getting a request for a police clearance due to living abroad after applying.

But to be clear, IRCC can request a police clearance and that can be about verifying no criminal charges abroad AFTER the date of applying . . . it is NOT limited to the eligibility period prior to applying.

For reference, see prohibition prescribed by Citizenship Act 22(3) here: https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/C-29/page-7.html#docCont
Note that 22(3)(a) describes the prohibition based on offences outside Canada during "the four-year period immediately before" the application is made, and 22(3)(b) describes the prohibition based on offences outside Canada during "the period beginning on the date of the person’s application and ending on the date that he or she would otherwise be granted citizenship or take the oath of citizenship."

Thank you. This provides a very comprehensive response to my question. Since there seems to be a possibility of the clearance request, albeit small, I'll make sure to apply for the certificate before I leave my home country.