Please help ASAP

[Canadian_Leb]

Hi
I am trying to fill out the application for my spouse for his citizenship. He has been here for just over 3 years. I am stuck on two questions in the application which are not very clear.
The eligibility period is dated 5 years back from the day he signs say today:
I have selected no for this question below: eligibility period 2012-2017 -> my husband came here in 2014 so he did live outside Canada but I am not trying to claim any residency time because when I read the help - it specifies other conditions which don't apply and my husband is meeting the number of days required (1095)
c) During your eligibility period did you live outside Canada -> answer NO?
then I go into the next question 10 a) and list all addresses including the ones outside Canada from 2012 to 2014
the second part of this question is : in the past four years were you in another country Other than Canada for over 183 days -> Answer yes?

because he came in September 2014. Now I have to submit a police clearance along with application. Please let me know if I answered this right as I need to submit the application by this week.
Thank you

 

[Kan_Sri]

I am in the same situation as your husband. I entered the eligibility period as the day i became PR to the day i signed the citizenship application.
So the answer is NO for the question C- did you live outside canada during the eligibility period.

for the second question. i listed out all the address i lived in between 2012 to 2017 and provided a police clearance from the home country.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Hi
I am trying to fill out the application for my spouse for his citizenship. He has been here for just over 3 years. I am stuck on two questions in the application which are not very clear.
The eligibility period is dated 5 years back from the day he signs say today:
I have selected no for this question below: eligibility period 2012-2017 -> my husband came here in 2014 so he did live outside Canada but I am not trying to claim any residency time because when I read the help - it specifies other conditions which don't apply and my husband is meeting the number of days required (1095)
c) During your eligibility period did you live outside Canada -> answer NO?
then I go into the next question 10 a) and list all addresses including the ones outside Canada from 2012 to 2014
the second part of this question is : in the past four years were you in another country Other than Canada for over 183 days -> Answer yes?

because he came in September 2014. Now I have to submit a police clearance along with application. Please let me know if I answered this right as I need to submit the application by this week.
Thank you

 

[Canadian_Leb]

I am in the same situation as your husband. I entered the eligibility period as the day i became PR to the day i signed the citizenship application.
So the answer is NO for the question C- did you live outside canada during the eligibility period.

for the second question. i listed out all the address i lived in between 2012 to 2017 and provided a police clearance from the home country.

Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Thank you very Kan_Sri ... this helps greatly... thank you so much for the clarification and that what I will do for him as well

 

[vasvas]

Hi
I am trying to fill out the application for my spouse for his citizenship. He has been here for just over 3 years. I am stuck on two questions in the application which are not very clear.
The eligibility period is dated 5 years back from the day he signs say today:
I have selected no for this question below: eligibility period 2012-2017 -> my husband came here in 2014 so he did live outside Canada but I am not trying to claim any residency time because when I read the help - it specifies other conditions which don't apply and my husband is meeting the number of days required (1095)
c) During your eligibility period did you live outside Canada -> answer NO?
then I go into the next question 10 a) and list all addresses including the ones outside Canada from 2012 to 2014
the second part of this question is : in the past four years were you in another country Other than Canada for over 183 days -> Answer yes?

because he came in September 2014. Now I have to submit a police clearance along with application. Please let me know if I answered this right as I need to submit the application by this week.
Thank you

There has been a lot of discussion about Question 9c on this forum. Search for 9c and you will get many answers . Why you should answer Yes, No or Yes with a CIT0177 marked not applicable. Read the reasons why people are advocating one or the other answer and choose whatever suits your fancy.
Personally, I answered 9c as No following a similar logic as you did (I am not claiming credit for crown service).

Your spouse must submit a police certificate if they spent 183 days total outside Canada over the past 4 years.

 

[dpenabill]

Hi
I am trying to fill out the application for my spouse for his citizenship. He has been here for just over 3 years. I am stuck on two questions in the application which are not very clear.
The eligibility period is dated 5 years back from the day he signs say today:
I have selected no for this question below: eligibility period 2012-2017 -> my husband came here in 2014 so he did live outside Canada but I am not trying to claim any residency time because when I read the help - it specifies other conditions which don't apply and my husband is meeting the number of days required (1095)
c) During your eligibility period did you live outside Canada -> answer NO?
then I go into the next question 10 a) and list all addresses including the ones outside Canada from 2012 to 2014
the second part of this question is : in the past four years were you in another country Other than Canada for over 183 days -> Answer yes?

because he came in September 2014. Now I have to submit a police clearance along with application. Please let me know if I answered this right as I need to submit the application by this week.
Thank you

Foremost: the applicant should answer the questions truthfully according to the applicant's best understanding of the question asked (the actual question asked) and then follow the instructions as best the applicant understands those instructions.

Item 9.c in the current application is a little confusing because the instructions are inconsistent, but the question asked is itself straight-forward.

While there are various views about how to respond to item 9.c, for the applicant who in fact was living outside Canada during the five (5) years before applying, the approach which is almost certain to work is to truthfully check "yes" and then also submit the CIT 0177 form EVEN THOUGH that form is actually NOT at all relevant. Thus, the CIT 0177 form should be completed with "NA" in almost all the spaces for entering information. To be even more certain, the applicant can also hand write "Crown Servant time NA" (or a variation of this) next to item 9.c on the application, and on the CIT 0177 form itself. Be sure to check off this item on the checklist as well.


Item 10.b is not confusing even though some forum participants have suggested, even adamantly argued, otherwise. The approach described by Kan_Sri is almost certainly the best approach, the correct approach. Thus, the applicant adds up all the days spent in a country during the previous FOUR (4) YEARS (without regard to date of landing and becoming a PR), and if that total is 183 or more, then checks "yes." Applicant must then EITHER submit a police certificate from that country OR explain, in the space provided, why a certificate could not be provided.


More regarding item 9.c

First, the approach taken by Kan_Sri for this item is flawed.

I entered the eligibility period as the day i became PR to the day i signed the citizenship application.

The eligibility period is NOT dependent on date the applicant became a PR. The eligibility period is the five years preceding the date the application was made. The date-to-date of the eligibility period is clearly stated in the presence calculation, and it will simply show the "to" date the same as the date the application is being signed (as entered by the applicant), and the from date will then automatically be the date precisely five years prior to that.

There are many indications that checking "no" in response to item 9.c will work. It will obviously pass the completeness check. So long as the applicant has properly disclosed address history (item 10.a) and work history (item 11) for the full five years, and accurately reported time outside Canada in the presence calculation, IRCC will be fully informed as to the applicant's actual history. And, there are even credible suggestions that IRCC intends this item, item 9.c., to really ask if the applicant was living abroad as or with a Crown Servant. BUT many of us do NOT suggest this approach (for any applicant who actually did live outside Canada during the preceding five years) because it involves giving a response contrary to the facts.

As vasvas stated, there has indeed been a lot of discussion about this item, and in particular, in other threads, I have elaborated more in depth my above observations.

There has been a lot of discussion about Question 9c on this forum.

 

[razerblade]

Hi Dpenabill,
what age range need to submit language verification to get citizenship?

From the guide,

If you are 18 to 54 years old:

• Photocopies of your proof of English or French language ability if you are 18-54 years of age. Examples of what you can provide include the following:
  • results of a third-party language test;
  • diploma, certificate or transcripts from a secondary or post-secondary education program in Canada or abroad, where the language of study was English or French
  • proof that you have reached the Canadian Language Benchmark (CLB) level 4 or higher through a government-funded language training programs.
    
    OR
    
• If you are 18-54 years of age and unable to demonstrate that you have the necessary English or French language ability due to a medical condition, you must submit a supporting evidence with your application. Please provide photocopies of one of the following:
  • An audiogram and an attestation issued by a Canadian audiologist if you are hearing impaired; or
  • Evidence from a medical practitioner in Canada if you have a disorder, disability or condition that is cognitive, psychiatric or physiological in nature.

 

[scylla]

Hi Dpenabill,
what age range need to submit language verification to get citizenship?

18 to 54

 

[Kan_Sri]

@dpenabill - i stand corrected. I went back and rechecked the application help. So the eligibility period is 5 years prior to the date of signing the application to the application date.

Having said that, If i were to submit my application again today - i would still put the date of my landing (as from date). Because i believe due to credit towards eligibility is given for people who were with temporary stay (work permit and student) prior to becoming a PR. Only time will tell if my application will be processed as is or it gets returned. I will keep the form posted.

@Canadian_Leb, I agree with @vasvas - please search the form and make a decision based on what you read.

 

[Canadian_Leb]

Thank you all I really appreciate your help... I cannot get an original copy of police clearance right away I'm thinking about submitting the application without it and writing a note why I cannot right away. It will take sometimes to get one from back home and then have to translate it. I can get one in January. Do you guys think it would be ok submitting the application without one then sending one next month? Pleas

 

[dpenabill]

@dpenabill - i stand corrected. I went back and rechecked the application help. So the eligibility period is 5 years prior to the date of signing the application to the application date.

Having said that, If i were to submit my application again today - i would still put the date of my landing (as from date). Because i believe due to credit towards eligibility is given for people who were with temporary stay (work permit and student) prior to becoming a PR. Only time will tell if my application will be processed as is or it gets returned. I will keep the form posted.

@Canadian_Leb, I agree with @vasvas - please search the form and make a decision based on what you read.

Making a mistake in the application will NOT cause the application to be returned. Checking "no" in response to item 9.c will, for that item, certainly pass the completeness check.

Moreover, as I have oft noted, checking "no" in response to item 9.c despite having in fact lived outside Canada during the previous five years, will PROBABLY WORK, will probably be OK. But of course checking "no" contrary to the truth constitutes giving a response contrary to the truth. Even if that works for this particular item, that is NOT an approach applicants should generally take.

What works sometimes, or even a lot of the time, can be comforting news for someone who has already made an application in that way. In contrast, applicants who have not yet applied, however, will do better by taking the approach more certain to work. Answering items truthfully and then following the instructions, that tends to work best the most often.

I cannot get an original copy of police clearance right away I'm thinking about submitting the application without it and writing a note why I cannot right away. It will take sometimes to get one from back home and then have to translate it. I can get one in January. Do you guys think it would be ok submitting the application without one then sending one next month?

To be clear, this forum is rife with tales of woe from those who rushed applying. On the other hand, many many times waiting a month or three months to apply can mean actually taking the oath sooner. The citizenship application processing path is littered with pitfalls and potential delays for those who rush making the application.

An explanation as to why no police certificate is submitted probably passes the completeness check, probably gets AOR. But whether the completeness check involves screening the substantive explanation, or not, is yet unknown, thus not at all certain.

As noted in response to other aspects of the application, what usually works best, most of the time, is to answer the questions/items directly and follow the instructions. What will probably work best, and fastest overall, for the applicant who checks "yes" in response to item 10.b, is to obtain and include the original police certificate.

 

[Kan_Sri]

Some embassies provide Police clearance and it is very quick to get it. You may want to try that if it applies. On the forum, i have read of many applications returned and not passing completeness check due to "police clearance". Please review. If i were you, i would wait and get the complete documentation unless getting citizenship is of urgent matter.

Thank you all I really appreciate your help... I cannot get an original copy of police clearance right away I'm thinking about submitting the application without it and writing a note why I cannot right away. It will take sometimes to get one from back home and then have to translate it. I can get one in January. Do you guys think it would be ok submitting the application without one then sending one next month? Pleas

 

[spyfy]

@dpenabill - i stand corrected. I went back and rechecked the application help. So the eligibility period is 5 years prior to the date of signing the application to the application date.

Having said that, If i were to submit my application again today - i would still put the date of my landing (as from date). Because i believe due to credit towards eligibility is given for people who were with temporary stay (work permit and student) prior to becoming a PR. Only time will tell if my application will be processed as is or it gets returned. I will keep the form posted.

@Canadian_Leb, I agree with @vasvas - please search the form and make a decision based on what you read.

Everything else seems to be settled but I want to emphasize again what others said: the eligibility period is always five years. It doesn't matter what you believe should be relevant or not. You must must must put the full five years as the eligibility period. The form, the calculator and the instruction guide are crystal clear on that.

 

[maniac2403]

I agree with what @spyfy and @dpenabill are stating. My wife was also in the same boat as she was in another country in her 5 year eligibility period. Luckily this was outside the 4 year period that they require police clearance certificates for. The application stresses the fact that all information should be correct to the best of your capability and knowledge.

Question 9c explicitly asked if you have been living outside Canada during your 5 year eligibility period. My recommendation is to truthfully answer Yes or No, irrespective if the time is not being used to calculate the time spent in Canada requirement. Then complete CIT0177E with N/A and attach a cover letter stating why you completed CIT0177E even though the period is not being used for time spent requirement.