I was on Implied Status for a few months. Can I count those?
Whatever the technically correct answer is, the
PRACTICAL answer is easy and obvious: best to
NOT rely on days in Canada pursuant to implied status.
Remember: the burden of proof is on the applicant. Implied status is only that, "implied." There is no formal grant of status during that period of time. No proof of status during that time.
No advanced degrees in
bureaucratology are necessary to recognize it could be hard to prove status if there is no documentation or other proof of status.
The practical aspects of relying on pre-PR credit is NOT much talked about or wrestled with in the forum. There tends to be a lot of weight given
IT-COUNTS. Too much so I'd venture.
Who is more or less likely to encounter non-routine processing, let alone overt problems, due to wrinkles in documenting days present in Canada pursuant to this or that version of temporary resident status, is a big subject I do not have time to elaborate much about.
I can, however, emphasize there are many PRACTICAL considerations to take into account when making a decision about
WHEN is the right time to apply. Relying on days that technically count can actually HURT if, in practice, counting those days triggers non-routine processing (even if just to request documentation of status for those days) let alone triggering overt concerns about whether they do count (which could result in RQ and
presence-case processing, which can add months or even YEARS to processing timelines).
As I have oft cautioned, those who rush to apply rather often discover a longer road to the oath.
I do not mean to discourage you or anyone from applying when eligible. For some, waiting longer means just waiting longer.
For some others, waiting longer to apply can mean becoming a citizen sooner and with a lot less hassle along the way, and less hassle usually means less anxiety. Rarely hurts to lower the anxiety levels. Each individual needs to sort out and make these decisions for herself or himself, depending on the specific situation in her or his life. All I can recommend is to NOT be rushed, and to recognize that days after becoming a PR count not just as full days but count without any question as to status. And while it is not always true, for most applicants the more days over the minimum, the stronger the case, the fewer questions or concerns IRCC is likely to have.
In this vein, talking about what makes for a stronger case, applicants with a solid employment history working for a readily recognized Canadian employer generally have, on the face of things, a significantly stronger case than those who are self-employed (regardless of the business form, corporate or as a simple DBA sole proprietorship), or for that matter than those employed by family. Those with a facially stronger case can usually afford to apply with a smaller margin over the minimum. (My self-employment history was very much a part of my decision to wait nearly TWO years longer to apply for citizenship. My
been-there-done-that perspective on this particular aspect of things.)
Another potential strength-of-case factor can be related to whether the work is fully IN-Canada work. Not sure if this is a factor for you, but it should be obvious that if the employment/work involves working-abroad, it is a good idea for the prospective applicant to build a stronger case, including more margin above the minimum, before applying. (This is another piece in my
been-there-done-that perspective; my work was done entirely in Canada, but my work involves providing services for clients abroad, and that too factored into my decision to wait nearly two years to apply after the day I passed the eligibility threshold.)
Ultimately, what matters most is counting on days that do count. So, ultimately what really matters is that the days that do count add up to meeting the minimum requirement. BUT it is often worthwhile to take into account the risk of questions or concerns about these or those days, and apply only when those without question are enough.
