Request for Supplementary Evidence

[gands]

Hi,

I applied in August passed my citizenship test in January and in March, I received a request for supplementary evidence. They wanted everything from information about my children (both born in Canada) to my trips overseas. I sent them all the information and now I have received another request for supplementary information including passports and/or travel documents (which I have now already sent twice - initially and when they asked for more information), rental agreements, leases or mortgage documents (already sent with the initial request for more information), records of employment (also submitted previously but here they want specifically T4s), notice of assessment from the CRA for five tax years, a provincial/territorial health claim summary (which seems to take more time to get than they are even giving me) as well as a history of arrivals and departures in the United States, when I became a citizenship and asking me if I have a passport of a country that I am not a citizen (I was born in Europe but I'm a naturalized born US citizen who never had citizenship where I was born since their citizenship is not birth-based). This is all quite frustrating. What gives? Is this normal? Or have I been flagged somehow?

 

[dpenabill]

Hi,

I applied in August passed my citizenship test in January and in March, I received a request for supplementary evidence. They wanted everything from information about my children (both born in Canada) to my trips overseas. I sent them all the information and now I have received another request for supplementary information including passports and/or travel documents (which I have now already sent twice - initially and when they asked for more information), rental agreements, leases or mortgage documents (already sent with the initial request for more information), records of employment (also submitted previously but here they want specifically T4s), notice of assessment from the CRA for five tax years, a provincial/territorial health claim summary (which seems to take more time to get than they are even giving me) as well as a history of arrivals and departures in the United States, when I became a citizenship and asking me if I have a passport of a country that I am not a citizen (I was born in Europe but I'm a naturalized born US citizen who never had citizenship where I was born since their citizenship is not birth-based). This is all quite frustrating. What gives? Is this normal? Or have I been flagged somehow?

It appears you have been tagged as a physical presence case or at least there are some questions about the accuracy or completeness of your account of dates you were physically present or absent, and thus IRCC is doing due diligence in requiring you to in effect actually prove you were in Canada when you declared you were.

While multiple CIT 0520 requests for additional information and documentation are not uncommon, the scope of what you describe is more extensive than the typical CIT 0520 and is more like the full blown RQ CIT 0171 form. Given the change to physical presence rather than residency, as the requirement, it would make sense if IRCC is employing an expanded CIT 0520 or has revised the CIT 0171 form or has implemented an entirely new form. If you would, please let us know the actual form number and title of the requests you received.

While the forms may be different than what most reports here have reported regarding, the scope of the requests, as I noted, appear more consistent with the RQ form. So, even if it is different, the essence of the process remains the same: you need to timely respond to the request, submitting what you can, identifying what you have not been able to acquire in time to submit and explain why (simply; such as simply stating you made a request to such and such department and you are waiting for them to provide that documentation).

This sort of inquiry and in-depth scrutiny used to be more common, but it is still not uncommon. You need to read the requests carefully and follow the instructions as best you can, providing all that is requested as best you can.

I hesitate to guess what is going on behind this, at IRCC, but it may be that your birth in Europe has led someone to apprehend you have some undisclosed Travel Documents, or at least that you might have some undisclosed Travel Documents, so they are doing due diligence to thoroughly verify the facts in your case. Happens.

The burden of proof was always on you, but most applicants are never really required to actually affirmatively prove their case. The application makes a prima facie case and IRCC is satisfied, grants citizenship. But some applicants must actually go the extra mile and prove they were in Canada when they said they were, and otherwise provide documentation and records and evidence and information which supports the case that the applicant was indeed in Canada as declared.

Again, please let us know what the actual form is and its title, and perhaps someone here will have more direct experience with that particular form.

 

[arambi]

Hi,

I applied in August passed my citizenship test in January and in March, I received a request for supplementary evidence. They wanted everything from information about my children (both born in Canada) to my trips overseas. I sent them all the information and now I have received another request for supplementary information including passports and/or travel documents (which I have now already sent twice - initially and when they asked for more information), rental agreements, leases or mortgage documents (already sent with the initial request for more information), records of employment (also submitted previously but here they want specifically T4s), notice of assessment from the CRA for five tax years, a provincial/territorial health claim summary (which seems to take more time to get than they are even giving me) as well as a history of arrivals and departures in the United States, when I became a citizenship and asking me if I have a passport of a country that I am not a citizen (I was born in Europe but I'm a naturalized born US citizen who never had citizenship where I was born since their citizenship is not birth-based). This is all quite frustrating. What gives? Is this normal? Or have I been flagged somehow?

At the time of your birth, your parents are citizens of which countries?

 

[frankwhyte22]

Hi,

I applied in August passed my citizenship test in January and in March, I received a request for supplementary evidence. They wanted everything from information about my children (both born in Canada) to my trips overseas. I sent them all the information and now I have received another request for supplementary information including passports and/or travel documents (which I have now already sent twice - initially and when they asked for more information), rental agreements, leases or mortgage documents (already sent with the initial request for more information), records of employment (also submitted previously but here they want specifically T4s), notice of assessment from the CRA for five tax years, a provincial/territorial health claim summary (which seems to take more time to get than they are even giving me) as well as a history of arrivals and departures in the United States, when I became a citizenship and asking me if I have a passport of a country that I am not a citizen (I was born in Europe but I'm a naturalized born US citizen who never had citizenship where I was born since their citizenship is not birth-based). This is all quite frustrating. What gives? Is this normal? Or have I been flagged somehow?

I wouldn't worry too much if I were you. Same thing happened to myself and many others; they send you the CIT052 asking for additional evidence and immediately after you get RQ or RQ and CIT052 again..asking for the same documents you sent before.
My guess is they do not even bother to review what you have sent because they know you will be issued RQ so they end up asking for same documents again...it is just stupid to me because they could as well send a RQ initially instead of giving applicants the run around.

 

[gands]

Thanks for all of your responses. It's reassuring.

In March, I was sent the RQ CIT 0171. This current one is a follow up CIT 0520 (06-2015) E which is now, unlike the first, being processed by the local office who has requested it (before I had to ship the documents out East - sorry, I forget where but probably the main centre). But from what you are saying, it seems not necessarily worrying to be sent multiple of these requests.

My mother is a US citizen so she registered me at birth with the U.S. embassy - my father at the time had Israeli citizenship. We moved six months after I was born to the US where I grew up and lived continuously until moving to Canada 17 years ago (and I've been a permanent resident for eleven of those years). Probably, my main issue has been, besides my birth place, is that even though I am well within the residency requirements, I travel quite a bit - both visiting my family in the U.S. (often for quick trips which made it really tricky to remember five years of precise border crossings) but also for work (I'm a professor so I both conduct research abroad and present at international conferences quite frequently).

Yes, I guess it's the frustration of being asked to photocopy your passport for the third time or just having been told that it would be quite quick after the citizenship test to get entangled in this "due diligence". But I'm also someone who gets easily flustered by these kinds of bureaucratic processes so I guess I should just take a deep breath and send them what they want (or whatever I can get in time) and hopefully that works. I was just wondering why they would put us through this (I know it will take me hours just to dig up all the papers they want - if I even still have them). I guess my surprise was that I thought I was a straightforward case - a long time in the country, married to a Canadian, two Canadian children (not even U.S. citizens), the one property I own is my home in Canada, not to mention that I have a permanent tenured post at a Canadian university. And also being from our ostensibly closest ally (not sure if that makes a difference).

 

[links18]

Thanks for all of your responses. It's reassuring.

In March, I was sent the RQ CIT 0171. This current one is a follow up CIT 0520 (06-2015) E which is now, unlike the first, being processed by the local office who has requested it (before I had to ship the documents out East - sorry, I forget where but probably the main centre). But from what you are saying, it seems not necessarily worrying to be sent multiple of these requests.

My mother is a US citizen so she registered me at birth with the U.S. embassy - my father at the time had Israeli citizenship. We moved six months after I was born to the US where I grew up and lived continuously until moving to Canada 17 years ago (and I've been a permanent resident for eleven of those years). Probably, my main issue has been, besides my birth place, is that even though I am well within the residency requirements, I travel quite a bit - both visiting my family in the U.S. (often for quick trips which made it really tricky to remember five years of precise border crossings) but also for work (I'm a professor so I both conduct research abroad and present at international conferences quite frequently).

Yes, I guess it's the frustration of being asked to photocopy your passport for the third time or just having been told that it would be quite quick after the citizenship test to get entangled in this "due diligence". But I'm also someone who gets easily flustered by these kinds of bureaucratic processes so I guess I should just take a deep breath and send them what they want (or whatever I can get in time) and hopefully that works. I was just wondering why they would put us through this (I know it will take me hours just to dig up all the papers they want - if I even still have them). I guess my surprise was that I thought I was a straightforward case - a long time in the country, married to a Canadian, two Canadian children (not even U.S. citizens), the one property I own is my home in Canada, not to mention that I have a permanent tenured post at a Canadian university. And also being from our ostensibly closest ally (not sure if that makes a difference).

You are are a US citizen, but your children aren't? How did that happen? No, CIC won't care that you are from an allied country. Yes, it is really frustrating to have to remember all the times you crossed the border, especially in a case like yours where it seems you have maintained Canadian residency the entire time and are well established in the country. What does it really matter how many times you travelled to the US? It is really silly, but the rules are the rules, so you just have to suck it up and give them what they want. You say you are a professor? Well, you should be well acquainted with bureaucratic hassles by now... 8)

 

[gands]

I haven't gone to the U.S. embassy to register them yet. It's another vagary of citizenship rules that because I wasn't born in the U.S. (even if I would qualify in a Ted Cruz sense as a natural-born citizen) and my children were not born in the United States either, I have to provide similar kinds of proof to the U.S. government as I now have to do for the Canadian government in order to establish their eligibility (like track down undergraduate and high school transcripts as proof that I lived in the United States for a significant period of time, provide tax records when I worked there, etc.). I will definitely do it one day but one bureaucratic hassle at a time and they are still little so plenty of time to do it later (unless of course President Trump cracks down and changes the laws but if that happens I'll have to be doing lots of family reunification sponsorships.... ) Yes, somehow I was naive enough to go into a university career because I had imagined it would be a life of the mind free of bureaucratic headaches.... So naive.

You are are a US citizen, but your children aren't? How did that happen? No, CIC won't care that you are from an allied country. Yes, it is really frustrating to have to remember all the times you crossed the border, especially in a case like yours where it seems you have maintained Canadian residency the entire time and are well established in the country. What does it really matter how many times you travelled to the US? It is really silly, but the rules are the rules, so you just have to suck it up and give them what they want. You say you are a professor? Well, you should be well acquainted with bureaucratic hassles by now... 8)