Spousal sponsorship, now PR 3 years - ready to apply for citizenship questions

[HoneyBird2]

Hi Everyone,

I came to Canada through spousal sponsorship. I will have made my three years early Feb. and now started to research applying for citizenship.

I have 3 questions:
Can some one link me to the page I need to go to start applying for citizenship

2. I spent some vacation time out of Canada. Everytime I went on vacation, My spouse (who is canadian) accompanied me. Does this count as out of country time OR because I was always with my canadian spouse, it counts as time?

3. Are there any helpful tips or THREADs on this forum to guide me through this process? (I am very familiar with the Spousal Forum but not the citizenship Forum).

Thank you,
HB.

 

[scylla]

1. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become.asp
2. This counts as time outside of Canada for citizenship purposes. You can only count it as time in Canada for PR residency purposes. So you will need to wait a while longer before you apply for citizenship to cover for your days outside of Canada.
3. Best bet is to just read through the threads in the section of the forum you are in now. There are no specific threads that are more helpful than others.

 

[HoneyBird2]

Scylla...Its been 3 years since on the forum. You are still here giving advice..

Thank you and I hope you are well!!!!

 

[HoneyBird2]

I checked the residency calculator and I have to wait the end of April to have the correct number of days!

So I will be applying in MAY.

How long does it take to complete all the forms and such? Wondering if to set my calendar to start filling out the application forms one week before May or is more time needed?

 

[boasorte]

I checked the residency calculator and I have to wait the end of April to have the correct number of days!

So I will be applying in MAY.

How long does it take to complete all the forms and such? Wondering if to set my calendar to start filling out the application forms one week before May or is more time needed?

Completing the forms is the least time consuming part of the process. Collecting the supporting documents is what you should be watching for.
Go over the check list and see what may require some extra time to get i.e. school records, or evidence of language.
Good Luck!

 

[keesio]

Compared to a PR/sponsorship application, citizenship is a snap. The most time consuming thing is the residency calculation if you travel a lot. Some people also can't find their original COPR. Otherwise it is pretty simple.

 

[boasorte]

Compared to a PR/sponsorship application, citizenship is a snap. The most time consuming thing is the residency calculation if you travel a lot. Some people also can't find their original COPR. Otherwise it is pretty simple.

True.

I just can't get my head around the fact that someone would lose their COPR. People, that's one of the most important piece of paper you have!!
Mine is on file and haven't been touched since I got home from my landing interview.. haha

 

[keesio]

The thing is not all border officials tell you how important it is when you land. A lot of people just think it is for landing and once you land and after you get your PR card, it is not needed anymore.

I admit that I was one of those people. I was lucky that I am a type that never throw anything out. It took me a few days but I found it in some random folder mixed in with other "non-essential" documents.

 

[eileenf]

Compared to a PR/sponsorship application, citizenship is a snap. The most time consuming thing is the residency calculation if you travel a lot. Some people also can't find their original COPR. Otherwise it is pretty simple.

The application is easy, but I really encourage you to 1. give yourself a little bit of a buffer of physical residence days instead of applying on day 1096, 2. Collect as much documentation as you can about your time in Canada. Both of these will help in case you get the Residence Questionnaire.

I also encourage you to check out: http://residencequestionnaire.wordpress.com/advice-to-future-applicants/record-keeping/ and http://residencequestionnaire.wordpress.com/advice-to-future-applicants/rq-avoidance/

 

[scylla]

Yes - not having the CORP can be a big problem since it's a mandatory document and getting a replacement currently takes six months. I had a mini freak-out when my husband had trouble locating his. But fortunately we found it within a few hours.