what are his options?

[mjginsrq]

a friend of mine has lived in Canada since the early 70's when he came to live with relatives as a minor. he has worked as long as I've known him (25years) and has 2 children now. he does have an expired Italian passport. can he apply for Canadian Citizenship?

 

[Leon]

What is his status in Canada? If he is a permanent resident, he can apply for citizenship as long as he fulfills having stayed in Canada for at least 1095 days out of the last 4 years.

 

[mjginsrq]

He's not sure what his status is. I guess back then, they issued him a Social Insuarance Number and that was the end of it. He's definately been in the country for 1095 days in the past 4 years. In fact he hasn't left the country in probably 10 years. He's reluctant to proceed using a gov't agency (ie: Immigration) for fear that he might be deported but I can't imagine that will happen. That's why i posted here just to get a starting point and to understand how he proceeds.

 

[Leon]

He's not sure what his status is. I guess back then, they issued him a Social Insuarance Number and that was the end of it. He's definately been in the country for 1095 days in the past 4 years. In fact he hasn't left the country in probably 10 years. He's reluctant to proceed using a gov't agency (ie: Immigration) for fear that he might be deported but I can't imagine that will happen. That's why i posted here just to get a starting point and to understand how he proceeds.

Does his SIN start with 9 or with something else? If it starts with 9, it s a temporary SIN issued for a temporary resident. If it starts with something else, he must be a PR. Does he have any documents since back then?

If he wants to figure out what his position is, he must at some point talk to immigration about it. Maybe he should talk to a lawyer to find out if there is a discreet way he can ask about his status without risking anything. If for some reason, he never got PR and has lived in Canada the whole time illegally, he could get deported if immigration finds out about him. Is is married or living in a common law relationship with a Canadian? If that were true, in case he is not PR, he could be sponsored. If he is not, he might be able to apply on humane and compassionate grounds based on that his children are in Canada.

 

[PMM]

Hi

Does his SIN start with 9 or with something else? If it starts with 9, it s a temporary SIN issued for a temporary resident. If it starts with something else, he must be a PR. Does he have any documents since back then?

If he wants to figure out what his position is, he must at some point talk to immigration about it. Maybe he should talk to a lawyer to find out if there is a discreet way he can ask about his status without risking anything. If for some reason, he never got PR and has lived in Canada the whole time illegally, he could get deported if immigration finds out about him. Is is married or living in a common law relationship with a Canadian? If that were true, in case he is not PR, he could be sponsored. If he is not, he might be able to apply on humane and compassionate grounds based on that his children are in Canada.

The "9" SIN no. wasn't in effect when the OP entered Canada. He could have any number.

 

[scylla]

He's not sure what his status is. I guess back then, they issued him a Social Insuarance Number and that was the end of it. He's definately been in the country for 1095 days in the past 4 years. In fact he hasn't left the country in probably 10 years. He's reluctant to proceed using a gov't agency (ie: Immigration) for fear that he might be deported but I can't imagine that will happen. That's why i posted here just to get a starting point and to understand how he proceeds.

Just being in Canada 4 years doesn't entitle him to apply for citizenship. He must also be a permanent resident.

So the key question is - is he a permanent resident? If so, then by all means apply for citizenship. If not - then he needs to explore becoming a PR first.