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Citizenship application cbsa question

Citizenship application cbsa question

Old Apr 11th 2014, 3:34 pm
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Default Citizenship application cbsa question

My family and I are about 16 months into the process and a few weeks ago got our invites to the test. We studied a lot but we were both pretty nervous and I'm happy to say we passed.

I had an interview right after with an immigration official. At first she was concerned that I had a stamp where I'd left the country that wasn't on my residence calculator. But I pointed out it was before the relevant dates. She still seemed suspicious though and started asking about the number of stamps for the US I have. We cross the border maybe 6 or 7 times a year for shopping, but since these are day trips they also are not on the calculator.

I know that I was completely honest and we meet all the residency requirements. I have had a full time job in Canada for the last 7 years and my son has complete school records so I really didn't expect much attention to our day trips.

Anyhow she asked me to sign a form so she could get CBSA records of our movements, and that this will probably delay our application and may involve a judge interview.

My wife's interview went very similarly except the attention was on a 2 week uk trip she went on with my son. Since the UK does not stamp on arrival if you have a chip passport there is no departure record. So she too signed for the CBSA look up.

Sorry this is so long just to get to my question. What I'm wondering is should we worry much about this? Should we start gathering evidence of flight purchases and so on? How usual is this request and how likely is the delay?

It kind of took away from our happy feeling of passing the test and out a cloud of doubt over what I thought would be straightforward from now on

Last edited by Penguin_; Apr 11th 2014 at 4:04 pm. Reason: Fix some spelling mistakes
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Old Apr 11th 2014, 3:49 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Basically they are checking on if you meet the required 1095 days residency for citizenship.
Time you have lived in Canada
You must have resided in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before you apply. This does not apply to children under 18.
You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if it was during the past four years.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen...ligibility.asp
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Old Apr 11th 2014, 4:06 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Oh yeah, I understand the requirement. We waited until a couple of months after we met the requirement according to the calculator on their site before applying. Since then we have not been out of the country for more than a few weeks a year so there's no reasonable way we could not meet them now.

So I was just curious how often this extra stage happens to people, since I think our application is about as normal as it gets.
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Old Apr 12th 2014, 3:02 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

You're at risk of getting a 'Residence Questionnaire'.

If you get one, expect it to be a hassle - we're talking hundreds of pages you'll need to collect and send off. Also, average processing time will jump from two to three years.

There's a budding Residence Questionnaire 'pressure group' out there, called The Association of Future Canadians. Their website is a must-read if you do get an RQ.

From their website:

Things all immigrants should keep from their first day in Canada under any visa or immigration status:
1. Download online bills or banking statements every month. Most banks and utilities only keep your bills online for 12 months.
2. All expired visas. Do not allow the border guard to dispose of your old visa when issuing a new one.
3. Keep track of all travel dates outside Canada, including day trips.
4. Travel ticket stubs or receipts, including car rental contracts.
5. Bank statements
6. Medical records
7. Rent receipts, leases or mortgage documents
8. Tax documents and notices of assessment
9. School report cards, documents or receipts
10. Hydro bills
11. Make colour photocopies of all travel documents
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Old Apr 12th 2014, 3:30 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Oh yikes.

Well I shall start gathering that info just in case. Thanks for the heads up.
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 2:25 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

You would have thought that having proof of a full time job for seven years and the fact most employers won't allow more than four weeks leave per year, is enough to prove that you have been in Canada for the qualifying period.
If there is one thing to expect with bureaucrats, its the unexpected.
We're in the processing line at the moment, dreading the issues that await us.
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 3:45 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by jaysangha
You would have thought that having proof of a full time job for seven years and the fact most employers won't allow more than four weeks leave per year, is enough to prove that you have been in Canada for the qualifying period.
You're forgetting that many of us have jobs which require travel for weeks at a time.
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 3:58 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by jaysangha
You would have thought that having proof of a full time job for seven years and the fact most employers won't allow more than four weeks leave per year, is enough to prove that you have been in Canada for the qualifying period.
Given the amount of fraud that goes on with citizenship applications, it's not as clear-cut as that. Imagine how easy it would be to be put on the payroll of a Canadian company owned by a family member or friend, while residing abroad.
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 4:41 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by jaysangha
You would have thought that having proof of a full time job for seven years and the fact most employers won't allow more than four weeks leave per year, is enough to prove that you have been in Canada for the qualifying period.
If there is one thing to expect with bureaucrats, its the unexpected.
We're in the processing line at the moment, dreading the issues that await us.
I hope it goes smoothly for you Jaysangha. I have my fingers crossed for our application. When going through the whole immigration process there are scary things that can go wrong at every stage so all we can do is be thorough and honest and make sure we read all the rules

Oh yeah, and lots of patience.
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 6:47 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by Former Lancastrian
Basically they are checking on if you meet the required 1095 days residency for citizenship.
Time you have lived in Canada
You must have resided in Canada for at least three years (1,095 days) in the past four years before you apply. This does not apply to children under 18.
You may be able to count time you spent in Canada before you became a permanent resident if it was during the past four years.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizen...ligibility.asp
Side question...

If one is a "conditional PR" and spends time living with partner/spouse *outside* Canada (to fulfill PR conditions) does this time count towards citizenship time?
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Old Apr 16th 2014, 6:51 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by orly
Side question...

If one is a "conditional PR" and spends time living with partner/spouse *outside* Canada (to fulfill PR conditions) does this time count towards citizenship time?
No.
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Old Apr 18th 2014, 5:59 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by FlyingDutchman6666
You're at risk of getting a 'Residence Questionnaire'.

If you get one, expect it to be a hassle - we're talking hundreds of pages you'll need to collect and send off. Also, average processing time will jump from two to three years.

There's a budding Residence Questionnaire 'pressure group' out there, called The Association of Future Canadians. Their website is a must-read if you do get an RQ.

From their website:
Is it completely random that one gets a RQ? Back when I was naturalized, which was 2008, I had the feeling that RQs were issued during the citizenship test. I also had the feeling that mostly people with an Islamic background, or those who travelled a lot would have received one?
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Old Apr 21st 2014, 11:46 am
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Can you apply to receive copies of your CBSA records through freedom of information legislation?

Just curious since it seems the easiest way to get the dates of entering Canada.

I want to apply, but I can't recall the exact dates of when I left and came back, and such. The US and Canada never stamps my passport, so there is nothing in there.

I know rough estimates but not exact dates, and since I always crossed by private vehicle, I don't have airline tickets to refer back to.
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Old Apr 21st 2014, 12:49 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Originally Posted by Jsmth321
Can you apply to receive copies of your CBSA records through freedom of information legislation?

Just curious since it seems the easiest way to get the dates of entering Canada.

I want to apply, but I can't recall the exact dates of when I left and came back, and such. The US and Canada never stamps my passport, so there is nothing in there.

I know rough estimates but not exact dates, and since I always crossed by private vehicle, I don't have airline tickets to refer back to.
http://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-ag...-info-eng.html
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Old Apr 21st 2014, 1:02 pm
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Default Re: Citizenship application cbsa question

Just out of curiosity, how long does the CBSA store the travel data?

Is also the travel data of Canadian citizens stored?
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