Bella Cullen

It's been a while since I last posted on ExPats (although I've pointed many people in this direction!).

We came to Canada Sept 7th 2014 on a TWP, we got PR and landed beginning of June 2016. We have left the country for a total of maybe 20 days for my husband and 100 days for me during that time.

I was just reading that you just have to have been resident 1095 days during the five years right before the date you sign your application. As well as be a PR:

"Regardless of your age, if you are applying for citizenship, you must have:

Permanent Resident (PR) status in Canada
no unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status
Your PR status must not be in question. This means you must not:

be under review for immigration or fraud reasons
have certain unfulfilled conditions related to your PR status
be under a removal order (an order from Canadian officials to leave Canada"

We meet this criteria. Does that therefore mean we can apply for Citizenship now or do we have to wait until we've been present for 1095 days as PR's? It doesn't read that way to me but I wanted to check the wisdom of the forum. I also read that you have to have at least 2yrs as a PR but the information is very conflicting.

I have to say sitting language exams after coming from an English speaking country and working in Canada for 3yrs is a bit annoying.

dominiqueincanada

You are not yet eligible as per the Physical Presence Calculator (https://eservices.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do)

"Please note that you cannot meet the physical presence requirement without a minimum of two (2) years as a permanent resident."

The full specification is:

What are the physical presence requirements?
To be eligible for Canadian citizenship, you must have been physically present in Canada for at least 1,095 days in the five years immediately before the date of your application. We encourage applicants to apply with more than the minimum requirement of 1,095 days of physical presence, to account for any miscalculations of absences, or any other aspect that could lower the physical presence total below 1,095 days. Please note that you cannot meet the physical presence requirement without a minimum of two (2) years as a permanent resident.

When calculating your time in Canada:

- only the five (5) years immediately before the date of your application are taken into account;
- each day you were physically present in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person before you became a permanent resident counts as half a day (up to a maximum of 365 days);
each day you were physically present in Canada after you became a permanent resident counts as one day;
- time spent serving a sentence for an offence in Canada (e.g. serving a term of imprisonment, probation and/or parole) cannot be counted towards your physical presence - there are some exceptions.

In order to help you decide when to apply, the physical presence calculator calculates if and when you will meet the 1,095 day requirement.

Will_PA

yeah bit longer to wait, but you get an extra year from counting 2 years of non-pr presence here (as one year), so roughly you'll qualify 2 years after you first got your PR (plus any holidays outside Canada)

Bella Cullen

Yeah, I misjudged what I was reading. It was just under 2yrs on the TWP and then after 2yrs as PR's and taking travel dates into account it'll be later in the year or this time next year. That's OK though, it'll give us time to do the language tests and get the application together.

Our eldest daughter will be 20 soon (she moved with us when she was 16). She doesn't live with us any more. Do we need to apply for her citizenship at the same time as ours or can she apply at a later date?

Former Lancastrian

What if she doesn't want Canadian citizenship? She is now an adult so let her choose. You can all apply at once or whenever it suits anyone or not at all.

Bella Cullen

That's my point, she can decide if she wants it or not. If she can apply herself then I'll leave her to do so (and save myself the application fee and the language test fee!).

beckiwoo

If you did the language test for PR (IELTS or CELPIP) you don’t need to do it again. You just submit a copy of the result from before.

If you didn’t do it for PR then I’m not sure and for your daughter as she was under 18/19

Also I think instead of the language Test they accept education certificates from a British university (degree, masters) so maybe that can be submitted

Bella Cullen

We didn't do it for PR as it wasn't a requirement. The two younger ones won't need to do it - they are currently 9 and 3 but the eldest will be 20 when we apply so she will likely need to do it.

beckiwoo

I updated my post about education certificates as well at the same time you posted

Bella Cullen

thank you. I think by the time we get transcripts etc we'd be just as well getting the test done! It just cracks me up that we've lived and worked here for what will be 4yrs by the time we apply and we're clearly functioning well in Canada in terms of using the language

Aviator

There are lots of people, who have lived and worked here for years, even decades and don't speak a word of French or English.

PMM

Hi

1. She is over 18, she has to apply herself.

Aviator

You might want to advise her to do so. We occasionally read about people who came as children, did not take citizenship, for one reason or another moved to another country and failed to keep up residency requirement for PR. Some move for education, some to look after family members.
https://globalnews.ca/news/2777489/t...d-citizenship/

Welsh Sparky

What actually counts as proof of English. I did all my education through English, I have a Canadian Red Seal Qualification. Would that count?

christmasoompa

I don't think that will count. You can check the requirements here though - What documents can I use to prove that I meet the citizenship language requirement?