Will IRCC ask for information before eligibility period?

[Hadysaade]

Hello
I have a question please.
We crossed the border back in mid of 2018 after been away for 9 years and managed to renew the PR in 2020 after having spent more than two years in Canada an never left since we crossed it.
We applied for citizenship last year and yesterday we had an interview . The agent during the interview had several questions about the period we spent outside Canada before coming back here.
The question is, does knowing that 9 years were spent outside Canada before the eligibility period affect the application? Or returning back in compliance has cleared the past and the decision will be confined only based to the eligibility period?
Thanks

 

[armoured]

The question is, does knowing that 9 years were spent outside Canada before the eligibility period affect the application?

No impact (assuming you were truthful, etc). It may make the officer check the file more carefully for the residency compliance and possibly ask for more evidence for you being here (not leaving) since the time you returned, but I'm assuming you didn't get further questions about that and applied with enough days that there should be no question. (When did you apply for citizenship? How many days in Canada did you have when you submitted?)

Yes, getting the PR card renewed probably removed most doubt about those two years in Canada after returning, so shouldn't be much to worry about.

 

[Hadysaade]

No impact (assuming you were truthful, etc). It may make the officer check the file more carefully for the residency compliance and possibly ask for more evidence for you being here (not leaving) since the time you returned, but I'm assuming you didn't get further questions about that and applied with enough days that there should be no question. (When did you apply for citizenship? How many days in Canada did you have when you submitted?)

Yes, getting the PR card renewed probably removed most doubt about those two years in Canada after returning, so shouldn't be much to worry about.

Thank you #armoured for your reply.
Yes, I was truthful in answering all question on the application, Renewed the PR 2 years and 4 months after reentering Canada and applied for citizenship after 1130 days from reentering Canada and NEVER left since reentering.
The agent asked during the interview earlier this week about what I had been doing before re-entering Canada and if I have ever visited Canada since we originally left in 2009 and my answer was yes visited Canada in 2011 for one month.
So I was worried if knowing that we spent around 9 years outside Canada before becoming back in compliance will affect the citizenship application or even the PR status.

 

[armoured]

So I was worried if knowing that we spent around 9 years outside Canada before becoming back in compliance will affect the citizenship application or even the PR status.

Understood, and no, they have no mechanism to retroactively punish someone for having been out of compliance at some time in the past.

 

[Hadysaade]

Understood, and no, they have no mechanism to retroactively punish someone for having been out of compliance at some time in the past.

That's good.
Many thanks for the feedback

 

[wink]

It is surprising to know that it is possible not to lose the status despite staying 9 years outside the country...