My Indian passport would expire soon and there are only 8 months to apply for my Canadian citizenship (considering C6 revisions) will be based soon. I know there is a 1 year processing time between applying for the Citizenship and taking the oath. However if I do not have to travel out, can I assume I do not need to renew my passport ?
Is an valid passport a pre-requisite for Canadian Citizenship ?
- Thread starter Indian applicant
- Start date
You do not need to renew your passport. You will need to include an explanation for why there is a gap in time during which you did not have a valid passport (the gap being from the date the passport expired to the date you apply for citizenship), which can be as simple and brief as saying it was a personal decision given no need or plans to travel internationally.
Obviously, any indications of traveling internationally during a time period the applicant reports not having a valid passport would be a huge red flag.
It appears that the current processing times for most applicants, by the way, tend to be between 5 and 10 months. But timelines vary considerably and they can go longer than a year. There is likely to be an anticipated surge in new applications when the 3/5 rule in Bill C-6 takes effect, in the next month or two, which could slow timelines some, so perhaps the timeline will range longer than the current 5 to 10 months it takes for most.
Just curious to know who will ask for the gap explanation ? Do you mean I need to include it while applying for citizenship ? Just to let you know, India does not have have a concept of true dual citizenship although an workaround known as OCI (overseas citizen of India) exists and the Indian passport becomes invalid as soon as another citizenship is obtained.
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There is a box in the application form to explain why you do not have a passport covering any part of the applicable time period (currently six years or since becoming a PR).
If you fail to attach passports covering the full time period and do not include an explanation, the application is ordinarily returned to the applicant as incomplete. (Which is not to say there are no examples of some slipping by.)
See and follow instructions in the checklist as well as those for the application itself.
Please correct me if I am wrong but if I understand the OP correctly, his passport would expire AFTER the date he will apply for citizenship. In that case, he will have no gap in his passports (unless a previous passport expired early of course). So there is no gap that needs to be explained.
I cannot answer for the OP.
I understand the OP's primary query to be about whether it is necessary to renew an expiring passport, since the OP's current passport will "expire soon" whereas it will be "8 months" before the OP applies for citizenship (and then there will be the time it takes to process the application), and that assuming the Bill C-6 changes take effect (which will happen in well less than 8 months unless something goes way off the rails at IRCC). And no, it is not necessary to renew the passport.
The OP's follow-up query did not suggest any confusion regarding my reference to the need to give an explanation for a gap, and that "gap being from the date the passport expired to the date you apply for citizenship." The OP's follow-up queries were, rather, about who would ask for the explanation and when it would need to be given.
While I admittedly struggle a bit in how I phrase things, tending to be less than direct, I think my responses should be clear enough. In any event, if you still have questions or are otherwise confused about when an explanation should be stated in the box provided in item 6.E. (in current application form), see the instructions in the guide as well as the respective item (6.E.) in the application.
True, I reread the posts and it seems that I was the one misunderstanding things. Thanks!
Hi
Just wondering my passport was expired in 2022 and i am renewing my passport now 2024 to apply for citizenship will that cause a red flag? I did not leave the country during that time due to covid 19 pandemic travel restriction so i did not have any travel plans in the future.
Cause a red flag to which country - Canada or Pakistan? Canada doesn't care if you renewed your passport.
While the post you quote is nearly ancient history, and in particular there have been major changes in the law governing grant citizenship since then (at that time the presence requirement, for example, was still a minimum of four years out of six), this is not something that has changed much. As I said many years ago, which you quote, if there is some indication of international travel during a period of time the PR did not have a valid passport, that's what would raise red flags. Otherwise, and especially during the Covid years, not renewing a home country passport should not raise questions.
That said, I do not agree with overly broad statements like "Canada doesn't care if you renewed your passport." Sometimes, in some circumstances, Canada does care. If the immigrant obtained status in Canada as a refugee, for example, renewing a home country passport is evidence of reavailment of home country protection and grounds for cessation of status. And, as the instructions clearly specify, if a PR has renewed their passport a copy of that MUST be included with the citizenship application (suggesting that the government does care eh). But the main thing, again, is as long as there is no indication of international travel during a period the PR-citizenship-applicant did not have a valid passport (or other travel document if applicable), that will not raise questions or concerns.
I mean i have an expired passport since 2022 and i am renewing my passport now before I apply for citizenship. So from 2022-2024 i had no valid passport. I did not leave the country at all since 2017. I did not renew it as i had no plan of travel that time because of the pandemic. Will that be a red flag for them for not having a valid passport?
Ohh okey now i understand… basically what your saying is that the person travel somewhere where they didnt have a valid passport with them and return( which will cause red flag).
In my situation my passport was expired in 2022-2024 and i am renewing now before i apply for citizenship.
I thought this would be red flag having gaps.
A period without a valid passport is not, in itself, unusual or suspicious.
Yes. The concurrence of travel outside Canada (whether disclosed by the PR or not, such as if indicated by CBSA data, or information discovered by IRCC in open sources), and no valid passport, would suggest the PR had some other travel document, and if a copy of that is not disclosed and provided, that suggests misrepresentation by omission. Not good. Very RED red flag.
There can be various circumstances which can trigger some concern. If the PR has employment history suggesting international travel was likely, for example, that in itself would not necessarily be a big red flag, but could invite elevated scrutiny, cross-checking to more thoroughly ascertain whether the PR-applicant might have traveled during a period of time they did not have a valid travel document (typically a passport).
Common-sense stuff actually.
But why would someone travel without a valid passport or can someone do that?.
so in my case in your opinion will cause a red flag because i didnt renew it? And my reason being is that i had no plans of travel during the pandemic time. I am here in the city working and actually i am a public servant for sure they will have my records.