Hello Folks,
May be someone who has recently submitted their citizenship application may answer with their experience.
Is it okay to submit extra supporting documents with your application, those docs which are not asked on the check list. For example,
Employment verification letters from employers
Record of employment
Notice of Assessments from CRA
Student verification letter from Kids schools
Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
Whether to submit extra supporting documents with a citizenship application:
Conventional wisdom:
NO, do not submit unsolicited documentation to IRCC.
Follow the instructions, including the checklist.
In particular, there is
NO need to submit extra supporting documentation. There is no indication that doing so will help.
There is little risk of doing harm if a
minimal number of discreet documents are included, but again there has been no indication doing so will help.
Some (a very few) anecdotal reports suggest it has. Those reports really only show that no harm was done.
Caveat: I did. I included copies of my Notices of Assessment. Why is a long story told a number of times in now somewhat ancient posts (and there was a reason, in large part related to particular circumstances at the time). There was no concrete indication it helped, none at all. Obviously did not hurt, since I sailed smoothly through the process in about as short a time as any that year (July 2013 app to oath March 2014, a fast track for that period of time, although others at my oath ceremony had been processed in less time).
Still, despite my personal decision to the contrary, the better approach is to follow the instructions, including the checklist, and include what is requested, nothing more.
Whether to submit extra supporting documents with a citizenship application has been an oft recurring perennial question in the forum. The most common and credible response has remained the same. No need to do this. Follow the instructions.
While I have not recently applied (again, my application arrived in Sydney four years ago this month and I have been a citizen since early March 2014), there have been no changes in the process which suggest any different response to this issue now than when I applied, nor when I began following grant citizenship issues nearly a decade ago.
Follow the instructions, including the checklist.
Which, for almost all applicants, means there is no reason to include anything other than what the instructions and checklist specify. (That said, be aware that these have changed over the years, and can change at any time, so always be sure to use the most current forms and instructions available online, right up to the day of applying . . . in other words, be sure to compare the completed application and checklist against the current forms online
right before sending off the application.)
Exceptions: Sure, there are exceptions, as usual. As the instructions indicate, some applicants may need to include a supplemental page expanding on a particular item. This is mostly about information in the form which is incomplete or confusing or subject to misunderstanding, and thus something more needs to be submitted to, in effect, complete the application. That is totally different from submitting additional supporting documentation.
Bottom-line: if IRCC has concerns or questions about the information provided or the documents submitted as instructed, having submitted extra supporting documents is
NOT likely to resolve those concerns or questions. We know this in part because there are many reports, among other sources, which show that applicants have received requests to submit documents they already included with the application. This may seem contrary to common sense, but actually this is very much consistent with bureaucratic processing generally.
It is similar to queries about what to take to the interview, queries asking whether it is a good idea to bring extra supporting documents to the interview, and if so, what. There have been no more than sporadic, isolated reports (over the course of many years) by some individuals who believed that this or that additional documentation, presented during the interview, made the difference between being scheduled for the oath and further processing (like RQ). Frankly, those reports tend to either lack credibility (particularly as to the inferences or conclusions drawn) or are rare exceptions.
That said, the big difference between what is submitted with the application and what an individual can take to the interview, is that for the interview many can and do carry essentially two groups of documents, one being those requested, the other being additional supporting documents which could be consulted, referred to, or even presented if an opportunity to do so naturally arises during the interview. Best to have separate groups to make presenting the formally requested documents easier, without having to dig through pages of paper. Odds are that the interview will proceed with no opportunity to present anything other than that requested, and in any event having the additional documents will not help much . . . that is, odds are either the interview will have a positive outcome without the additional documents, or a negative outcome despite presenting additional documents. (Note: while most applicants can probably infer things went well and some are occasionally assured by the interviewer that all went well, the vast majority of applicants do not know for sure whether the outcome of the interview is positive or negative until later, learning it was positive when they are scheduled for the oath, or negative when further processing takes place, such as being issued RQ.)
This is all fairly consistent with the conventional wisdom which strongly suggests it is better to just answer the question and not volunteer more when dealing with a government bureaucracy like IRCC (and CBSA, among others).
