The OP's query here has been accurately and adequately answered by
capermanet and
argrow, and affirmed by
decentreader.
But in the meantime the topic was essentially hijacked by posts insistently advocating misleading and in some crucial respects overtly erroneous information.
So I am offering my typical much longer explanation, foremost to corroborate that
capermanet and
argrow got this right. Secondly, to highlight a warranted caution about patterns of misleading distraction which, as it initially did the OP, tends to create confusion. But in this lurks the greater danger of potentially influencing someone to make a serious error, so that aspect demands attention and correction.
Here, relative to the OP's query itself, the risk of serious error was minimal. For example, if an applicant who landed less than six years ago provides address and work history for a full six years, rather than just since becoming a PR, such as
cfbarroso apparently did,
NO harm done. More information than that requested or required should not be problematic. Best to follow the instructions and provide what is requested. But this sort of mistake is easy enough to make, it does not undermine the applicant's qualifications, it does not render the application incomplete.
No harm, no foul.
Nonetheless, and unfortunately, the misleading posts here also contained overtly erroneous information which potentially could seriously undermine an individual's application . . . if someone was to rely on the misinformation. I do not mean to go chasing every misleading tangent down the
rabbit-hole of misinformation and distraction. One example should suffice. I will get to that in Part II of these observations. Suffice it to say, for now, prospective applicants should remember to carefully follow the instructions rather than what is posted in this forum, and thus, in particular,
IGNORE posts above which repeatedly emphasize that the applicant only needs to provide
Canadian address and work history.
The applicant must declare ALL address and work history, including in-Canada AND out-of-Canada addresses and employment during the relevant time period.
PART I; the relevant time period:
1) Worked or studied in the past six (6) years before the date of your application or since you became a permanent resident, whichever is more recent ("the relevant period").
2) Write all your Canadian addresses for the six (6) years before the date of your application or since you became a permanent resident, whichever is more recent ("the relevant period"), including the postal codes.
Question:
I lived in Canada for 3 Years before I became a permanent resident
I am having difficulty answering above questions, Is it up to me if i only want to provide the information since i became a Permanent resident(4 years for me)
Does it mean I do not have provide work/address History before i became a Permanent resident?
Under current requirements,
It is correct that you do NOT need to report work history or address history for any time PRIOR to the date of landing and becoming a PR.
One thing for sure
This Question is little confusing
Not really. Not much anyway. Sure, many such as yourself can be a little hesitant and your question makes sense, you want to get it right. So you seek confirmation.
And
capermanet provided a clear and accurate response. But in the meantime your query was hijacked by misinformation:
They want to know your history since you became PR (because that's only time count under C24)!
Another participant similarly provided a straight-forward and
ACCURATE response:
I can't believe there's confusion over this..
If you obtained PR in the last 6 years, you should provide your information from when became a PR.
If you obtained PR more than 6 years ago, you should provide information for the last 6 years ago.
These posts were accurate and to the point. Easy because what is requested is clear on the face of the application and in the instructions. Despite the disjunctive in the instructions, the instructions and item in the application are not ambiguous. As
capermanet quite clearly stated, merely emphasizing the language used in the form (which is the same used in the instruction guide), the
"relevant period" is either:
-- the six years before the date the application is made, or
-- since the applicant became a permanent resident
For address history and likewise work history, both the application form and the instruction guide clearly state that the
"relevant period" is based on which of these periods of time
"is more recent."
Thus, for a PR applying for citizenship who became a PR less than (more recently than) six years ago, he or she needs to enter address and work history
since becoming a Permanent Resident.
As
capermanet further pointed out, this is consistent with the current qualifications for citizenship, since only time in Canada as a PR counts toward meeting the presence requirements.
To be clear, the following quotes the language used to identify the
"relevant period" in the application form itself, referring in item 6.G. to address history, and in item 6.H.(C) to work and education history, with emphasis added:
". . . for the six (6) years before the date of your application or since you became a permanent resident, whichever is more recent"
The instruction guide language is a little less direct but is, nonetheless, still clear and unambiguous. And again,
capermanet gets it right on both accounts.
Presence calculation:
For anyone still in doubt, try entering dates in the online presence calculator which are prior to the date you became a PR. Either an error message or caution will pop up (assuming the correct information for date of becoming a PR is entered) because you are entering dates outside the relevant time period.
This is
different from how it worked for applications made prior to June 11, 2015. And it is different than how it will work for applications made after the Bill C-6 change to a 3/5 rule takes effect. Under both of these, time in Canada prior to being a PR can be part of the relevant time period.
Note, for example, that prior to Bill C-24 changes, the applicant was asked to declare the date the applicant first came to live in Canada
IF this was prior to becoming a PR. The applicant then declared address and work history back to the date the applicant came to Canada to live, again if that was prior to becoming a PR.
After Bill C-6 changes take effect, so that pre-PR time again gets credit, both the application form and the presence calculation will most likely again ask the applicant to declare when he or she first came to live in Canada, and likewise, then, ask for corresponding address and work history.
An overriding observation: in general an applicant will rarely go off course (at least not by much) if the applicant makes a concerted effort to read and understand what the application asks for in context with following the instructions in the guide.
Indeed, one of my most common refrains is:
If in doubt, follow the instructions. Otherwise, yep, follow the instructions.
There is rarely any need to second-guess why IRCC is requesting this or that information. Many times there are multiple reasons for requesting this or that information, and ultimately why IRCC wants the information does not matter nearly so much as what it is IRCC is asking.
From a bureaucrat's perspective, the main thing is, first, whether or not the information the applicant provided is responsive, that is, is it an appropriate answer for what is requested. And secondly, is the content of the information provided credible/reliable, which is asking if the content provided is honest, accurate, and complete.
Follow the instructions, be as honest and accurate as possible, and as complete as possible relative to what is requested. If the legitimate, qualified applicant does that, the odds are good there will be no problem, and if there is a problem, having done that will put the applicant in the best position possible for navigating whatever problem there is.