Citizenship Applications after Bill C-6

[Kinnu1982]

Thank you Spotify for the answer, I immigrated to Canada in April 2014 where I have completed my required no of days in Canada for the last 3 yrs but I still need to submit a police clearance certificate for time before I immigrated to Canada. The police clearance I submitted is in August 2013 so how do I request a police clearance for the 8 months from August 2013 to April 2014 ( when I landed in Canada) or till date, please clarify

 

[Whocares]

I have a question, Under the law C-6, the absence days because of work with a Canadian Company are discount or count, for example I work for a Canadian company but I have to travel outside Canada and I have spent 75 days outside because my work, Should I discount these days or not?

Not a big mistake. Whether or not this fails to pass the completeness check is far from certain. As others suggest, checking "yes-filed" should be sufficient. It definitely will be sufficient (assuming this is what is checked for at least three of the relevant tax years) to meet the requirements.


Place of Birth:







Verification of identity has always been a huge, huge focus. Obviously place of birth is relevant. The fact the applicant is not required to declare this information does indeed invite curiosity. The answer to why, however, is beyond our view. Given the new-form muddle, oversight could easily explain why. But, it may also be that IRCC has so many ways of verifying this aspect of a client's personal history, it has deliberately left this out. As-is the form is long and IRCC is well familiar with how these things work, the longer the form, the more items to be completed, the more qualified applicants will make incidental mistakes leading to an increased workload.

But ultimately the why does not matter to applicants. IRCC will know this information.


The importance of nicknames and aliases:

The form and help and instructions declare that this information is needed to verify identity. Me thinks IRCC is leveraging its language usage here. The usual, ordinary identity-verification issue is about positively identifying the applicant as the same person who is applying, and that is the same person who obtained PR status, all being the same individual as identified by current forms of identification and IRCC's client number. Sometimes this has required distinguishing the identity of other individuals, such as those with a similar name, especially if the DoB is the same, especially if there is other concurring information about the individuals. This can be important to verify precisely who the applicant is, and to verify that the applicant is NOT this or that other person, such as someone with a criminal record.

This has always been one of the most important elements in immigration procedures generally, and in the grant of citizenship particularly. For obvious reasons.

But this new form at the least hints that IRCC has increasing interest in connecting the applicant to other aspects of the applicant's life. That the need to verify identity goes beyond establishing precisely who the applicant is, but is now also about identifying other contexts or events or transactions in which the applicant has been involved, toward more positively verifying things like job and address history.

The other names used item was, of course, part of previous versions of the citizenship application form, going back to before the first version I examined (nearly a decade ago). Part of the PR application process as well.

The scope of its implications, however, appears to have expanded dramatically. One rather salient example is the extent to which IRCC appears to be doing open source research about some applicants, including looking for information about the applicant in social media and online services like LinkedIn. One Federal Court decision revealed that IRCC not only scrutinized LinkedIn account information based on the applicant's name, but also information based on other names used by the applicant, and also variations of those names, including some names the applicant denied ever using and denied that the respective LinkedIn information was in any way about her. IRCC and the Federal Court agreed the burden was on her to prove she was not that person (and that she failed to meet that burden). But a big part of her problem was that she had clearly not been entirely forthcoming and honest in what information she did provide IRCC (may have been CIC at the time), and there was some overlap of information (prior work history for same employer as the denied name claimed to work for, and the employer information indicated only one such person with a similar name had been employed there -- but it did not otherwise show the LinkedIn identity was necessarily the same person as the applicant).

The take-away from this is that IRCC may use the other name information to conduct research about the individual in a variety of sources.

For the vast majority of qualified applicants, this should not cause any alarm. Actually, for the applicant who has been forthcoming and honest, this could work to the applicant's benefit, since cursory searches should readily identify and verify the applicant's use of names (or not using other names) in other contexts and settings.

Example: Take an individual whose name at birth was "William Jefferson Clinkton:"

birth certificate: William Jefferson Clinkton
baptismal certificate: William J Clinkton
school records: William J. Clinkton
one drivers license: William Jefferson Clinkton
another drivers license: William J. Clinkton
nicknames (including variations of name): Bill Clinkton; Billy Clinkton; William Clinkton (no middle name or initial); Willie Clinkton; perhaps even Jeff Clinkton
one employer's records and employee identification badge: Bill Clinkton
another employer's records and employee identification badge: W. Clinkton
another employer's records and employee identification badge: William J. Clinkton
name used in tax returns: William J. Clinkton (usually) but on some occasions, perhaps for another country, also used William Clinkton and William Jefferson Clinkton
passports and travel documents: William J. Clinkton
telephone accounts (over time): William Clinkton; W. Clinkton; W. J. Clinkton; Bill Clinkton
Facebook account: Bill Clinkton
LinkedIn account: W. J. Clinkton
Twitter: W. Clinkton
Instagram: W. J. Clinton

You get the idea. And this is someone who has never had a legal or marital name change.

If in contrast William Jefferson Clinkton was always known as William Jefferson Clinkton and never used any other name or variation in any of the various contexts I list above, and thus only declares this one name to IRCC, if this individual is someone who IRCC decides to scrutinize in open sources and other government records, it is a safe bet that IRCC will screen for all the variations listed above even though the applicant has not listed them.

And when IRCC draws a blank for all those variations, that will corroborate the applicant's information. That's good.

If, in contrast, IRCC does not draw a blank, but instead finds the applicant has used or been referred to by other names, not so good. Although, not so bad either if the other names are merely a variation of the primary name used for official purposes and the other information associated with the applicant is consistent with the applicant's information in the application. But NOT good if IRCC finds other names and information which conflicts with what the applicant has reported (this typically tends to be career or employment information) . . . of course IRCC should and I believe will be careful about being sure to identify information that is very likely associated with the applicant. There is lots and lots of information one will find with similar name searching which will not be about the applicant, but those results are almost always easily distinguished from the individual being researched.

Most of the cases in which I have seen LinkedIn loom as a problem source of information, it is because IRCC identifies the LinkedIn information is probably about the client and, typically, it makes some reference to experience working abroad which was not disclosed in the application. Oops.

But for those who have used multiple versions of their name, and who have properly, as in completely and accurately provided IRCC with their work and address history, such collateral research should quickly and simply corroborate the applicant, in effect reinforcing the applicant's information and giving the total-stranger-bureaucrat assessing the application greater comfort about the veracity of the applicant's information.

There are only 6 circumstances that we use other names, if different from previously stated in app, (Changed after birth date, maiden name, married name, previously married name, alias, and nickname).


My question is, if my name is David Jackson Davidson and on some documents it is David J. Davidson , under which categrory will that fall?

 

[Whocares]

All your questions have been answered before, keep in mind the search function of this forum.

Anyways: No, 10a is for your actual address of residence, not for vacation addresses. Your residence was still in Canada even when you went on a short trip to the US. Note: In the physical presence calculator enter ALL absences, no matter how short.

11 The physical address of your job. If you live in Mississauga but drive to Toronto to work, then the Toronto address of your office/workplace.

Spyfy, I even listed one short visit in Q10a, (it was only a short visit of 7 days to Canada because my residence was abroad), looks ugly because one raw has similar dates From Oct 10 To Oct 10, I wrote Canadian address. This question was not discussed when I applied and sent.

 

[wolfpack27616]

Thank you Spotify for the answer, I immigrated to Canada in April 2014 where I have completed my required no of days in Canada for the last 3 yrs but I still need to submit a police clearance certificate for time before I immigrated to Canada. The police clearance I submitted is in August 2013 so how do I request a police clearance for the 8 months from August 2013 to April 2014 ( when I landed in Canada) or till date, please clarify

@spyfy =spotify?


I am in the same boat as you. By my calculations I would be able to apply in another 10 days (that includes some safety buffer days) without needing to submit an Indian police clearance.

For e.g If you had landed on April 20th 2014 and became a PR, and have never gone back to India after that to visit- you can apply on October 20th 2017 (in another 6 days) without needing to submit PCC.

Would be great if someone could point out if I am right or wrong?

 

[SimK]

Hi guys! Is it mandatory to send confirmation of permanent residence or a copy of PR card front and back would just be fine?
In the instruction guide dated october 11 it was mentioned any one of the immigration document but i dont see it now. I already sent my application with just the pr card copy but concerned if they would return it back since copr is mentioned on their checklist.
Any feedbacks??

 

[Kinnu1982]

@spyfy =spotify?


I am in the same boat as you. By my calculations I would be able to apply in another 10 days (that includes some safety buffer days) without needing to submit an Indian police clearance.

For e.g If you had landed on April 20th 2014 and became a PR, and have never gone back to India after that to visit- you can apply on October 20th 2017 (in another 6 days) without needing to submit PCC.

Would be great if someone could point out if I am right or wrong?

Hi,
I am confused about the days before I immigrated as the question is were you out of Canada for 183 days in the last 4 years and in that case I was in my home country India before I came here in April 2014

 

[missmini]

Advice please :

My PR is going to expire next May any idea if I should I apply for renewal while applying for citizenship ? or after I apply for citizenship I apply for renewal in case I needed to travel ?

you can apply for both, different department, different process; in case of urgent travel yes you should always have a valid PR; i read before that we should start the renewal process around 6 months before expiry, to be on safe side

 

[missmini]

well, not really! You should get lucky I guess. I made a payment a few minutes ago and the same thing happened: bank shows it went through but no receipt/email.

sorry about that hope you ended up getting the receipt; we called the bank that night and said they had many calls with the same issues/vendor and they will investigate too; but the bank cannot refund only the vendor can
we stayed awake and paid again, second time it worked, got the receipt and the file was ready
in the morning we got the receipt from the first payment too lol, sent email for refund, the automated reply said it will take up to 8 weeks; but they processed it very quickly, just 2 days
the most important is that we sent the application on thursday from montreal and it should arrive monday/tuesday; after such a long wait (we were close to the 4 year mark) good luck all!

 

[razerblade]

Hi,
I am confused about the days before I immigrated as the question is were you out of Canada for 183 days in the last 4 years and in that case I was in my home country India before I came here in April 2014

What's the confusion ? If you were in India for 183 days or more in the past 4 years, then you should list it in the table and provide a PCC as the question states.

 

[Nessasary]

My husband is currently attending a university in Toronto. Can we provide his transcripts as proof of English proficiency? I don't see anywhere that says the program has to be complete. Let me know if I'm wrong about this. Thanks in advance.

 

[wolfpack27616]

Hi,
I am confused about the days before I immigrated as the question is were you out of Canada for 183 days in the last 4 years and in that case I was in my home country India before I came here in April 2014

Yeah- I don't understand the confusion either. You ARE considered to be out of Canada when you were in India. (That includes the time before your landing).

How many days in India over the last 4 years for you if you apply today?

 

[user828]

Hi guys! Is it mandatory to send confirmation of permanent residence or a copy of PR card front and back would just be fine?
In the instruction guide dated october 11 it was mentioned any one of the immigration document but i dont see it now. I already sent my application with just the pr card copy but concerned if they would return it back since copr is mentioned on their checklist.
Any feedbacks??

No just ID just with name photo and DOB s PR card and/or license/Services Card

 

[arax30th]

sorry about that hope you ended up getting the receipt; we called the bank that night and said they had many calls with the same issues/vendor and they will investigate too; but the bank cannot refund only the vendor can
we stayed awake and paid again, second time it worked, got the receipt and the file was ready
in the morning we got the receipt from the first payment too lol, sent email for refund, the automated reply said it will take up to 8 weeks; but they processed it very quickly, just 2 days
the most important is that we sent the application on thursday from montreal and it should arrive monday/tuesday; after such a long wait (we were close to the 4 year mark) good luck all!

It's good that they processed it quickly! Mine went through on the third time and I got the receipt for the first and second payments after 2 days!! I'll ask for the refund then

 

[cherukuriramb]

I just spent 12 hours negotiating the timeouts. I sometimes spent 3 or 4 attempts re-entering an absence record. When it timed out, I would ctrl-R reload the page. Sometimes the data input would get resent. Sometimes now and I'd have to re-enter. Brute force and persistence is the only means I found that successfully completes the data entry. It just takes a VERY long time reloading the page and re-entering the data. But eventually, it all got in there. For all four of us. about 50 absences x 4 people.

Hi I paid for my wife s application but I used my credit card ,but on the receipt I haven't seen my wife name ? how do they that receipt belongs to our application

 

[cherukuriramb]

Hi I paid for my wife s application but I used my credit card ,but on the receipt I haven't seen my wife name ? how do they know that receipt belongs to our application