Citizenship interviews - Tips, Recent experiencess and impressions

[mickey_mouse]

Thanks! I agree not to send unnecessary docs. I shouldn't have. I had already ordered the transcripts a month before C6 was implemented, so I sent it. That's the only document that i sent, that probably wasn't needed.

Good luck any way..Whats been done is done...keep your fingers crossed. I would advise to concentrate more on exit/entry dates and your travel history. thats the most important thing they check. Have you ever ordered CBSA report to match your entries from your personal record with that.

In my case I did, and my dates matched. In my interview too, she had my CBSA report in hand.

 

[razerblade]

Good luck any way..Whats been done is done...keep your fingers crossed. I would advise to concentrate more on exit/entry dates and your travel history. thats the most important thing they check. Have you ever ordered CBSA report to match your entries from your personal record with that.

In my case I did, and my dates matched. In my interview too, she had my CBSA report in hand.

Not too concerned about entry/exit days, personally. I have over 400 days of buffer. Plus, not many trips within my eligibility period. Even if they send me an RQ, I already have all the tickets and most boarding passes to account for my absences. Let's see how it goes. Thanks a lot for the advice.

 

[mickey_mouse]

Not too concerned about entry/exit days, personally. I have over 400 days of buffer. Plus, not many trips within my eligibility period. Even if they send me an RQ, I already have all the tickets and most boarding passes to account for my absences. Let's see how it goes. Thanks a lot for the advice.

Nice one just sit back and relax then...you will be fine.....

 

[Canehdian Girl]

Hello,
I'm taking my test in one week, and I have a question about the "original documents" they ask for. I know that means PR card, record of landing, passport, and proof of language. Do I also have to bring the "original" copy of my application? I sent a paper one but have just assumed that the electronic copy of it is what I would need going forward.
Do I have to bring a paper copy of my Physical Presence calculation?
Thanks in advance if anyone can answer - I'm paranoid about showing up with the wrong stuff .

Good luck,
The forum members have given you some pretty good pieces of advice. I know the topic of stamps was mentioned, but in my notice to appear (my test is in 3 weeks), they mentioned that they needed " A certified translation of any passport pages that have visa, exit/entry stamps, or Notes that are not in one of Canada's official languages- English or French"
Not sure if they asked you for this as well.
I would add also that my advice to you is to translate all stamps, even the ones before you became a permanent resident, because the officer has no way to know whether this stamp is before or after your PR status.
Wish you a smooth test and interview
Please keep us posted after you finish
Thank you

 

[xxpazaway]

Some practical tips towards citizenship interviews:

• Do not wear perfumes!
• People get summoned for interview in an alphabetical ascending order. So if your surname starts with Z, expect a long wait...
  
• Try and answer the questions, if possible, in Yes/No format.
• Do not show any impatience with Biographical questions like your date of birth, address, etc. It is a simple technique to ascertain whether the person attending the interview is the person who he/she claims to be.
• Do not expect completely private settings, sometimes interview happens in the waiting area
  
• Don't try and crack jokes, unless you are absolutely sure! Just to be on the safer side...
  
• Take employment related documents such as pay stubs in addition to what you submitted as copies with the application. Just to be on the safer side...
  
• Translate passport stamps if the language is not English or French to be on the safer side. About $7 per copy. Just to be on the safer side...
  
• Take all your passports, even those before the period under consideration. Just to be on the safer side...

My experience was rather pleasant, here is composite experience:
Officer: Hello.
Us: Good afternoon
Officer: Please state your bio info
Us: Provided Bio info correctly
Officer: Please provide your ids one by one. Passport, PRC, Additional Ids, Proof of language proficiency
Us: Handed them over
Officer: Announces our test scores
Us: Very pleased with ourselves
Officer: Starts checking our Physical presence, mumbles, and compares what is in the passport with their records.
Us: We had 50 to 90 days of buffer, not concerned at all
Officer: Body language indicated the interview is near the end
Us: Now fully relaxed
Officer: Asks us whether we plan to continue to live in Canada
Us: Affirmative
Officer: Finally some small talk, Says the previous interviewee wore too much perfume and the interview had to be postponed to a later point in the day. Hands back all our documents.
Us: Express our concurrence
Office: Hands out a paper to me and asks me to verify bio info
Me: Tried some humor "Can double check with my passport?"
Officer: Don't you know your own name?
Me(thought): Bummer! Spouse, out loud: "If it was an attempted joke, it failed"
Officer: Everything looks OK! We will let you know the decision in 2 to 3 weeks
Us: thank you!

Status was changed to DM the following day, we received the oath invite in three weeks, the oath was taken after about six weeks! Hope this helps...
I request experienced forum members to share their experiences and tips.

Was the test invite letter in Hamilton sent through regular mail or E-mail?

 

[dunten]

Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences.

I took a year off after I was laid off during the oil price drop. On the application I put unemployed for a full year.

I had a few job interviews and even have proof.. email correspondences with employment agents asking for a job and failed interviews.

I also took one class.

But in between that time , after 6 months I got sick after I broke a bone and ended up taking the whole year off.

I also travelled to see my family twice.

I lived off EI for a complete year.

I'm wondering how can I word this situation consicely and without making the explanation complicated for the interviewer... how can I make it easier to follow my case for the interviewer.

Are there any concerns in my situation?

Right now I'm working 3 jobs.

 

[spat71]

Well, in addition to what has been said, I will advise you to carry all the originals of documents you submitted in your application including a copy of the application form itself. This is not because of the test but for the interview after the test. Your case officer will bring out your file & open it before you. They already have some questions penned down. Usually, it goes smooth without hassle. Questions like "what do you do? where do you work? where do you live? when did you first come to Canada? what was your status then? Where was your point of entry to Canada? are what they will ask". So have no fear. However in case they have serious questions, you will need those original documents to bail you out. Don't forget all your international passports and stamp translations. The officer will go through each passport page one after the other.

Hope this helps! Proudly Canadian.

Thank you both! I really appreciate it. I was worried because on the online status check of my application, where I received the invitation for the test, it says that I need to bring the paper copy of the test invitation. I never got one. After some searching the "Help" site, I found a page that said that once you create an online link from your paper application in order to check your status electronically, they stop sending you paper documents altogether.
Any one else have this experience?

Again, thank you NewUser2018 and coshx and razerblade for weighing in.

 

[shmak2016]

Hello

I have my test scheduled on 31 Jan.

I do have all original expect my IELTS result. As it was submitted during PR application under FSW.

Do officers ask original copy after test ? I am assuming they already have it in there system.

Is it ok with copy of IELTS result?

Please share

 

[imm_leb_01]

Hi,

The COPR was not required for the application but i sent a copy anyway just to realize few days ago that i lost the original - My interview is in 3 weeks and i applied for VOS but it's impossbile that i will receive it before - should i be concerned ? would it cause me a problem ?

 

[newbiealpha]

Hi,

The COPR was not required for the application but i sent a copy anyway just to realize few days ago that i lost the original - My interview is in 3 weeks and i applied for VOS but it's impossbile that i will receive it before - should i be concerned ? would it cause me a problem ?

I didn't have my COPR today during the interview. I didn't know I needed to bring it along. No issues, i told her i don't have it. She said its fine but what happened to it, I told her it is in a safety deposit box. She said its fine.

 

[cupcakes]

This thread has not been updated in a while, but I think there are quite a few applicants here who just took their tests. Can those who recently went to the test share their interview experience (e.g. questions asked)?

 

[xxpazaway]

Good luck any way..Whats been done is done...keep your fingers crossed. I would advise to concentrate more on exit/entry dates and your travel history. thats the most important thing they check. Have you ever ordered CBSA report to match your entries from your personal record with that.

In my case I did, and my dates matched. In my interview too, she had my CBSA report in hand.

how did you order CBSA report?

 

[razerblade]

how did you order CBSA report?

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html

 

[xxpazaway]

https://www.cbsa-asfc.gc.ca/agency-agence/reports-rapports/pia-efvp/atip-aiprp/thr-rav-eng.html

thanks a lot

 

[Ava449]

My Husband had his interview this month .they asked him about his work and what he did since he came here..looked through the passport it was expired and asked him why he didn't renew it .. .he got decision made within 2 days ...for the test he did the practice tests online only..he got 19/20