3 members of my family have applied for citizenship on April,2017
they had their interview on Dec,2017 and on July,2018 they -unfortunately- received a full residency questionnare CIT 0171.. it's very frustrating as 2 of the family members are above 70
I have questions on this topic to know what to do
- how bad will the processing time be affected after receiving CIT 0171? and after how long should we expect a reply.
- is it recommended to withdraw the application? and re-apply for each one of them alone.
- they are asking for exit/entry records, and they will be issued only towards the end of the period given to submit the documents, so is it possible to submit scanned copies of the exit/entry records or should the originals be submitted? specially that they will be translated so the original translation will be provided.
- when the applicants receive CIT 0171 does this mean the applications will be eventually transferred to a hearing with a judge or not?
- is it true that applications that receive a residency questionnaire eventually gets rejected or there are cases that the application was accepted and citizenship was granted.
Thanks.
First, some of the previous posts contain erroneous or misleading information.
For example:
- how bad will the processing time be affected after receiving CIT 0171? and after how long should we expect a reply.
It should not be long enough seeing you already have passed 1 yr time frame.
- when the applicants receive CIT 0171 does this mean the applications will be eventually transferred to a hearing with a judge or not?
No.
- is it true that applications that receive a residency questionnaire eventually gets rejected or there are cases that the application was accepted and citizenship was granted.
No. RQ's are random. No particular pattern. Most of the cases they were granted citizenship. So nothing to worry just provide them with what they ask and you should be fine.
The most salient error here is the statement that "
RQ's are random."
NOT TRUE. Not by a long shot. The issuance of RQ is FACT-BASED, CRITERIA-DRIVEN.
We currently do not know the precise criteria, but it is most likely similar to the triage criteria incorporated into the File Requirements Checklist pursuant to OB 407, back in 2012, modified considerably (mostly to make it less severe, less strict, but also with some additional criteria considered).
These days the full blown RQ (CIT 0171) is rarely issued before the test and interview. All indications are that in contrast to other requests for supplemental information or documents, including the CIT 0520 (oft called RQ-lite), the full blown version (CIT 0171) means that IRCC has very real concerns or outright suspicion about the applicant's accounting of presence in Canada.
While it is true that RQ'd applicants will not necessarily be referred to a Citizenship Judge hearing, if what the applicant submits does not satisfy a Citizenship Officer that is the process, the application is referred to a Citizenship Judge, with the Citizenship Officer filling out a File Preparation Template highlighting the issues in the case, which is essentially a memorandum to the CJ from IRCC explaining why the CJ should determine the applicant failed to sufficiently prove presence in Canada.
We do not know how many applicants are issued RQ these days or much about the outcome. Qualified applicants who timely respond to the RQ and submit appropriate documentation, essentially showing a paper or digital trail of a life lived in Canada, should indeed eventually be granted citizenship, many if not most without having to attend a CJ hearing. Gaps in proof, however, can result in a CJ hearing, and it is then up to the CJ to decide what the facts are, including whether the applicant adequately submitted proof of presence.
Additional observations.
- how bad will the processing time be affected after receiving CIT 0171? and after how long should we expect a reply.
RQ'd cases tend to take at least a few extra months. (Observation about passing the one year mark is misleading: RQ is precisely the sort of NON-routine case which tends to make the standard processing timeline INAPPLICABLE.) Reports about RQ are scarce these days so we do not have a good idea about how much longer these cases take. Makes a big difference if the applicants makes a strong submission of documents proving the case, in which event a few extra months should suffice. BUT if there are still questions, and especially if the case is headed for a CJ hearing, the timeline could involve many more months, even a year more. These cases can go long, very long.
- is it recommended to withdraw the application? and re-apply for each one of them alone.
This is a very personal decision and depends on the facts in the individual case.
If the applicant has been living in Canada since applying, and easily meets the current requirements, that may weigh strongly in favour of withdrawing and re-applying especially if the applicant's first, RQ'd application is not a strong case or the applicant was not able to submit documentation showing presence for all of the period of time claimed to have been in Canada. Remember, for an application made in April 2017, the applicant needs to prove 1460 days of physical presence in Canada after becoming a PR and between April 2011 and April 2017; an application made in August 2018 only requires showing presence for 1095 days between August 2013 and now.
