My Citizenship Journey

[nanni_doc]

Hello friends,

My citizenship journey came to a satisfying end when I took the oath for citizenship last week. Like many others, my journey wasn’t as smooth as others and therefore I would like to share my experience so that it can be helpful to any other future fellow Canadians with similar circumstances. Let’s dig in:

Residence in Canada

This topic has been discussed before too and I hope my experience brings an end to any future debates.
Before I became eligible, my wife got a very good job offer from a firm in Australia and we decided to go for it. We were landed immigrants in late Aug 2015 and as per new citizenship law introduced by the Trudeau government, I would not be eligible for citizenship by at least Sep 2018. With a heavy heart, me and my wife decided to stay in two different countries till I became eligible (she moved to Australia in 2017). We took this decision based on the following facts:

• Even when my wife won’t have lived in Canada for 5 years for her PR status to remain valid, she will still remain a Canadian PR as per the following law:

“If a Permanent Resident accompanies a spouse or partner who is a Canadian citizen outside of Canada, then each day outside Canada is considered to be a day physically present in Canada.”

• Intent to stay in Canada is no longer a requirement for Canadian Citizenship, therefore, after I would become eligible, I would move to Australia after filing my application. We were prepared to travel to Canada whenever test/oath invite would come.
• I was living with my cousin before and with his consent decided to let the same address be in IRCC records so my cousin would let me know about any correspondence I would receive after I had moved to Australia

Preparing my application

After almost a year and half, I became eligible for applying for citizenship. Here are some details regarding my application:

• During my 3 years I had only travelled to the USA and that too by road. After calculating my physical presence from the IRCC tool, my eligibility days came to be 1110 (I added some buffer days so that my application wouldn’t come under unnecessary scrutiny).
• I attached PCCs (original copies) from India, Australia and Canada (countries where I had lived for more than 6 months in the past 10 years). Although many people will point here that I didn’t need to provide PCC from India and Australia, I did that because I wasn’t sure and I would rather spend 100 dollars on 2 PCCs than having my application returned especially when I was planning to move overseas.
• For English proficiency, I provided my Indian senior secondary (10+2, CBSE) mark-sheet.
• I forgot to sign the back of my passport size photos and only remembered about them the next day I had sent my application.
• I had sent my application on the 10th October 2018 via registered Canadian post mail with a tracking number.
• The application reached IRCC on 15th October 2018.
• The application was acknowledged on 29th December 2018.
• The application went in process on 21st January 2019.

 

[nanni_doc]

The Dreaded Fingerprint PCC

On 15th February 2019, my ECAS had the dreadful and confusing “We have sent you correspondence....” line added to it. I didn’t receive any email that day and immediately notified my cousin to look for an incoming letter in the post. 4 days later, on 19th Feb 2019, my cousin scanned and emailed me the letter that was sent by IRCC. AS expected, it was a notice to provide a fingerprint based PCC to the IRCC within 30 days of the date on letter. 4 days had already been wasted because of postal delays and therefore I had only 26 days for my PCC to reach IRCC. Ideally this shouldn’t be an issue, but since is was living in a remote town in Australia which was 2 hours drive away from the closest metropolitan city, it was an issue for me.

For the unaware, there are two ways to get a fingerprint PCC:

1. From your local RCMP office
2. From an accredited fingerprint security check firm.

Since I wasn’t in Canada, I couldn’t go for option 1. I went the closest registered fingerprint stamper I could find and got my fingerprints taken. After that I sent them to a firm in Charlottetown (I did some googling as to who I should send to and this one sounded decent to me). You can choose any firm you want, just make sure that the lesser the distance between the firm and your local IRCC office, the lesser the time wasted in the PCC reaching your local IRCC. I didn’t realise this until it was too late and my PCC reached 4 days late than the deadline. I had notified IRCC via webform that my PCC will be arriving a few days late, which they acknowledged. I also checked with them via phone 10 days later and the person on phone said IRCC had received my PCC and nothing else was required from my side.

The Looooooong wait

With nothing left to do or provide, all I could do was wait and keep checking my ECAS. And that is exactly what I did for the next 6 months. During those six months I did fly to Canada to attend a wedding in May, half heartedly hoping IRCC would pleasantly surprise me with a test invitation and I would both attend the wedding and give the test in the same trip.

But that wasn’t meant to be and I flew back to Australia with a heavy heart.

 

[nanni_doc]

The Test Invite

And finally after waiting for 6 months, I got the test invite via email on the 2nd August 2019 to appear for citizenship test on 22nd August! I booked my ticket and started preparing for the test right away. As guided by many in this forum, I studied 15-30 mins daily, doing sample questions on various websites that would appear after googling “canadian citizenship sample test”.

The Test

I was asked to appear for test at IRCC office in Surrey and I reached there around 30 mins early. People were waiting outside of the door before me too but were only let in when about 20 mins were left on the time mentioned on the invite letter. Once we got in we were asked to wait in the visitor area while everybody got in and asked in groups to go and get our documents checked. The staff was serious af and really made sure that we understood the seriousness of the test and talking to other invitees/cheating would result in immediate disqualification. After our docs were checked we were asked to sit on any chair which had a clipboard on it and none other, this was to make sure there was enough gap between 2 invitees so that there is no cheating. There were about 30 of us sitting for the test. The test started 15 mins after the time mentioned in the letter and I was done with in about 10 mins. The staff had given very specific and clear instructions on what to do before, during and after you were done with the test and I followed them completely.

The Interview

After finishing and submitting the test we were given a token and were asked to go sit again in the visitor section and wait for our token to be called. I sat quietly for about 10 minutes before my token was called. It was basically the same experience going to your local driving department office and waiting to be called by a clerk.

I had with me 2 passports and my current passport had two stamps in Chinese which I had gotten translated and brought the translations with me.

I was called and immediately got up and went to the requested booth, which was similar to the booths they have when you go for interview for an USA Visa. Here are the excerpts:

Officer: “Good morning xxx can I have your id and passports please.”
I handed him both my passports and my BC Drivers license and BC Services Care Card. He immediately starting going through my passports, starting with my expired one.
Me: “Sir this passport was expired long before I applied for Canadian Permanent Residence”
He didn’t respond and kept going through it, once done he started going through my current passport.
Officer: “So what do you do for a living.”
Me: “Actually sir I am not working in Canada as I am currently living in Australia.”
He suddenly looks up as if surprised and immediately opens my file which I could tell contained my citizenship application and opened the physical presence calculator.
Officer: “Hmm, why, ahem, Canada then?”
Me: “Sir I am only living in Australia because my wife has a job there and the contract of which expires in a couple of years. Plus I love Canada and I have family here so I don’t see myself living in Australia for too long.”
Whether the officer was listening to anything I was saying or not, I couldn’t tell. He went through my physical presence calculator and put some check marks on a form and asked me to sign it.
Officer: “By the way you got 20 out of 20 on your test and it will take around 1-2 months for oath invitation to arrive. You may leave now”
And I did exactly that, stupidly grinning at getting 1 more step closer towards becoming a Canadian.

ECAS changed to “COMPLETE” the next day and I flew back to Australia eagerly awaiting the future.

I got the invitation for the oath ceremony on 19th September 2019, roughly a month after I had appeared for the citizenship test with oath taking place in Surrey at the same office on the 8th October 2019.

 

[nanni_doc]

The Oath Ceremony!!!

I arrived 30 minutes before the time mentioned on the oath invitation and was immediately asked to have a seat in the visitor area. While seated we were asked by the same staff member (although not so serious this time) who had given us instructions for the test to sign the 2 documents which were sent to us alongside the oath invitation and then get in line to get our documents checked.

I had already signed the said documents and went to staff member to get my docs checked when my turn came. She pleasantly greeted me, checked and circled my invitation letter, took my pr card, looked at me to verify I was the same person in the picture and put the card away in a bag (I didn’t even had a chance to kiss my pr card goodbye ). She then told me the number of my chair where I would be sitting (the number was already printed on the oath invitation letter) which I needed to give another staff member after entering the ceremony area (which was the same as the test area from last time).

The staff member pointed me to my seat which had the number on it as well some documents sitting on it. They included:

• A replica of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• A miniature Canadian flag
• A maple leaf jacket pin
• A pamphlet with O Canada and the Citizenship Oath printed in both English and French
• A pamphlet by Elections Canada with information about getting registered to vote.

The friends and family members accompanying Oath takers were seated on chairs making a boundary to the people taking the oath. Once everyone had been checked, verified and seated, the ceremony began!


The ceremony began with the presiding judge welcoming us and giving a brief speech about the history of Canada and our duties as Canadian citizens. After the speech everyone (including the friend and family) was asked to stand up for the oath. We were to keep our right hand raised (with the option to hold a holy book of our choice in the left) repeat after the judge, the oath for citizenship in English and French.

After we recited the oath in both languages, the judge declared us Canadian citizens with everyone still standing and clapping and cheering! The judge then asked us to congratulate each other before we could sit. After that, everyone sang our national anthem, O Canada!

We were then asked sit, and row by row get up again to form a queue, sign a form at a table near the door and take our citizenship certificate from the judge, one by one, before coming back to our seats. After everyone had gotten there certificate, the judge concluded the ceremony and informed us that she would be standing near the flags for whoever wants to take a picture with her.

This concluded the ceremony and the journey I began 5 years ago when I applied for my PR. I cannot express the feelings going through my heart during the entire ceremony and I can freely say this will be one of the best experiences of my life.

I would like to thank everyone in this forum for helping me through this 5 year journey and sincerely hope this post is helpful and encouraging to anyone in similar situations as I once was. I will be coming occasionally online to be helpful to anyone who needs any guidance so please don’t be shy in getting in touch.

Thank you and God bless!

 

[canuck78]

Really needs to return back to the old days where people needed to live in Canada to receive citizenship. My friends are in disbelief when I tell people that new citizens can have already left Canada with no intention to return and we give people citizenship in this situation. The majority of citizens have no idea that this is possible.

 

[issteven]

Do you know any country that requires its new citizens to stay in the country? I can't think of any.

Really needs to return back to the old days where people needed to live in Canada to receive citizenship. My friends are in disbelief when I tell people that new citizens can have already left Canada with no intention to return and we give people citizenship in this situation. The majority of citizens have no idea that this is possible.

 

[nanni_doc]

Really needs to return back to the old days where people needed to live in Canada to receive citizenship. My friends are in disbelief when I tell people that new citizens can have already left Canada with no intention to return and we give people citizenship in this situation. The majority of citizens have no idea that this is possible.

I am guessing your vote is for Andrew Scheer, the american guy.

 

[Joy4CA]

The Oath Ceremony!!!

I arrived 30 minutes before the time mentioned on the oath invitation and was immediately asked to have a seat in the visitor area. While seated we were asked by the same staff member (although not so serious this time) who had given us instructions for the test to sign the 2 documents which were sent to us alongside the oath invitation and then get in line to get our documents checked.

I had already signed the said documents and went to staff member to get my docs checked when my turn came. She pleasantly greeted me, checked and circled my invitation letter, took my pr card, looked at me to verify I was the same person in the picture and put the card away in a bag (I didn’t even had a chance to kiss my pr card goodbye ). She then told me the number of my chair where I would be sitting (the number was already printed on the oath invitation letter) which I needed to give another staff member after entering the ceremony area (which was the same as the test area from last time).

The staff member pointed me to my seat which had the number on it as well some documents sitting on it. They included:

• A replica of The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
• A miniature Canadian flag
• A maple leaf jacket pin
• A pamphlet with O Canada and the Citizenship Oath printed in both English and French
• A pamphlet by Elections Canada with information about getting registered to vote.

The friends and family members accompanying Oath takers were seated on chairs making a boundary to the people taking the oath. Once everyone had been checked, verified and seated, the ceremony began!


The ceremony began with the presiding judge welcoming us and giving a brief speech about the history of Canada and our duties as Canadian citizens. After the speech everyone (including the friend and family) was asked to stand up for the oath. We were to keep our right hand raised (with the option to hold a holy book of our choice in the left) repeat after the judge, the oath for citizenship in English and French.

After we recited the oath in both languages, the judge declared us Canadian citizens with everyone still standing and clapping and cheering! The judge then asked us to congratulate each other before we could sit. After that, everyone sang our national anthem, O Canada!

We were then asked sit, and row by row get up again to form a queue, sign a form at a table near the door and take our citizenship certificate from the judge, one by one, before coming back to our seats. After everyone had gotten there certificate, the judge concluded the ceremony and informed us that she would be standing near the flags for whoever wants to take a picture with her.

This concluded the ceremony and the journey I began 5 years ago when I applied for my PR. I cannot express the feelings going through my heart during the entire ceremony and I can freely say this will be one of the best experiences of my life.

I would like to thank everyone in this forum for helping me through this 5 year journey and sincerely hope this post is helpful and encouraging to anyone in similar situations as I once was. I will be coming occasionally online to be helpful to anyone who needs any guidance so please don’t be shy in getting in touch.

Thank you and God bless!

Very well narrated. Thanks.

Can you also talk about how did you travel to Australia after your oath? I'll thinking you'd have to surrender your older passport and the Australian Visa with it?