So I looked into it because my understanding was similar to
@Fréijoer Léiw 's. Since I have been here since 2009, with valid documented, temporary resident status, and (as I mentioned in my first post), I never applied for refugee status, my residency requirement should only be an additional 2 years now. (I get 0.5 days per 1 day of being a temporary resident in the country in the last 5 years-- which can be added up to one year discounted of the required 3 years of residency.)
However, if someone applied for refugee status, they cannot have the time prior to being a protected person counted towards their citizenship.
The stakes are only 1 year + the whole processing time for citizenship is one year anyways.
I'm copying below the information :
Calculating physical presence for applications received on or after October 11, 2017
For applications received on or after October 11, 2017, under paragraph 5(1)(
c)(i) of the Act, the applicant must have accumulated at least 1095 days of physical presence in Canada within the five years immediately preceding the date the applicant signed the application.
- The calculation of physical presence cannot go beyond the five-year period before the date of application.
- Each day of physical presence in Canada as a permanent resident counts as one day.
- Each day of physical presence in Canada as an authorized temporary resident or protected person before becoming a permanent resident, counts as one half day, with a maximum of 365 days credit towards physical presence.
- February 29 (leap day) is counted in either presence or absence.
- Absences will be calculated only for days where an applicant spent no time at all in Canada. Dates where an applicant left Canada, or returned to Canada will not be counted as an absence since the applicant was physically present in Canada for a portion of both days.
- Time spent serving a sentence and absences must be subtracted from the total number of days of physical presence during the five-year period.
Counting Physical presence before becoming a permanent resident of Canada
As of October 11, 2017, non-permanent resident (NPR) time spent in Canada as an authorized
temporary resident or
protected person may be used towards an applicant’s physical presence calculation. Each day spent in Canada as a temporary resident or protected person, before becoming a permanent resident within the five-year period before the date of application will count as one half day, with a maximum of 365 days towards the physical presence calculation.
Temporary resident status includes lawful authorization to enter or remain in Canada as a:
- visitor;
- student;
- worker; or,
- temporary resident permit holder.
A protected person is someone who:
- was found to be in need of protection or a convention refugee by the Immigration and Refugee Board; or
- a person who received a positive decision on a Pre-Removal Risk Assessment from IRCC.
Note: If the applicant made a refugee claim, or was included on a family member’s refugee claim, time will not be credited in Canada between the date of the claim and the date the applicant received a positive decision confirming protected person status as described above.
Read more here
