With quite a lot of repetition of what I have responded elsewhere:
Partial quote:
As I suggested elsewhere, this appears to be a request for a PCC from a country you were in for more than, or at least nearly six months, during the four years preceding the date you made your application. Looks like that's it. Just asking for a PCC.
Especially if you should have included a PCC with your application but did not. (I realize a couple years ago there was some confusion about how this or that exception applied, and there is even some continuing confusion about this, so there are various reasons why an applicant might submit an application without a PCC even though they should have.) If you should have included a PCC but did not, it makes sense this is about providing a PCC and that is it.
As I have otherwise explained, with some emphasis:
however, I am NO expert and cannot be certain. Thus, as I have also suggested elsewhere, you should do your best to understand what it is you are being asked to provide based on the content and appearance of the request itself,
BUT also taking into consideration the details of YOUR situation, your application.
I understand the question is now moot, in the sense it has been adequately answered.
Nonetheless, it may be worthwhile to elaborate for purposes of a broader discussion.
Ultimately the best a forum like this can offer is information, background, and observations a person can use in making decisions, for themselves, about how to navigate the process; that is, hopefully the discussion in the forum will help you make the decisions you need to make in how to proceed, but that really is very much
a decision YOU need to make best on your best judgment, which includes taking into consideration not just the particular matter itself (here the specific request from IRCC) but also considering all you know about yourself, your case, your application, including the particular details in the application you made.
In this particular instance, for example, the specific content of the request relative to a PCC appears to tell the tale, referencing your absence from Canada. That is, it makes sense that IRCC would request a PCC from you given the absence.
But . . . : if you applied with a small margin of presence over the minimum or you are aware there might be some reason why IRCC could have questions about your actual physical presence as reported in your presence calculation travel history, it might have been possible they also wanted responses to the
shaded requests as well. Again, that does not seem to be the case based on what you describe and share, including in the
October 2020 applicants thread, but for purposes of reading and responding to requests of this sort generally, an applicant would be prudent to consider if there are other aspects of their case likely to be triggering requests related to showing physical presence.
That is about what any applicant should consider in THEIR OWN decision-making about how to best respond.
To further repeat what I have observed elsewhere, a reminder about circumstances in which a citizenship applicant might get a request for a PCC while their application is in process . . .
Some examples, among others, why a citizenship applicant might get a PCC request:
-- there was an extended period of time abroad prior to applying, even if not a full six months
-- the applicant was involved in an actual criminal case or matter abroad
-- the applicant should have included a PCC with the application but didn't
-- -- failed to check "yes" in 10.b. even though they were in another country for 183 or more days in a row
-- -- gave an insufficient explanation, or reason, for not including a PCC
-- a PCC was included but was insufficient because applicant was in that country after that PCC was issued
-- applicant has been living abroad after applying
Again, these are just examples among others. If any of these apply to you, it makes sense you might get a PCC request, and that is what this CIT 0520 request is asking for.
