Advice for New PR - Things to keep as evidence for citizenship application

[Politren]

Maybe I missed something, how can land visit to the US can delay the case, why is it problematic?

That is the notorious problem at the land border with US.
1.You may go in US without the border officer making the electronic entry into the system that you are in us.
2.You may have entry stamp without electronic entry to actually prove the stamp in your passport.
3.You may be just waived, hence no stamp and no entry into the system.
4. You may be one of those with glitches in the report (Say you entered on the FEB 2nd, but the system shows it wrong FEB 4th) this was caused by bugs in the terminals they are using.

1.2.3.4 are also valid when you come back in Canada.

As you see the problems are discrepancies , omissions and so on.

Recently people say that they have fixed most of those problems but IRCC is aware of those issues, hence IRCC got no clue if the report is one of the glitches ones or is it accurate.

That is related only to the Land border with US.

 

[McClane]

Thank you all, can't help with the US visas have had 7 of them with the current one valid for 5 years

By the way I read online that we have to submit tax returns proof also with the application. If we have paid lots of taxes working during the years for a well known organization, isn't that considered a good proof of physical presence?

Also, for children physical proof is also required? Guess that would require getting school attendance reports.

Maybe, maybe not. My wife was asked to submit tax returns for her and myself. She had a lot of long absences because we traveled as a family for myself to take work assignments in the US. I was always employed by a Canadian company and paying taxes here, so maybe that was good enough for CIC. I don't know what their mental process was, but I do know they asked for returns.

They also asked to get medical history for my Canadian born child. This was of course to see that her care was full and happening in Canada, further proof that we indeed live here. She's too young to go to school, though.

 

[fishbone]

Can't stress enough the importance of keeping accurate travel records.

1) Log your travel dates (Excel is helpful) as soon you travel. I also used to note down the page number of any associated stamps.
2) Keep your boarding passes (The earlier comment about scanning them is spot on. They fade over time)

I would also recommend that you keep an updated scanned copy of your passport(s) in the off chance that you lose your passport.
Losing a passport is often deemed suspicious by IRCC and you would want to have the next best thing in the event that this happens.

 

[Almost_Canadian]

To add to fishbone's advice

1. In one of the columns in the excel file, I would also add comments on the reason for trip, where stayed ( address of stay during travel is asked in citizenship form) and any other details. This helps when you have the interview with the CIC officer after the test.
2. I kept all our bank statement, credit card statements. When my wife and me were given RQs , it did help that I was able to send them all copies of these from time I landed.
3. This may seem weird advice but even if you are never ill, it makes good sense to visit your doctor once in a while. CIC may ask you for your access to health services record. As part of RQ we were asked for this.
Hope this helps.

 

[Lily2011]

Hotshot007

Our application has been processing for years now, and they requested all types of documents under the sun. The ones that were requested are to prove physical presence and they are:

-Home rental leases (or ownership).
-Health records from your province. So apply for one and try to visit a doctor (even a walk in clinic) every 6 months or so to show on your records.
-Bank account. The bank keeps your records for you and you can save them when online banking.
-Utility bills (cell phone, phone, TV, internet, gas, hydro, etc) just keep them in a box. They requested ours and we didn't/couldn't obtain most. Not in our advantage.
-Car leases and car insurance contract and records
-Home insurance contract
-Tax returns. File taxes every year and keep your tax returns. Easier to do it via professionals like H&R Block to avoid errors but it also can be done at home. Also, keep your T4 slips. You'll need them for the tax return and your records.
-Degrees and transcripts. Not sure if they request that if you did not study in Canada, but it was requested from us.
-Old passports and their translation. Easier to have them translated (if needed) in Canada to achieve their standards.

Other helpful tips:
-Keep copies of old drivers licenses. You have to destroy old ones when you move to other provinces or when you renew them. Just scan a copy. Same goes for any other IDs like work IDs or student IDs, old PR cards etc. Scan everything and keep a digital record.
-Use an app to track your travels. I use Kayak on my phone. It keeps the specific travel dates and all original receipts of hotels and airline bookings. Very organized and it has all my travels from 4 years ago in one place.
-Keep your children's reports and school registration documents. You can request a letter from the school that states they are enrolled for your records.

Try to keep it all digital. Physical files can faint or get misplaced. They also can pile up in those 4 years which makes it hard to find anything. Scan the originals and keep them in a box. Organize your digital files and it will be easy to find what you need without the risk of damaging or misplacing the original. Keep a backup though.

Good luck.

 

[Godzilla9]

That is the notorious problem at the land border with US.
1.You may go in US without the border officer making the electronic entry into the system that you are in us.
2.You may have entry stamp without electronic entry to actually prove the stamp in your passport.
3.You may be just waived, hence no stamp and no entry into the system.
4. You may be one of those with glitches in the report (Say you entered on the FEB 2nd, but the system shows it wrong FEB 4th) this was caused by bugs in the terminals they are using.

1.2.3.4 are also valid when you come back in Canada.

As you see the problems are discrepancies , omissions and so on.

Recently people say that they have fixed most of those problems but IRCC is aware of those issues, hence IRCC got no clue if the report is one of the glitches ones or is it accurate.

That is related only to the Land border with US.

Makes much sense. Thank you. I just ran a report on my US travel history and for the land travel it's a mess there:
- March 23 - I landed in Canada via land border. US CBP report says I left the US on March 31 - WRONG
- March 24 - I returned to the US via land. US CBP says I returned March 24 - CORRECT
- April 3 - I left the US. CBP says again that I left on March 31 - WRONG. How can I leave the US on March 31 twice?

The only hope is that CIC would not care much about these dates because they were long time ago - in 2011.

 

[hotshot007]

Thank you very much all. This is extremely helpful and I'm sure the thread will be helpful for others also. Two additional questions that come to mind:

1). Does it help when someone keeps all the different evidence of physical presence i.e leases, school records, bills e.t.c and send the copies with their original citizenship application? Or it is better/you have to wait for RQ to provide these?

2). Also it seems that some of you were requested for fingerprints. Is it better to provide these upfront also?

Thank you.

 

[Politren]

Thank you very much all. This is extremely helpful and I'm sure the thread will be helpful for others also. Two additional questions that come to mind:

1). Does it help when someone keeps all the different evidence of physical presence i.e leases, school records, bills e.t.c and send the copies with their original citizenship application? Or it is better/you have to wait for RQ to provide these?

2). Also it seems that some of you were requested for fingerprints. Is it better to provide these upfront also?

Thank you.

Keep in mind that after June 10th, 2015 IRCC has more access by their internal business channels to determine if you have been here for the required number of days.
The fact that there is still NONE RQs issued for those who have applied under the new rules is just another prove for that.
Now the process is a totally different ball game, much more reliable and consistent.
Don't send anything additional with your initial application. Only follow and sent whatever they want in the checklist.

 

[McClane]

Thank you very much all. This is extremely helpful and I'm sure the thread will be helpful for others also. Two additional questions that come to mind:

1). Does it help when someone keeps all the different evidence of physical presence i.e leases, school records, bills e.t.c and send the copies with their original citizenship application? Or it is better/you have to wait for RQ to provide these?

2). Also it seems that some of you were requested for fingerprints. Is it better to provide these upfront also?

Thank you.

As someone else said, just send what you are asked for with your original application. Maybe that is just enough and more information could potentially complicate an otherwise straightforward process.

What I will do when I can apply (all my experience is actually my wife's) is to gather all the extra info and just keep it handy and ready to be shipped, if an RQ is requested. That way I'll gain a couple of months, which is what it took my wife to receive her medical history.

 

[Lily2011]

Thank you very much all. This is extremely helpful and I'm sure the thread will be helpful for others also. Two additional questions that come to mind:

1). Does it help when someone keeps all the different evidence of physical presence i.e leases, school records, bills e.t.c and send the copies with their original citizenship application? Or it is better/you have to wait for RQ to provide these?

2). Also it seems that some of you were requested for fingerprints. Is it better to provide these upfront also?

Thank you.

To answer your questions:
1- Yes. I strongly suggest keeping the original UNLESS they specify to send an original document.

2- Do NOT send documents that they did not ask for. They frown upon that. Just keep them handy IF they ask for them instead of running around gathering documents during a limited time (usually they give 90 days or so to submit documents when requested).

 

[mumbai1985]

I've made few (8 so far) us trips through niagara land border. All visits were less than 5 days. Us cbp site shows correct entry and exit dates. I'm worried now about my future citizenship application I'm working full time in gta. WhaT can I do to show proof ?