Application for Canadian Citizenship - A Comprehensive Guide

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hi, Please do you think its necessary to include copies of entry/exit stamps in my application?

You should include ALL the pages of ALL the passports that were valid in the last 5 years and this obviously includes all the pages with stamps, visas, the bio pages AND the empty pages. The instruction guide is clear on this :

https://www.canada.ca/en/immigratio...der-subsection-5-1-adults-18-years-older.html

colour photocopy of all pages (valid or expired) of your passport(s) or travel document(s) during your (5) year eligibility period, including the biographical page which includes: name, photo, date and place of birth, passport/travel document number, issue date and expiration date.

 

[8494193]

Now that we need to submit color copies of ALL pages of our passports, I am planning to optimize by copying 4 pages of the passport per 1 landscape A4/letter page. Sample copies I took are legible (including the page numbers on the passport pages). Is that an acceptable thing to do? Or is it compulsory to copy 2 pages of passport per 1 portrait A4/letter page? Basically, are there any copying specs that need to be adhered to in this regard?

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Now that we need to submit color copies of ALL pages of our passports, I am planning to optimize by copying 4 pages of the passport per 1 landscape A4/letter page. Sample copies I took are legible (including the page numbers on the passport pages). Is that an acceptable thing to do? Or is it compulsory to copy 2 pages of passport per 1 portrait A4/letter page? Basically, are there any copying specs that need to be adhered to in this regard?

Well, if everything is clear including the dates on the stamps and the pages of the passport when you have 4 images in 1 page, should be okay. But, I would still recommend having 2 images in 1 page to be safe. There aren't any hard and fast specs surrounding this.

Its a personal preference, I guess.

 

[Forte]

Hello All,
I'm not sure what's considered a gap when filling the employment history section. For example would this be okay?

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

or does it have to be:

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Unemployed: 2020-08 to 2020-09
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

Thanks

Anyone??

 

[steaky]

Anyone??

Rather than type "present", type your signed date.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hello All,
I'm not sure what's considered a gap when filling the employment history section. For example would this be okay?

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

or does it have to be:

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Unemployed: 2020-08 to 2020-09
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

Thanks

Anyone??

Either approach is fine. However, to provide as much information as possible, I'd go with this :

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Unemployed: 2020-08 to 2020-09
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

 

[Forte]

Either approach is fine. However, to provide as much information as possible, I'd go with this :

Company A : 2020-09 to Present
Unemployed: 2020-08 to 2020-09
Company B: 2020-01 to 2020-08

Thanks that's what I was leaning towards.

 

[Forte]

Rather than type "present", type your signed date.

Thanks you're right. I should have mentioned that I have two activities that are ongoing. In this case, the guidelines say to type “present” instead of putting a date in the “To” field.

 

[tbmht96]

Hi,
CIC has returned as incomplete my citizenship application, which I believe is a mistake on their part, but wanted to see if anyone on the forum has had any experience with this.

In section 14 "Have you held travel documents and/or passports during the your five (5) year eligibility period?"
My eligibility period is: 2016-05-24 to 2021-05-23

Answered "yes" and listed my two passports
Passport 1 (current)
Document # 1234
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2018-06-26
Expiry Date: 2028-06-25

Passport 2 (cancelled to get the new one)
Document # 123
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2009-07-08
Expiry Date: 2019-07-07

I left blank the section: "If you do not have a travel document or passport that was/is valid during your five (5) year eligibility period of if there is a gap between your passport, please explain why here." CIC has highlighted this section has missing information

Would anyone know what they might be looking for here?

Thanks

 

[ybjianada]

Hi,
CIC has returned as incomplete my citizenship application, which I believe is a mistake on their part, but wanted to see if anyone on the forum has had any experience with this.

In section 14 "Have you held travel documents and/or passports during the your five (5) year eligibility period?"
My eligibility period is: 2016-05-24 to 2021-05-23

Answered "yes" and listed my two passports
Passport 1 (current)
Document # 1234
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2018-06-26
Expiry Date: 2028-06-25

Passport 2 (cancelled to get the new one)
Document # 123
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2009-07-08
Expiry Date: 2019-07-07

I left blank the section: "If you do not have a travel document or passport that was/is valid during your five (5) year eligibility period of if there is a gap between your passport, please explain why here." CIC has highlighted this section has missing information

Would anyone know what they might be looking for here?

Thanks

This is very strange. My two passports had dates that were similar to your situation:

Passport 1 (current): 2017 - 2027
Passport 2 (cancelled): 2008 - 2018

Now, I distinctly remember this section because I initially also left that question blank. When I was trying to validate the PDF document, it kept telling me that I had to fill in something in that section. I could not understand why because there were no gaps between my passports. But apparently their (faulty) algorithm must have detected some gaps. I ended up putting 'N.A.' there. I only submitted my application in July, so I don't know what will become of it with regard to that particular question.

And I do believe that this was an error on the part of IRCC that they returned your application to you.

 

[tbmht96]

This is very strange. My two passports had dates that were similar to your situation:

Passport 1 (current): 2017 - 2027
Passport 2 (cancelled): 2008 - 2018

Now, I distinctly remember this section because I initially also left that question blank. When I was trying to validate the PDF document, it kept telling me that I had to fill in something in that section. I could not understand why because there were no gaps between my passports. But apparently their algorithm must have detected some gaps. I ended up putting 'N.A.' there. I only submitted my application in July, so I don't know what will become of it with regard to that particular question.

And I do believe that this was an error on the part of IRCC that they returned your application to you.

Thanks.

Will call them Monday and see if I can get an answer from them. If no clear answer will resend the same application with an N/A written there and a letter explaining the situation. Apparently, CIC returned application for trivial reasons or no mistakes has become common enough for the Canadian Bar Association to send a letter complaining about and listing some of these issues.

 

[ybjianada]

Thanks.

Will call them Monday and see if I can get an answer from them. If no clear answer will resend the same application with an N/A written there and a letter explaining the situation. Apparently, CIC returned application for trivial reasons or no mistakes has become common enough for the Canadian Bar Association to send a letter complaining about and listing some of these issues.

It's an outrageous situation. Keep us updated.

 

[rajkamalmohanram]

Hi,
CIC has returned as incomplete my citizenship application, which I believe is a mistake on their part, but wanted to see if anyone on the forum has had any experience with this.

In section 14 "Have you held travel documents and/or passports during the your five (5) year eligibility period?"
My eligibility period is: 2016-05-24 to 2021-05-23

Answered "yes" and listed my two passports
Passport 1 (current)
Document # 1234
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2018-06-26
Expiry Date: 2028-06-25

Passport 2 (cancelled to get the new one)
Document # 123
Country of Issue: ABC
Place of Issue: DEF
Date issued: 2009-07-08
Expiry Date: 2019-07-07

I left blank the section: "If you do not have a travel document or passport that was/is valid during your five (5) year eligibility period of if there is a gap between your passport, please explain why here." CIC has highlighted this section has missing information

Would anyone know what they might be looking for here?

Thanks

It is probably because you missed to write "N/A" or "Not Applicable" in that box. It isn't safe to leave anything blank in the application, I guess. I'm sorry your application was returned for this reason, it sucks.

 

[ybjianada]

Thanks.

Will call them Monday and see if I can get an answer from them. If no clear answer will resend the same application with an N/A written there and a letter explaining the situation. Apparently, CIC returned application for trivial reasons or no mistakes has become common enough for the Canadian Bar Association to send a letter complaining about and listing some of these issues.

So I did further some searching on this forum. While I didn't find any cases of returned applications for this reason, there was a post asking about question #14 and why the PDF kept telling him the second question needed to be answered:

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...ion-14-on-the-citizenship-application.727439/

One reply in that thread suggested that he should put "overlap" as a response to that question. Another reply suggested that he shorten the "expiry date" of the old passport to the date the new passport was issued, which I guess makes some sense.

However, it is still outrageous that IRCC returned the applications to you. True that there was an overlap in your dates (and mine), but that question was specifically asking about "gaps" which are the opposite of overlaps.

If my application were to be returned for this reason, I would write to my MP or the immigration minister to lodge a complaint.

 

[alanv]

So I did further some searching on this forum. While I didn't find any cases of returned applications for this reason, there was a post asking about question #14 and why the PDF kept telling him the second question needed to be answered:

https://www.canadavisa.com/canada-i...ion-14-on-the-citizenship-application.727439/

One reply in that thread suggested that he should put "overlap" as a response to that question. Another reply suggested that he shorten the "expiry date" of the old passport to the date the new passport was issued, which I guess makes some sense.

However, it is still outrageous that IRCC returned the applications to you. True that there was an overlap in your dates (and mine), but that question was specifically asking about "gaps" which are the opposite of overlaps.

If my application were to be returned for this reason, I would write to my MP or the immigration minister to lodge a complaint.

After seeing your post, I checked back the guidance for this Question 14 as following: "
Check either yes or no.
If you check yes, complete the chart Type your valid passport or travel document number exactly as shown on the document. Make sure there is no space between each number or letter."
In this case, it's better to put the expired date of cancelled passport exactly showing in the biographical page and fill Not Application or Overlap (with explanation letter) per advice bye Raj.