Applying for Citizenship after temporarily leaving country.

[jane.p.faulkner]

I am a British citizen and have a Canadian husband, and a son who was born in Canada and so has dual nationality. We have lived in Canada for the last 20 years, but have just had to move to England, probably for a couple of years, in order to look after aging parents. I always intended to apply for citizenship, but never got around to it. I have Landed Immigrant Status. I want to return to Canada as soon as we are able. I have a university degree from England, and a teaching degree gained in Canada. Do I lose my immigrant status, and have to apply all over again? Or is it possible to apply for Citizenship from England?

 

[matthewc]

Since your husband is a Canadian citizen, because you will be accompanying him while living outside Canada, your Landed Immigrant (now called "Permanent Resident") status will be preserved. This is explained more here:

http://www.cic.gc.ca/ENGLISH/information/applications/guides/5445EA.asp

However, if you've only just moved, you could also apply for Canadian citizenship. The requirement is that you must have been living in Canada for the last three out of four years the day you apply. There is no actual requirement that you be in Canada during the application, as long as you qualify for all the other points. You'll need to be in Canada to write the citizenship test, of course, and again when you are granted citizenship.

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/citizenship/become-eligibility.asp

 

[dpenabill]

You can apply for citizenship even though you are abroad. Because you are abroad, however, you can expect your application to take longer, a RQ required, and an appearance before a judge.

You will still be required to attend the test, present required documents including travel documents at the interview attendant the test, and if you fail to appear for this it may result in the application being abandoned.

As matthew said, your PR status is not in jeopardy, not at all so long as you are accompanying your citizen spouse no matter how long you remain abroad.

Whether now is the time to apply depends. If you have had 1095 days of actual physical presence in Canada in the last four years (not counting certain days, like the day you returned to Canada from a trip outside Canada, not counting February 29, 2008), and you can make arrangements to attend the test date and the likely (due to your applying from abroad) subsequent appearance before a judge, it is probably worth going ahead with it. But since you have gotten by on PR all these years, otherwise, probably more practical to sort things out and when you get back to Canada, have established your 1095 days anew, then apply.