Assumed National service was equivalent to Military service in PR Application.

[Adeladun]

My husband and I wrongly assumed that our participation in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Nigeria, was equivalent to military service and provided that information in our Permanent Residency (PR) application. Consequently, the Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) has requested that we complete a military service form within 7 days to proceed with our PR application.


The NYSC is a compulsory programme for recent university graduates under 35 years of age where the first 3 weeks starts at an “orientation camp” commandeered by soldiers. The Corps is led by a high-ranking military officer but the main part of the service is not military in nature. It involves a year of service in either the public or private sector, aligned with one's field of expertise.



In response, we have written a Letter of Explanation (LOE) to clarify our mistake, where we emphasized that military service is not applicable to our situation.



Additionally, we have included a publication (https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6aba944.html) that outlines an inquiry by the Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada, to an official at the Nigerian Embassy in Washington, addressing the status of the NYSC.



Has anyone here encountered a similar situation? Your insights would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Davion434]

Hello Adeladun, Just stumbled on your post. I recently submitted my PR application and also indicated NYSC in my personal history as a paramilitary organisation and it is possible that I may receive an ADR on this. Please can you let me know how your response stated above was received and I hope your application was finalised without issues.

And for me, it is even a longer history because I filled this same NYSC paramilitary activity in an earlier Canada visitor visa that I applied for in 2020. It didn't seem to be an issue at the time because I was issued a visa without any queries whatsoever on this.

Right now, I am thinking about raising a webform with a similar letter of explanation to preempt and avoid any ADRs or time wasting. What do you think about this?