Citizenship application - absence from Canada for more than 1 yr before 1977 ...

[Maggie65]

Hello all,

In reviewing the Application for Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship) form, I see that it asks if either you or you parents were absent from Canada for more than 1 year before 1977. I'm wondering if anyone knows the significance of this. Why is this being asked? Is it important in deciding if someone is a citizen or not?

I ask because when I was a toddler my parents moved the family from the States to Montreal for approximately a year. Both of my parents are deceased so I can't ask them if it was more or less than a year, and my siblings don't know for sure, but it appears we arrived in the early spring of one year, bought a house, and then sold the house the next May and moved back to the States either before or after the house sold. So honestly, it could have been less than a year, but it could have been slightly more. I assume there would a record of the exact dates somewhere with Customs when we all crossed the border and crossed back, but would have no way of knowing how to get that info.

Thanks for any assistance with this.

 

[alphazip]

Hello all,

In reviewing the Application for Citizenship Certificate (Proof of Citizenship) form, I see that it asks if either you or you parents were absent from Canada for more than 1 year before 1977. I'm wondering if anyone knows the significance of this. Why is this being asked? Is it important in deciding if someone is a citizen or not?

I ask because when I was a toddler my parents moved the family from the States to Montreal for approximately a year. Both of my parents are deceased so I can't ask them if it was more or less than a year, and my siblings don't know for sure, but it appears we arrived in the early spring of one year, bought a house, and then sold the house the next May and moved back to the States either before or after the house sold. So honestly, it could have been less than a year, but it could have been slightly more. I assume there would a record of the exact dates somewhere with Customs when we all crossed the border and crossed back, but would have no way of knowing how to get that info.

Thanks for any assistance with this.

You are a citizen because your mother was born in Canada. Whether or not you ever set foot in Canada does not affect your right to Canadian citizenship.

If you want to know the significance of 1977, that's when a new Citizenship Act took effect. The question is asked, because there was a time when naturalized citizens could lose their Canadian citizenship if they were out of the country too long. Your mother was not a naturalized citizen.

Simply enter the dates (as best you can) before 1977 that you lived outside Canada. Again, it doesn't matter if you ever lived in Canada. In the "reason" column, you can enter: Born in USA

Also, on the form, enter information for both sides of the family, even if your father/paternal grandparents were not Canadian. Simply write things like "not a Canadian citizen" and "not applicable" as required.

 

[Maggie65]

Thank you so much for your reply. I much appreciate your kindness in taking the time!