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Citizenship Applications after Bill C-6

Bs65

VIP Member
Mar 22, 2016
13,187
2,420
hi guys how do we know when 3/5 and time before PR come to affect??? because i came here 10 years ago waiting for affect bill c6 especially time before PR
You mean you have already been in Canada for 10 years and not applied for citizenship even under the current rules . Can only assume not as a PR all that time then.

Anyway the general consensus here and plenty disagree is that to claim any time before becoming PR is time in the 5 year period working back from the application date so for example if applying today 7/18/2017 then the 5 years back to 7/19/2012 but still to a maximum of 730 half days prior to becoming a PR to make a year added to 2 years post PR.

Other than the assent statement about a possible fall implementation nobody here knows when 3/5 will even be announced as effective.
 

ROBBIOS

Full Member
May 24, 2017
22
9
Hello everyone!

I have planned a trip to my home country in December. My stay in Canada after PR will be 4 years in November 2017. So intend to apply for citizenship before my trip.

I have two questions:

1. Is there any prohibition that one cannot leave Canada if the citizenship application is in process.
2. How much time does it take to get to the next level after application. I intend to be out of country for a month and do not want to miss any communication from CIC in my absence.

Thanks.
Yes. You can leave Canada while they process your application.
 

CANADIANZ

Hero Member
Mar 30, 2017
386
199
Hello Folks,

May be someone who has recently submitted their citizenship application may answer with their experience.
Is it okay to submit extra supporting documents with your application, those docs which are not asked on the check list. For example,

Employment verification letters from employers
Record of employment
Notice of Assessments from CRA
Student verification letter from Kids schools

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,427
3,173
Hello Folks,

May be someone who has recently submitted their citizenship application may answer with their experience.
Is it okay to submit extra supporting documents with your application, those docs which are not asked on the check list. For example,

Employment verification letters from employers
Record of employment
Notice of Assessments from CRA
Student verification letter from Kids schools

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.


Whether to submit extra supporting documents with a citizenship application:

Conventional wisdom: NO, do not submit unsolicited documentation to IRCC.

Follow the instructions, including the checklist.

In particular, there is NO need to submit extra supporting documentation. There is no indication that doing so will help.

There is little risk of doing harm if a minimal number of discreet documents are included, but again there has been no indication doing so will help.

Some (a very few) anecdotal reports suggest it has. Those reports really only show that no harm was done.

Caveat: I did. I included copies of my Notices of Assessment. Why is a long story told a number of times in now somewhat ancient posts (and there was a reason, in large part related to particular circumstances at the time). There was no concrete indication it helped, none at all. Obviously did not hurt, since I sailed smoothly through the process in about as short a time as any that year (July 2013 app to oath March 2014, a fast track for that period of time, although others at my oath ceremony had been processed in less time).

Still, despite my personal decision to the contrary, the better approach is to follow the instructions, including the checklist, and include what is requested, nothing more.




Whether to submit extra supporting documents with a citizenship application has been an oft recurring perennial question in the forum. The most common and credible response has remained the same. No need to do this. Follow the instructions.

While I have not recently applied (again, my application arrived in Sydney four years ago this month and I have been a citizen since early March 2014), there have been no changes in the process which suggest any different response to this issue now than when I applied, nor when I began following grant citizenship issues nearly a decade ago.

Follow the instructions, including the checklist.

Which, for almost all applicants, means there is no reason to include anything other than what the instructions and checklist specify. (That said, be aware that these have changed over the years, and can change at any time, so always be sure to use the most current forms and instructions available online, right up to the day of applying . . . in other words, be sure to compare the completed application and checklist against the current forms online right before sending off the application.)


Exceptions: Sure, there are exceptions, as usual. As the instructions indicate, some applicants may need to include a supplemental page expanding on a particular item. This is mostly about information in the form which is incomplete or confusing or subject to misunderstanding, and thus something more needs to be submitted to, in effect, complete the application. That is totally different from submitting additional supporting documentation.

Bottom-line: if IRCC has concerns or questions about the information provided or the documents submitted as instructed, having submitted extra supporting documents is NOT likely to resolve those concerns or questions. We know this in part because there are many reports, among other sources, which show that applicants have received requests to submit documents they already included with the application. This may seem contrary to common sense, but actually this is very much consistent with bureaucratic processing generally.

It is similar to queries about what to take to the interview, queries asking whether it is a good idea to bring extra supporting documents to the interview, and if so, what. There have been no more than sporadic, isolated reports (over the course of many years) by some individuals who believed that this or that additional documentation, presented during the interview, made the difference between being scheduled for the oath and further processing (like RQ). Frankly, those reports tend to either lack credibility (particularly as to the inferences or conclusions drawn) or are rare exceptions.

That said, the big difference between what is submitted with the application and what an individual can take to the interview, is that for the interview many can and do carry essentially two groups of documents, one being those requested, the other being additional supporting documents which could be consulted, referred to, or even presented if an opportunity to do so naturally arises during the interview. Best to have separate groups to make presenting the formally requested documents easier, without having to dig through pages of paper. Odds are that the interview will proceed with no opportunity to present anything other than that requested, and in any event having the additional documents will not help much . . . that is, odds are either the interview will have a positive outcome without the additional documents, or a negative outcome despite presenting additional documents. (Note: while most applicants can probably infer things went well and some are occasionally assured by the interviewer that all went well, the vast majority of applicants do not know for sure whether the outcome of the interview is positive or negative until later, learning it was positive when they are scheduled for the oath, or negative when further processing takes place, such as being issued RQ.)

This is all fairly consistent with the conventional wisdom which strongly suggests it is better to just answer the question and not volunteer more when dealing with a government bureaucracy like IRCC (and CBSA, among others).
 

Marooned2

Star Member
May 18, 2017
104
41
Hello Folks,

May be someone who has recently submitted their citizenship application may answer with their experience.
Is it okay to submit extra supporting documents with your application, those docs which are not asked on the check list. For example,

Employment verification letters from employers
Record of employment
Notice of Assessments from CRA
Student verification letter from Kids schools

Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.
Yeah I would not put extra documents confusing them and depicting myself insecure for them.
 

islandgirl25

Star Member
Jan 14, 2011
97
1
i'm excited about the half days counting again!! i was here with a temporary visa for a little less than3 years (long story & I kept renewing it)...landed in fall of 2014...i've only been out of the country for 6 days in this entire time....the half days will really help!
 

kilamans

Hero Member
Feb 14, 2013
232
15
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Mississauga jan '16
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
Credit card charged jan '16
AOR Received.
AOR - Feb '16
File Transfer...
Ottawa Aug '16
Med's Request
Oct '16 & for PCC
Med's Done....
Nov '16 & for PCC
Last edited:

kilamans

Hero Member
Feb 14, 2013
232
15
Toronto
Category........
Visa Office......
Mississauga jan '16
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
Credit card charged jan '16
AOR Received.
AOR - Feb '16
File Transfer...
Ottawa Aug '16
Med's Request
Oct '16 & for PCC
Med's Done....
Nov '16 & for PCC
are we expecting a new set of application form?
OR
we should start filling it, now?
 

dpenabill

VIP Member
Apr 2, 2010
6,427
3,173
are we expecting a new set of application form?
OR
we should start filling it, now?
There was a new application form issued in June, following the implementation of parts of Bill C-6. For example, this version (06-2017 version) does not include an intent-to-reside item, since the intent requirement was repealed and removed effective June 19, 2017. (In the previous application version, 10-2016, that was item 10; as I recall, in the current version item 10 is about using a representative.)

The application form which will be applicable for 3/5 rule applicants is not currently available. It is not likely to become available before the day the 3/5 rule takes effect. Likewise the presence calculator. It is likely the online presence calculator will continue to be the current one, the one designed for the 4/6 rule, until the day before the new 3/5 rule takes effect. Then, the next day, or within a few days at most, the calculator to use with a 3/5 rule application will become available.

Much of the application form will remain the same, such as the basic information items and most of the prohibitions items (prohibitions based on convictions, for example, will continue to cover the preceding four years). Language requirement item will remain the same. (Not sure if or how that part might change when the more liberal age exception takes effect.)

Most of the changes are easily forecast: work and address history, for example, will cover five years rather than six. Otherwise it will be structured the same as in the current form.

It should not be difficult to gather and organize almost all the relevant information in advance, and be prepared to populate the new form as soon as it becomes available. It should be available either the day the new rules take effect or within a short time after that. But of course it will not be possible to prepare actual rough drafts, let alone prepare the application itself in advance, prior to when the new forms become available.

I suppose there is some possibility that the new forms, for the 3/5 rule, might be made available some time prior to when the 3/5 rule takes effect. Based on past practices, however, that seems quite unlikely. IRCC is not likely to make two different adult-grant application forms available at the same time. In the past, during such transitions the new form is not available until it is actually the proper, applicable form.
 
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blueangel371115

Champion Member
May 24, 2012
1,030
44
Category........
FAM
Visa Office......
CPP-Ottawa
App. Filed.......
13-01-2014
Doc's Request.
10-02-2014
AOR Received.
17-07-2014
File Transfer...
17-07-2014
Med's Done....
02-12-2013
Interview........
Waived
Passport Req..
waived
VISA ISSUED...
08-01-2015 (returned 1/19 due to errors), 26-01-2015
LANDED..........
05-02-2015 Finally
There was a new application form issued in June, following the implementation of parts of Bill C-6. For example, this version (06-2017 version) does not include an intent-to-reside item, since the intent requirement was repealed and removed effective June 19, 2017. (In the previous application version, 10-2016, that was item 10; as I recall, in the current version item 10 is about using a representative.)

It should not be difficult to gather and organize almost all the relevant information in advance, and be prepared to populate the new form as soon as it becomes available. It should be available either the day the new rules take effect or within a short time after that. But of course it will not be possible to prepare actual rough drafts, let alone prepare the application itself in advance, prior to when the new forms become available.

I suppose there is some possibility that the new forms, for the 3/5 rule, might be made available some time prior to when the 3/5 rule takes effect. Based on past practices, however, that seems quite unlikely. IRCC is not likely to make two different adult-grant application forms available at the same time. In the past, during such transitions the new form is not available until it is actually the proper, applicable form.
Part of me really wants to start preparing now. ;) I can apply the first week of February 2018 thanks to the new rules. Hubby was hoping I could do it this fall, lol. But my VR days don't count count. He loves his country and really wants all of us to be Canadians (our two sons are dual US/CAN). I like to prepare way in advance, especially since I have trouble paperwork-wise with them in the past. :(
 

wwe

Hero Member
Apr 22, 2011
234
68
Visa Office......
VFS
Job Offer........
Pre-Assessed..
App. Filed.......
25 JUNE
Med's Request
12 JULY
Med's Done....
13 JULY
Interview........
28 AUGUST
VISA ISSUED...
30 AUGUST
LANDED..........
SOON INSHALLAH
I am pretty confident that these forms will be available last week of August and will be implemented from Sep 1.
They already changed one form, just need to educate stuff of the new old (which was actually the old rule).
Should not take more than 3 weeks to train them.
Good luck to all new applicants!


read the info, good to know...
but it can be early Fall or at the end of the fall, right before christmas, which is the start date of winter...
There was a new application form issued in June, following the implementation of parts of Bill C-6. For example, this version (06-2017 version) does not include an intent-to-reside item, since the intent requirement was repealed and removed effective June 19, 2017. (In the previous application version, 10-2016, that was item 10; as I recall, in the current version item 10 is about using a representative.)

The application form which will be applicable for 3/5 rule applicants is not currently available. It is not likely to become available before the day the 3/5 rule takes effect. Likewise the presence calculator. It is likely the online presence calculator will continue to be the current one, the one designed for the 4/6 rule, until the day before the new 3/5 rule takes effect. Then, the next day, or within a few days at most, the calculator to use with a 3/5 rule application will become available.

Much of the application form will remain the same, such as the basic information items and most of the prohibitions items (prohibitions based on convictions, for example, will continue to cover the preceding four years). Language requirement item will remain the same. (Not sure if or how that part might change when the more liberal age exception takes effect.)

Most of the changes are easily forecast: work and address history, for example, will cover five years rather than six. Otherwise it will be structured the same as in the current form.

It should not be difficult to gather and organize almost all the relevant information in advance, and be prepared to populate the new form as soon as it becomes available. It should be available either the day the new rules take effect or within a short time after that. But of course it will not be possible to prepare actual rough drafts, let alone prepare the application itself in advance, prior to when the new forms become available.

I suppose there is some possibility that the new forms, for the 3/5 rule, might be made available some time prior to when the 3/5 rule takes effect. Based on past practices, however, that seems quite unlikely. IRCC is not likely to make two different adult-grant application forms available at the same time. In the past, during such transitions the new form is not available until it is actually the proper, applicable form.
 

CANADIANZ

Hero Member
Mar 30, 2017
386
199
One way to prepare to fill out forms as they become available is to maintain some type of record on excel or notebook. (I use excel)

Entry / Exit stamps, Travel History
Your home address for last 5 years
Your job / study info for last 5 years

This will help you in track if you will need any of the documents and will give you enough time to gather docs...
 
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VFX_man

Star Member
Feb 20, 2017
88
23
Question on the age requirement.

My 55th Bday is coming up this November. If I turn 55 after the documents are submitted [but before being approved to move to the next step - i.e. take the test], will I still be required to to take the knowledge test since I will be 55 at the time the request comes in?

Will still study since my [younger] wife will need to take it, but just curious how they have viewed the "age" aspect under all of the various flavours of citizenship applications.


Thanks!