Country of residence - confusion

[Travel_K]

Hi all,

A month and a half ago I moved from my home country to Australia on a temporary work visa which is valid for 2 years, but not sure how long I will stay here. At the moment, I am waiting for an ITA for Express Entry, as I have received my PNP nomination a few days ago. What should I choose as my country of residence given the fact that I have been here in Australia for such a short time?

Also, what should I do regarding my police certificate from my home country, as it was issued back in April 2021, meaning before I left? Do I need to get a new one, which will be dated after I have left the country? And what about Australia, do I need to get a police certificate from here too, even though I haven't stayed for 6 or more consecutive months?

Another important question, will selecting Australia as my current country of residence affect where my application is processed?

@legalfalcon - your opinion will be much appreciated

Thank you so much

 

[legalfalcon]

Hi all,

A month and a half ago I moved from my home country to Australia on a temporary work visa which is valid for 2 years, but not sure how long I will stay here. At the moment, I am waiting for an ITA for Express Entry, as I have received my PNP nomination a few days ago. What should I choose as my country of residence given the fact that I have been here in Australia for such a short time?

Also, what should I do regarding my police certificate from my home country, as it was issued back in April 2021, meaning before I left? Do I need to get a new one, which will be dated after I have left the country? And what about Australia, do I need to get a police certificate from here too, even though I haven't stayed for 6 or more consecutive months?

Another important question, will selecting Australia as my current country of residence affect where my application is processed?

@legalfalcon - your opinion will be much appreciated

Thank you so much

It does not matter whether you have been in Australia for a short while or not. If you have moved your residence for the immediate future, Australia will be your country of residence. If you ate decide to move back to your country of origin, you can again update IRCC of the same.

As regards police certificate:

• For the applicant’s current country of residence, the police certificate must have been issued no more than 6 months before the submission of the e-APR.
• For countries in which the applicant no longer resides, the police certificate must have been issued after the last time the applicant stayed in that country for 6 months or more in a row.
• Police certificates meeting the above requirements can be accepted even if they have an expiry date that has passed.
• This includes the requirement to provide a police certificate for countries in which the individual has travelled for 6 months or more in a row, whether or not the individual had an established residential address during this time.
• Police certificates are required upfront and are mandatory for each country (except Canada) where an individual has spent 6 months or more in a row within the last 10 years. The individual does not need to provide one for any period of time before the age of 18.

For your current country of residence i.e. Australia, since you have not stayed there for 6 months or more, you need not include it, but make sure you explain it. IRCC may ask you for one. So if you can obtain one, that would be better.