I am worried that I'll be selected for non-routine processing.

[worriedimmigrant]

Hey guys,

I still have around 8 months left in my eligibility period, but I am already worried. I am working as a subcontractor delivery driver and I do deliveries for a major firm in Canada but I have been binge reading a lot of these threads, and apparently self-employment or "non regular" employment invites non-routine processing very often. Do I have to worry about it and start gathering more proof of my stay in Canada? On the positives: I didn't travel outside of the country ever since I landed and filed my tax returns every year and have my T4As. I saw many on threads that self-employment invites RQ.

What can I do to make sure that this doesn't happen to me? Also, does it matter that what type of job you are doing for citizenship applications? I used to work in IT back in my country but I hated that atmosphere and find much more peace in this job. Is that something that will be used against me?

As a super majority conservative is pretty much imminent, I am worried that my application can be selected for non-routine processing which takes years. Would appreciate your responses!

 

[scylla]

Hey guys,

I still have around 8 months left in my eligibility period, but I am already worried. I am working as a subcontractor delivery driver and I do deliveries for a major firm in Canada but I have been binge reading a lot of these threads, and apparently self-employment or "non regular" employment invites non-routine processing very often. Do I have to worry about it and start gathering more proof of my stay in Canada? On the positives: I didn't travel outside of the country ever since I landed and filed my tax returns every year and have my T4As. I saw many on threads that self-employment invites RQ.

What can I do to make sure that this doesn't happen to me? Also, does it matter that what type of job you are doing for citizenship applications? I used to work in IT back in my country but I hated that atmosphere and find much more peace in this job. Is that something that will be used against me?

As a super majority conservative is pretty much imminent, I am worried that my application can be selected for non-routine processing which takes years. Would appreciate your responses!

Best thing you can do is apply with well over the number of residency days required. Wait until you have a few extra months of residency and then apply. Don't apply with 1095 days or just over that.

Ultimately there's really nothing you can do to guarantee your application will be treated as routine. However applying with significantly more than the required number of days can't harm.

 

[worriedimmigrant]

Best thing you can do is apply with well over the number of residency days required. Wait until you have a few extra months of residency and then apply. Don't apply with 1095 days or just over that.

Ultimately there's really nothing you can do to guarantee your application will be treated as routine. However applying with significantly more than the required number of days can't harm.

Okay. But is working as a subcontractor as bad as being a self employed consultant, for example? I have all the proof that like car insurance, bank statements, T4As, etc. Perhaps I can attach it with an LOE?

I thought it's a common practice in Canada. Also can you please tell me if I can count the first three months in Canada after landing when I was unemployed?

 

[Seym]

Also can you please tell me if I can count the first three months in Canada after landing when I was unemployed?

You don't "count" the days yourself to decide what to or not to claim.
You list the days you entered and left Canada and let the tool calculate the days for you, regardless of your work situation.
Being unemployed will not be a problem.

 

[worriedimmigrant]

You don't "count" the days yourself to decide what to or not to claim.
You list the days you entered and left Canada and let the tool calculate the days for you, regardless of your work situation.
Being unemployed will not be a problem.

Sure, but what I am saying is that I didn't leave Canada even for one day, neither do I plan to leave it during my eligibility period. What I am most scared about is getting RQ'ed because I was not employed for a couple of months when I first landed here, and then I started doing subcontracting work.

I have read horror stories about self employed "consultants" who get hammered in citizenship applications. But would it really be as bad for me considering that I am actually doing physical work as a driver?

 

[dreamingmigrant]

I'm an Uber driver and this is my concern as well. Will see how it goes with the cons coming into power. But I guess it's not a crime to work as a subcontractor in Canada. Especially with delivery work, that's more common to be a subcontractor than not. Maybe consultants who are doing other sort of stuff have more to be worry about. But I don't know! More senior members will chime in soon. Hopefully.

 

[steaky]

I'm an Uber driver and this is my concern as well. Will see how it goes with the cons coming into power. But I guess it's not a crime to work as a subcontractor in Canada. Especially with delivery work, that's more common to be a subcontractor than not. Maybe consultants who are doing other sort of stuff have more to be worry about. But I don't know! More senior members will chime in soon. Hopefully.

Being unemployed will not be a problem. Why concern if you are an uber driver, subcontractor or truck driver? Would you rather be unemployed instead?

 

[dreamingmigrant]

Being unemployed will not be a problem. Why concern if you are an uber driver, subcontractor or truck driver? Would you rather be unemployed instead?

Because IRCC gives hard time to people who are self-employed as OP mentioned. I've read those threads too. But I don't know if the same level of scrutiny is applied to subcontractors. All these delivery folks with Amazon and Temu, they're all subcontracting.

 

[Seym]

Well, OP only controls 2 things :
1) the buffer over the 1095 days minimum.
2) the accuracy of the information given in the application.
The only thing he should focus on right now is to have a good buffer and a precise application. How the application will actually go is yet to be seen. Why worry about something that didn't happen yet if there's nothing that can be done to avoid it if it was meant to happen (beside not applying for citizenship at all...)?
In the first answer, @scylla summarized it. The work history just helps IRCC establish the pattern of a life in Canada, it is not part of the decision making in itself. If the IRCC officer is convinced OP spent the adequate amount of time inside the country, it will not matter if OP was unemployed, self-employed or whatever, and the best way to make it easy for the agent working on the application is to give a large buffer (let's say 2 months or more...) with precise exits/entries so there's absolutely no doubt the physical presence requirement is met.
That's the only real advice OP can get.

 

[dreamingmigrant]

Well, OP only controls 2 things :
1) the buffer over the 1095 days minimum.
2) the accuracy of the information given in the application.
The only thing he should focus on right now is to have a good buffer and a precise application. How the application will actually go is yet to be seen. Why worry about something that didn't happen yet if there's nothing that can be done to avoid it if it was meant to happen (beside not applying for citizenship at all...)?
In the first answer, @scylla summarized it. The work history just helps IRCC establish the pattern of a life in Canada, it is not part of the decision making in itself. If the IRCC officer is convinced OP spent the adequate amount of time inside the country, it will not matter if OP was unemployed, self-employed or whatever, and the best way to make it easy for the agent working on the application is to give a large buffer (let's say 2 months or more...) with precise exits/entries so there's absolutely no doubt the physical presence requirement is met.
That's the only real advice OP can get.

True. The only reason I participated in this discussion is because I'm in the same position as this guy. Came from Turkey, drove Uber to save money to go to school again. Does it help if you have no left the country after landing? I heard nowadays IRCC can verify through CBSA your entries and exits.

 

[dubs]

I've been self-employed for years and my application was processed within 3 months with no interview, no fingerprints, or any hassles. So take what you've heard as a grain of salt.

 

[armoured]

Does it help if you have no left the country after landing? I heard nowadays IRCC can verify through CBSA your entries and exits.

It helps primarily by making the confirmation/count of the number of days easier - and for many, reduces the chances (substantially) they'll make mistakes in doing their own record keeping and counting of trips and days abroad.

Even making minor mistakes is not necessarily fatal to an application, if it's minor and doesn't affect meeting the residency requirement (days in country). An example might be making a mistake about the date of return by a day from a trip abroad.

Also keep in mind: IRCC/government does not have perfect records (tracking of exits by plane have not always been reported to govt, it's relatively recent). There are some types of entry/exit (private plane, some marine travel, etc). Sometimes mistakes happen in recording entries and exits.

[Side note that those with REALLY extensive travel and entries/exits: well, the people who process these files and check the days-count are human beings. The file/application that has 20 pages of entries/exits is sometimes going to get delayed in favour of the easy ones. Probably not by much, and probably they don't check ALL the entries/exits in the system in most cases, just a sample - but some of them are going to get delayed more.]

So because of this: if they have doubts about time in country, they can have cause to look into actual residency; a bunch of errors or dates that don't seem to make sense. Usually this doesn't happen, for most, but if they have doubts about travel/residency (someone who seems to have left out travel or otherwise doesn't seem credible), yep, they can ask for more detail.

Is this more common for people who are self-employed/unemployed etc? Possibly/probably in some cases, but far from all. I recall someone posting on this board (I think about residency obligation) who lived (or claimed to) somewhere 'off grid' - no phone, no lease, no bank accounts, nothing - and sure, that's going to be more difficult to show you were in Canada.

For most who have normal daily lives, not having a job is probably not going to be the issue.

 

[worriedimmigrant]

It helps primarily by making the confirmation/count of the number of days easier - and for many, reduces the chances (substantially) they'll make mistakes in doing their own record keeping and counting of trips and days abroad.

Even making minor mistakes is not necessarily fatal to an application, if it's minor and doesn't affect meeting the residency requirement (days in country). An example might be making a mistake about the date of return by a day from a trip abroad.

Also keep in mind: IRCC/government does not have perfect records (tracking of exits by plane have not always been reported to govt, it's relatively recent). There are some types of entry/exit (private plane, some marine travel, etc). Sometimes mistakes happen in recording entries and exits.

[Side note that those with REALLY extensive travel and entries/exits: well, the people who process these files and check the days-count are human beings. The file/application that has 20 pages of entries/exits is sometimes going to get delayed in favour of the easy ones. Probably not by much, and probably they don't check ALL the entries/exits in the system in most cases, just a sample - but some of them are going to get delayed more.]

So because of this: if they have doubts about time in country, they can have cause to look into actual residency; a bunch of errors or dates that don't seem to make sense. Usually this doesn't happen, for most, but if they have doubts about travel/residency (someone who seems to have left out travel or otherwise doesn't seem credible), yep, they can ask for more detail.

Is this more common for people who are self-employed/unemployed etc? Possibly/probably in some cases, but far from all. I recall someone posting on this board (I think about residency obligation) who lived (or claimed to) somewhere 'off grid' - no phone, no lease, no bank accounts, nothing - and sure, that's going to be more difficult to show you were in Canada.

For most who have normal daily lives, not having a job is probably not going to be the issue.

Thank you for clarifying. Your answer makes me less anxious. Funny thing is that I work more than guys who get a paycheck. I get regular payments too but the only difference is that as a subcontractor driver, I pay my own taxes.

 

[dreamingmigrant]

I've been self-employed for years and my application was processed within 3 months with no interview, no fingerprints, or any hassles. So take what you've heard as a grain of salt.

That might change tho when conservatives rule the country with absolute majority. They might bring in 2012 system where anyone who didn't had a regular job would get RQ'ed. @dpenabill wrote a massive post on it I think. But considering that there are so many PRs in Canada now, a lot of people would be stuck in processing and it won't be a wise move by them.

 

[Fordlings5]

Hi everyone, next year I'll be eligible to apply for citizenship. I've been in Canada for almost six years, I have not left Canada, nor do I plan to since I became a PR. I'm of the age where I won't have to take the citizenship test, I was wondering if that will hinder, help or not affect my application.
I've read that after AOR you get the request for testing. In my case, what comes after AOR?
I also saw on the IRCC website that they invite some people to apply for a Canadian passport when they apply for citizenship, has anyone had that experience?