If you get approved for PR, do you think you'll apply for citizenship?

[kiwikris]

Definitely getting citizenship!! Even now I want to vote here! Also may live in other countries later on or back home and don't want the hassle of making sure I spend enough days in Canada to keep up PR. We will be here long enough to qualify so why not?! Then my dealings with CIC will be over and done with phew!
My physio has been here 18 years and often finds her family breeze through immigration and a different line where as it can take her longer.

I'm glad that each day before PR counts as a half day at least something is counting towards something lol, and I should have a "year" by July then just 2 more to go whoppee

 

[toby]

So if you leave the country for a vacation, you have to start over on the count of days in Canada towards the citizenship requirements? Does it have to be three years of consecutive days?

The total of days is cumulative, not consecutive. But I believe the days must be spent in Canada, not with a Canadian spouse overseas. Sorry to throw a wrench in the works for those contemplating spending time overseas with Cdn hubby, then applying for citizenship when they get back to Canada.

But for those needing a quick fix of "home", no problem. You don't have to start over to accumulate your quota of days.

 

[Karlshammar]

The rules regarding days are completely separate and different for citizenship and PR retention.

For PR retention, any part of a day spent in Canada will make it count. For citizenship, you must both start and end the day in Canada for it to count. I.e., leave Canada at 1 AM, come back at 11 PM, no problem. However, if you come back 1 minute after midnight, you lost two days, since you ended the first day outside Canada and started the second day outside Canada.

You can enter your information into the citizenship calculator to get an accurate count of the days you have and need: http://services3.cic.gc.ca/rescalc/resCalcStartNew.do?&lang=en

Time spent overseas accompanying a Canadian citizen spouse counts for PR retention, but it does not count toward the citizenship requirement.

If your other country allows dual citizenship, definitely go for Canadian citizenship. There is no drawback to it then. If your original country will give you a hard time about it (like Japan or Singapore would), then it's something you'd have to think about very seriously.

 

[Baloo]

If your other country allows dual citizenship, definitely go for Canadian citizenship.

In this circumstance, I would wonder why someone would not apply to be a citizen?

 

[Love_Young]

The 1/2 days are only subject to the 4 year limit, that is to apply for citizenship you need 1095 days (3 years) in a 4 year period. You can not qualify for that using half days until you have at least 730 days (2 years) as a PR because to make up 1095 days for citizenship in a 4 year period, you need the 730 full days since you became PR plus 730 half days counted as 365 since before you got PR or combined 1095 days and that is if you never left Canada.

Sorry Leon I am a bit confused but it could be due to just waking up.
Anyway, are you stating that we need to reside in Canada for two years (not leaving at all) for the previous half days to count?
So confused. I just want to know what would be the best way to go about it say if I want to go home for 2-3 weeks? And I have already resided as a visitor here for 2 years.

 

[Pharoh]

In this circumstance, I would wonder why someone would not apply to be a citizen?

It might be an issue of loyalty for some. You're choosing to side with another country, as opposed to strictly your own.

The reverse can also happen. If you're less than patriotic about your place of birth, you may jump at the idea of changing citizenship.

 

[Leon]

Sorry Leon I am a bit confused but it could be due to just waking up.
Anyway, are you stating that we need to reside in Canada for two years (not leaving at all) for the previous half days to count?
So confused. I just want to know what would be the best way to go about it say if I want to go home for 2-3 weeks? And I have already resided as a visitor here for 2 years.

No, you don't have to reside in Canada for the half days to count. Just that only the previous 4 years count and within the previous 4 years, the days before PR could as half days and the days after PR count as full days.

The comment about leaving was just to show that this is the earliest you would be able to apply after getting PR, that is 2 years as a PR with 2 years of half days but to be able to do that you could not have left Canada during that time. If you had left Canada, it delays the date you can apply.

 

[Love_Young]

No, you don't have to reside in Canada for the half days to count. Just that only the previous 4 years count and within the previous 5 years, the days before PR could as half days and the days after PR count as full days.

The comment about leaving was just to show that this is the earliest you would be able to apply after getting PR, that is 2 years as a PR with 2 years of half days but to be able to do that you could not have left Canada during that time. If you had left Canada, it delays the date you can apply.

Thanks for re-explaining it. Just wanted to make sure I wasn't interpreting it the wrong way.
This is what really makes me think about just staying in Canada for another two years to be able to apply sooner. I already have 2 years under my belt of half days, might as well stay the rest. I guess it just upsets me to think that I wouldn't see home for a total of 4 years. What do think would be a could way to go about this? I really do need to go home so that I can bring back things here and see family. How would I do this and still be able to apply for citizenship within the first four years?

 

[Leon]

It is not like going home for 2 or 3 weeks will delay your application by a lot. You can still take vacation. Processing citizenship also takes a long time so it doesn't really matter if you apply a month or two earlier or later.

 

[Baloo]

NEW Study Guide – Discover Canada
The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/resources/publications/discover/index.asp

 

[Love_Young]

Oh okay, thanks Leon. I know I am not yet approved but I am keeping my own notes for this.
Doesn't hurt to be prepared and knowledgeable about it anyway, does it?

 

[fleo]

I'll take dual; by the time it's all done that would give me both Canadian and EU citizenship... and I already know the anthem anyway

 

[Heckler]

I'll be taking dual citizenship for sure.
As of now I plan on spending the rest of my life living in Canada so it just makes perfect sense to apply as soon as I'm able. If I'm going to live somewhere I want to be fully involved & commited to the society I'm becoming part of. I don't believe I can do that without taking citizinship.

I'll also want to keep a British passport for 2 reasons. I'm proud of where I'm from & want to keep that connection as fully as possible & also for simplicity when traveling back to the UK to visit family or if I wish to travel in other places around Europe.

 

[Love_Young]

I found a link that talks a bit more about dual citizenship for those such as myself that plan to take it up when the time comes.
http://www.voyage.gc.ca/publications/dual-citizenship_double-citoyennete-eng.asp

 

[Love_Young]

Also here is a link that explains the whole maximum of one year counted before PR thing.
Click here: http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/citizenship/cit-become-faq11.asp