Is it the right time to apply for citizenship?

[lauramark20]

I have been working in Canada on a work permit since 2012, and I currently did my landing and got my SIN and Permanent Resident Card in June.

I don't have any passport or citizenship for any country, some people told me I can apply for canadian travel document, but I would like to know if I can apply for the citizenship right away as I heard they do exceptions for some cases, and I think in my case, I've been working in Canada for 3 years, and now everything is OK for me, maybe I can have it.

Is it the right time to apply for citizenship? How do I get this exception?

 

[TomTony]

First of all, congratulations on becoming a permanent resident, I wish you success & happiness in Canada.

There are some kind of exceptions, but those exceptions are mostly for the people who have worked for the Canadian government or Canadian Army outside Canada.

You will be eligible to apply for citizenship in June 2019 (That's if you don't travel to outside Canada).

I think the best thing to do is to apply for a travel document...

 

[lauramark20]

Thanks TomTony for your reply. But why June 2019? I have been working in Canada since 2012, isn't this time counted for me?

 

[CanV]

I have been working in Canada on a work permit since 2012, and I currently did my landing and got my SIN and Permanent Resident Card in June.

I don't have any passport or citizenship for any country, some people told me I can apply for canadian travel document, but I would like to know if I can apply for the citizenship right away as I heard they do exceptions for some cases, and I think in my case, I've been working in Canada for 3 years, and now everything is OK for me, maybe I can have it.

Is it the right time to apply for citizenship? How do I get this exception?

You will NOT get any exceptions. You will definitely be refused after you pay all the fees and wait. And when you are actually eligible to apply again after you are refused, your case will go non-routine and you will have to wait even longer than most people. So wash the idea completely off your head.

 

[AUTO101]

You are not qualified to apply for Citizenship yet. As other posters have said, wait till you are qualified and NO the exceptions don't apply to you. The time before PR (work or study etc) is no longer counted towards your minimum physical requirement.

 

[lauramark20]

Hi AUTO101,

How is it not counted, isn't each 2 days counted as 1 day?

 

[CanV]

Hi AUTO101,

How is it not counted, isn't each 2 days counted as 1 day?

You are way behind. A law passed last year and is already in place. You have to reside 4 years now instead of 3 and pre PR days don't count.

Come back in 2019, you have nothing to do here until then.

 

[lauramark20]

But that's not fair, I accepted to go and work in Canada in 2012 knowing that the time I spend will be counted, it's not my fault that they changed the rules after me going there. It should not be applied for people who went there before the rule.

 

[TomTony]

The law (Bill C-24) which passed last year and came into force on June 11, 2015 applies to everyone! Please visit the CIC website to get more information about the new requirements. Here are some of the most important things you should know:
- You must live in Canada as a permanent resident for at least 1460 days.
- You must spend at least 183 days in Canada in 4 calendar years immediately before the date you apply for citizenship. (Which means you can apply in July 2019! Sorry my calculation in my first reply was wrong!)
- you must file income tax every year!

 

[on-hold]

But that's not fair, I accepted to go and work in Canada in 2012 knowing that the time I spend will be counted, it's not my fault that they changed the rules after me going there. It should not be applied for people who went there before the rule.

Well, yes, it is true that in other countries who have made changes like this, they grandfather them in so that people who make life plans based on a certain set or circumstances won't find themselves cut loose. Australia, for example. Those countries, however, are not led by Stephen Harper.

Count yourself lucky in one respect -- you've been working and saving money. Another group of people, students, find themselves cut off from an avenue of immigration which I am sure many counted on taking advantage of. These people chose Canada, often over other countries that would have let them immigrate, spent huge fees to study, and suddenly found that the category they would have applied under no longer existed. It's legal, the government of Canada has the right to do it, but it also stinks.

 

[lauramark20]

Thanks TomTony,

But what about the file income taxes I've done in the past 3 years?! How can they be ignored?!!

 

[lauramark20]

@ on-hold, OK I am making money, but I had opportunity to work in Dubai which I could make more money back then since 2012 to 2015 than doing this in Canada. Getting salary of 10.000$ in Dubai without any taxes cut for them, is much better than getting salary in Canada. The bottom line is, that's not fair, people decide because they have plans, it's like an agreement, you can't just change after the agreement.

 

[on-hold]

@ on-hold, OK I am making money, but I had opportunity to work in Dubai which I could make more money back then since 2012 to 2015 than doing this in Canada. Getting salary of 10.000$ in Dubai without any taxes cut for them, is much better than getting salary in Canada. The bottom line is, that's not fair, people decide because they have plans, it's like an agreement, you can't just change after the agreement.

I'm sympathetic, because it's no fun making plans and finding that the rules have changed; but I couldn't disagree more with the specifics of your concern. You've been in Canada for about 3 years as a Temporary Worker and Canada has seen fit to give you, and your family and descendants, the permanent right to every benefit and service that the country offers, except two; and you can apply for those two in four years. The only change is that under the old rules, you would have had to wait two years to apply for them.

One good way to estimate the generosity of this grant is by comparing it to Dubai, where you'd like to go work. You could work there for 3 full generations, and your status would be the same -- servant, with all the rights that come with that status (i.e. the right to shut up and work). If you prefer money to belonging, then you can leave today and earn Dubai's money; and Canada is generous enough to let you do it for three years, and still come back here with the permanent status of a human being.

I am sorry that the jerkish policies of the current government have been so deaf to the regards and needs of immigrants; but the current government will be gone some day and the underlying generosity of Canada's bargain with immigrants will still be here. Don't miss the forest for the trees when you look at the revised rules of the citizenship application.

Finally, one of the big reasons that the rules changed is that the current government wanted to discourage 'passport hunting' -- working for 3 years, applying for a Canadian passport while looking for better-paying jobs abroad, and holding Canada in reserve as a place to retire to, after a career of not paying taxes abroad. I don't agree with them in their assessment of the seriousness of this problem, but it sounds like your situation is actually rather the type that the new regulations are trying to discourage.

Anyway, good luck! Think of the extra three years in Canada (two to become eligible to apply and one for the application) as a period of Canadianization . . . Complain about the local hockey team . . . skate in frozen ditches . . . laugh at the news from America . . .

 

[SenoritaBella]

@ on-hold, you are so matter of fact, it cracked me up. I sympathize with immigrants who feel short changed by the new rules but I try to remind people that what's happening is as a result of rampant abuse by others either through fraud or taking advantage of the system (benefits), etc.

The truth is most provinces are running deficits(mine is flat broke), we need more people to work here and pay taxes. Seniors are the most hard done by because they paid into the system all their lives and some of them have had their pensions reduced because there is not enough money to go around. If more people aren't working here and paying taxes, our generation likely won't find any money left in the Canada pension plan (CPP) when we retire. You know a program is not performing well when the gov't proposes increasing contribution room for CPP on a voluntary basis. If CPP was doing well, why would there be a need to "boost" contributions?

When I look at it in that light, I can understand the need for a change in rules, but the unfortunate part is the new law has created two-tier citizenship. Truth is we all need to fasten our belts including some of our politicians who just spend our tax dollars exorbitantly.

 

[scylla]

@ on-hold, OK I am making money, but I had opportunity to work in Dubai which I could make more money back then since 2012 to 2015 than doing this in Canada. Getting salary of 10.000$ in Dubai without any taxes cut for them, is much better than getting salary in Canada. The bottom line is, that's not fair, people decide because they have plans, it's like an agreement, you can't just change after the agreement.

Unfortunately it doesn't matter what's fair or not fair. The rules have changed effective a few weeks ago - and the new rules apply to you. As others have explained, the earliest you can qualify to apply for citizenship is now 2019. (Prior to the rules changing the earliest you would have qualified to apply was 2017.)