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June 2017 Citizenship Applicants - (pre C6 rule)

KrisR

Star Member
Dec 10, 2008
54
8
Hi All ,

I had my Citizenship test and Interview today at Windsor Office.

Here is a quick brief of my experience -

1.) I walked into the office 15 min before my scheduled time. They let a group of people in . I counted a total of 9 people along with me.
2.) We were all given the test - The test was a breeze ( Discover canada helped out there )
3.) Post the test, all the candidates waited for about 20 minutes.
4.) We were called in the order of when we finished our tests and when submitted our test sheet. I was called in 3 rd.
5.) The officer was extremely cordial and pretty nice - I immediately relaxed out.
Note - I had more than 1600 + days . I commute every day across the border and come back the same day as I work in the states . ( I had over 1100 daily crossings over the last 5 year period) . As i had 1100 crossings ,my physical presence calculator was 90 sheets longs ,when i had submitted my application
a.) I had brought in a two sets of files - One set that contained immediate info and that I had to provide - My passports , Identity docs .
Along with those ,I also got my mortgage docs , my elder kids school report and my younger kid's birth certificate , CBSA report of crossings.
My passport was pretty colorful with multiple stamps and visas .( Had visited my home country 4 times as well and post every visit , had a stamp on both the canadian side and US side + Had a Europe visit on company related work for 2 weeks )
The second file was a bigger one - That had the US side details of crossings ,utitlity bills , medical records , US W2's , paystubs , Employment records , previous rental leases, bank stmts , credit card stmts ,physical presence calculator sheets . I had the second file in my backpack and the first file in hand with me.

b.) The officer complimented me on the organized manner that i had filed in my application ( i had post marked my files when i had sent it in with all the above details and i had color coded the set). I was also told that i had scored 20/20 on the test . i acknoledged it with a thanks .

c.) I briefly mentioned about my work and my commute across the border every day . She acknowledged it and then took my physical presence calculator and went over my absences and started to correlate it to stamps on my passport. Luckily I had created a 2 pager where i had .every stamp correlating to days out of canada with a reason for the trip , reference to trip on the CBSA report and . the related trip's stamps on the pages of my passport. I was able to assist on a couple of trips that was being looked into .

d.) I was asked about my second child's birth in Canada ,our home in Windsor ( If we owned it) + my wife who had recently started on job .

e.) After all of my responses , the officer was satisfied and made a number of notes in the file.

Finally i was told on what i wanted to hear - She was satisfied and i was ready to go on to the next step , take my oath . :)
I was told that i would get an email and it would be around the December timeframe . At this point , i was positively Elated :)

Overall the experience was wonderful and very professional. I was impressed by the organized manner of the entire process + I could see that they put in a detailed effort to understand the candidate 's situation ( i saw my entire file with all the ton of docs with the officer).
If you have satisfied all the criteria needed to get to the next stage , there is nothing to fear.
Note - I gave a buffer of of a number of days . I applied post 1600 + days to give enough of a buffer to ensure that every possibility was covered.


I have to greatly thank this form for the detailed notes from a number of members and the shared experiences that helped me along the way in drafting out a complete application .( Will be helping my wife and my elder son apply next as they are eligible now as well) .



As a suggestion , i would recommend to keep a detailed note of all the little things ( bills, payments, credit card stmts, bank stmts, crossings references from multiple sources - in my case ,had CBSA reports ,USI 94 reports , i maintained a weekly excel of my crossings as well and was able to cross reference everything clearly) - > This looks like a lot of work but once we had got into a weekly 5 min routine of quickly marking the excel sheet and getting bills organized , it simplified the entire thing , when i started on the process of applying and then attending the interview) . Hopefully this helps someone next in line :)

Good luck to all and God Bless.


Thank you.
Kris R
 

catharines

Star Member
Jul 30, 2017
192
43
Hi All ,

I had my Citizenship test and Interview today at Windsor Office.

Here is a quick brief of my experience -

1.) I walked into the office 15 min before my scheduled time. They let a group of people in . I counted a total of 9 people along with me.
2.) We were all given the test - The test was a breeze ( Discover canada helped out there )
3.) Post the test, all the candidates waited for about 20 minutes.
4.) We were called in the order of when we finished our tests and when submitted our test sheet. I was called in 3 rd.
5.) The officer was extremely cordial and pretty nice - I immediately relaxed out.
Note - I had more than 1600 + days . I commute every day across the border and come back the same day as I work in the states . ( I had over 1100 daily crossings over the last 5 year period) . As i had 1100 crossings ,my physical presence calculator was 90 sheets longs ,when i had submitted my application
a.) I had brought in a two sets of files - One set that contained immediate info and that I had to provide - My passports , Identity docs .
Along with those ,I also got my mortgage docs , my elder kids school report and my younger kid's birth certificate , CBSA report of crossings.
My passport was pretty colorful with multiple stamps and visas .( Had visited my home country 4 times as well and post every visit , had a stamp on both the canadian side and US side + Had a Europe visit on company related work for 2 weeks )
The second file was a bigger one - That had the US side details of crossings ,utitlity bills , medical records , US W2's , paystubs , Employment records , previous rental leases, bank stmts , credit card stmts ,physical presence calculator sheets . I had the second file in my backpack and the first file in hand with me.

b.) The officer complimented me on the organized manner that i had filed in my application ( i had post marked my files when i had sent it in with all the above details and i had color coded the set). I was also told that i had scored 20/20 on the test . i acknoledged it with a thanks .

c.) I briefly mentioned about my work and my commute across the border every day . She acknowledged it and then took my physical presence calculator and went over my absences and started to correlate it to stamps on my passport. Luckily I had created a 2 pager where i had .every stamp correlating to days out of canada with a reason for the trip , reference to trip on the CBSA report and . the related trip's stamps on the pages of my passport. I was able to assist on a couple of trips that was being looked into .

d.) I was asked about my second child's birth in Canada ,our home in Windsor ( If we owned it) + my wife who had recently started on job .

e.) After all of my responses , the officer was satisfied and made a number of notes in the file.

Finally i was told on what i wanted to hear - She was satisfied and i was ready to go on to the next step , take my oath . :)
I was told that i would get an email and it would be around the December timeframe . At this point , i was positively Elated :)

Overall the experience was wonderful and very professional. I was impressed by the organized manner of the entire process + I could see that they put in a detailed effort to understand the candidate 's situation ( i saw my entire file with all the ton of docs with the officer).
If you have satisfied all the criteria needed to get to the next stage , there is nothing to fear.
Note - I gave a buffer of of a number of days . I applied post 1600 + days to give enough of a buffer to ensure that every possibility was covered.


I have to greatly thank this form for the detailed notes from a number of members and the shared experiences that helped me along the way in drafting out a complete application .( Will be helping my wife and my elder son apply next as they are eligible now as well) .



As a suggestion , i would recommend to keep a detailed note of all the little things ( bills, payments, credit card stmts, bank stmts, crossings references from multiple sources - in my case ,had CBSA reports ,USI 94 reports , i maintained a weekly excel of my crossings as well and was able to cross reference everything clearly) - > This looks like a lot of work but once we had got into a weekly 5 min routine of quickly marking the excel sheet and getting bills organized , it simplified the entire thing , when i started on the process of applying and then attending the interview) . Hopefully this helps someone next in line :)

Good luck to all and God Bless.


Thank you.
Kris R
Wow amazing. You are so organized. Congrats and good luck for the oath invite hope you get it soon.
 

Stef.

Hero Member
Apr 5, 2017
603
164
Hi All ,

I had my Citizenship test and Interview today at Windsor Office.

Here is a quick brief of my experience -

1.) I walked into the office 15 min before my scheduled time. They let a group of people in . I counted a total of 9 people along with me.
2.) We were all given the test - The test was a breeze ( Discover canada helped out there )
3.) Post the test, all the candidates waited for about 20 minutes.
4.) We were called in the order of when we finished our tests and when submitted our test sheet. I was called in 3 rd.
5.) The officer was extremely cordial and pretty nice - I immediately relaxed out.
Note - I had more than 1600 + days . I commute every day across the border and come back the same day as I work in the states . ( I had over 1100 daily crossings over the last 5 year period) . As i had 1100 crossings ,my physical presence calculator was 90 sheets longs ,when i had submitted my application
a.) I had brought in a two sets of files - One set that contained immediate info and that I had to provide - My passports , Identity docs .
Along with those ,I also got my mortgage docs , my elder kids school report and my younger kid's birth certificate , CBSA report of crossings.
My passport was pretty colorful with multiple stamps and visas .( Had visited my home country 4 times as well and post every visit , had a stamp on both the canadian side and US side + Had a Europe visit on company related work for 2 weeks )
The second file was a bigger one - That had the US side details of crossings ,utitlity bills , medical records , US W2's , paystubs , Employment records , previous rental leases, bank stmts , credit card stmts ,physical presence calculator sheets . I had the second file in my backpack and the first file in hand with me.

b.) The officer complimented me on the organized manner that i had filed in my application ( i had post marked my files when i had sent it in with all the above details and i had color coded the set). I was also told that i had scored 20/20 on the test . i acknoledged it with a thanks .

c.) I briefly mentioned about my work and my commute across the border every day . She acknowledged it and then took my physical presence calculator and went over my absences and started to correlate it to stamps on my passport. Luckily I had created a 2 pager where i had .every stamp correlating to days out of canada with a reason for the trip , reference to trip on the CBSA report and . the related trip's stamps on the pages of my passport. I was able to assist on a couple of trips that was being looked into .

d.) I was asked about my second child's birth in Canada ,our home in Windsor ( If we owned it) + my wife who had recently started on job .

e.) After all of my responses , the officer was satisfied and made a number of notes in the file.

Finally i was told on what i wanted to hear - She was satisfied and i was ready to go on to the next step , take my oath . :)
I was told that i would get an email and it would be around the December timeframe . At this point , i was positively Elated :)

Overall the experience was wonderful and very professional. I was impressed by the organized manner of the entire process + I could see that they put in a detailed effort to understand the candidate 's situation ( i saw my entire file with all the ton of docs with the officer).
If you have satisfied all the criteria needed to get to the next stage , there is nothing to fear.
Note - I gave a buffer of of a number of days . I applied post 1600 + days to give enough of a buffer to ensure that every possibility was covered.


I have to greatly thank this form for the detailed notes from a number of members and the shared experiences that helped me along the way in drafting out a complete application .( Will be helping my wife and my elder son apply next as they are eligible now as well) .



As a suggestion , i would recommend to keep a detailed note of all the little things ( bills, payments, credit card stmts, bank stmts, crossings references from multiple sources - in my case ,had CBSA reports ,USI 94 reports , i maintained a weekly excel of my crossings as well and was able to cross reference everything clearly) - > This looks like a lot of work but once we had got into a weekly 5 min routine of quickly marking the excel sheet and getting bills organized , it simplified the entire thing , when i started on the process of applying and then attending the interview) . Hopefully this helps someone next in line :)

Good luck to all and God Bless.


Thank you.
Kris R
Congrats! Do you mind if I copy/ paste your experience into the thread that I started re "Interview experiences"?
Thanks
Stef.
 

yycvr17

Full Member
Jun 20, 2017
43
7
Hi all:
  1. Did the test on oct 23 ,1 pm scheduled. Formed a line at 12.50 to enter for ID and invite letter, all seated by 1.05, about 40 people.
  2. Started the 30' test at 1.11. Finished in 3.5', bit anxious it was too soon? So, patiently revised three times, read every word of the questions once again to confirm I understood them. Was the first to turn in my test material at 1.21.
  3. Test was super easy, Discover Canada and all those free online practice tests were helpful.
  4. So first in line for interview, called in to first at 1.25. CIC interviewer was young, cordial and thorough. Verified all ID documents, individually checked two passports for every travel out of Canada..
  5. Smiling multitasker, casually said: "oh, by the way, congrats you did well on the test, scored 20/20"..
  6. At 1.30 she said everything is in order, that I can expect to receive the oath invite in 1-3 months.
  7. Walked out at 1.31... just 10' after completing test.
  8. Today: ecas updated to: 'Decision made'
  9. Moderator: please update
Had a very relaxed experience since this blog prepared me well. Thanks everyone!
 

kbanatwala

Hero Member
Jan 17, 2014
827
123
Hi All ,

I had my Citizenship test and Interview today at Windsor Office.

Here is a quick brief of my experience -

1.) I walked into the office 15 min before my scheduled time. They let a group of people in . I counted a total of 9 people along with me.
2.) We were all given the test - The test was a breeze ( Discover canada helped out there )
3.) Post the test, all the candidates waited for about 20 minutes.
4.) We were called in the order of when we finished our tests and when submitted our test sheet. I was called in 3 rd.
5.) The officer was extremely cordial and pretty nice - I immediately relaxed out.
Note - I had more than 1600 + days . I commute every day across the border and come back the same day as I work in the states . ( I had over 1100 daily crossings over the last 5 year period) . As i had 1100 crossings ,my physical presence calculator was 90 sheets longs ,when i had submitted my application
a.) I had brought in a two sets of files - One set that contained immediate info and that I had to provide - My passports , Identity docs .
Along with those ,I also got my mortgage docs , my elder kids school report and my younger kid's birth certificate , CBSA report of crossings.
My passport was pretty colorful with multiple stamps and visas .( Had visited my home country 4 times as well and post every visit , had a stamp on both the canadian side and US side + Had a Europe visit on company related work for 2 weeks )
The second file was a bigger one - That had the US side details of crossings ,utitlity bills , medical records , US W2's , paystubs , Employment records , previous rental leases, bank stmts , credit card stmts ,physical presence calculator sheets . I had the second file in my backpack and the first file in hand with me.

b.) The officer complimented me on the organized manner that i had filed in my application ( i had post marked my files when i had sent it in with all the above details and i had color coded the set). I was also told that i had scored 20/20 on the test . i acknoledged it with a thanks .

c.) I briefly mentioned about my work and my commute across the border every day . She acknowledged it and then took my physical presence calculator and went over my absences and started to correlate it to stamps on my passport. Luckily I had created a 2 pager where i had .every stamp correlating to days out of canada with a reason for the trip , reference to trip on the CBSA report and . the related trip's stamps on the pages of my passport. I was able to assist on a couple of trips that was being looked into .

d.) I was asked about my second child's birth in Canada ,our home in Windsor ( If we owned it) + my wife who had recently started on job .

e.) After all of my responses , the officer was satisfied and made a number of notes in the file.

Finally i was told on what i wanted to hear - She was satisfied and i was ready to go on to the next step , take my oath . :)
I was told that i would get an email and it would be around the December timeframe . At this point , i was positively Elated :)

Overall the experience was wonderful and very professional. I was impressed by the organized manner of the entire process + I could see that they put in a detailed effort to understand the candidate 's situation ( i saw my entire file with all the ton of docs with the officer).
If you have satisfied all the criteria needed to get to the next stage , there is nothing to fear.
Note - I gave a buffer of of a number of days . I applied post 1600 + days to give enough of a buffer to ensure that every possibility was covered.


I have to greatly thank this form for the detailed notes from a number of members and the shared experiences that helped me along the way in drafting out a complete application .( Will be helping my wife and my elder son apply next as they are eligible now as well) .



As a suggestion , i would recommend to keep a detailed note of all the little things ( bills, payments, credit card stmts, bank stmts, crossings references from multiple sources - in my case ,had CBSA reports ,USI 94 reports , i maintained a weekly excel of my crossings as well and was able to cross reference everything clearly) - > This looks like a lot of work but once we had got into a weekly 5 min routine of quickly marking the excel sheet and getting bills organized , it simplified the entire thing , when i started on the process of applying and then attending the interview) . Hopefully this helps someone next in line :)

Good luck to all and God Bless.


Thank you.
Kris R

Congratulations. You are really well organized... Good Luck... Hope you get your Oath invite soon....
 

kbanatwala

Hero Member
Jan 17, 2014
827
123
Hi all:
  1. Did the test on oct 23 ,1 pm scheduled. Formed a line at 12.50 to enter for ID and invite letter, all seated by 1.05, about 40 people.
  2. Started the 30' test at 1.11. Finished in 3.5', bit anxious it was too soon? So, patiently revised three times, read every word of the questions once again to confirm I understood them. Was the first to turn in my test material at 1.21.
  3. Test was super easy, Discover Canada and all those free online practice tests were helpful.
  4. So first in line for interview, called in to first at 1.25. CIC interviewer was young, cordial and thorough. Verified all ID documents, individually checked two passports for every travel out of Canada..
  5. Smiling multitasker, casually said: "oh, by the way, congrats you did well on the test, scored 20/20"..
  6. At 1.30 she said everything is in order, that I can expect to receive the oath invite in 1-3 months.
  7. Walked out at 1.31... just 10' after completing test.
  8. Today: ecas updated to: 'Decision made'
  9. Moderator: please update
Had a very relaxed experience since this blog prepared me well. Thanks everyone!
Congratulations.... Updated... Hope you get the Oath invite soon...